Ms. Dymund posted a recipe that is very similar to one I cooked up last night, and as I was reading it, a realization washed over me that made me want to stand up and sing. Last night, the pot of food that I cooked up was edible. EDIBLE! And not only that, the food I made was enjoyable to eat.

Shut up. No. For serious. The Palinode even packed some of it up for lunch today, because it was so good that he wanted to eat it two days in a row. There have been occasions in which he took polite little mouthfuls, drank gulps of water, and told me that my food was lovely, which is horribly funny to watch, especially when his eyes water, but the food I made yesterday was a dish he ate with gusto two days in a row. There is hope for me and kitchen-related tasks yet.

I thought that if I could make this recipe work, anyone could, so I am passing it on. It takes almost no effort, cooks up in one pot, and has excellent flavour. You'll love it.

Everyone's Rice and Beans

Take 1 cup or more of chopped onions, 2 or more cloves of garlic chopped or minced or left in huge chunks, and a ¼ teaspoon or more of red pepper flakes, depending on taste.

Fry the onions, garlic, and red pepper flakes together in 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan for five to ten minutes, or until the onions are soft.

Then, add one can of drained diced tomatoes, one cup of long grain white rice, 1½ to 2 cups of water, depending on how wet your diced tomatoes are, 2 teaspoons of lime juice, or even some lemon will do, and ½ to 1 teaspoon of salt, depending on taste.

Stir it all together, bring it to a boil, and then add one can of drained black beans.

Turn the heat down to medium low, cover it, and let it simmer for twenty minutes or until the water has been absorbed by the rice. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let it stand for ten minutes before serving.

I have no picture of the finished product, but believe me, it is terribly tasty, filling, and versatile. You can throw in different kinds of beans and vegetables and rice, depending on what your tastes are.

Of course, what really makes this recipe so excellent is that I, Schmutzie, couldn't fuck it up. I have made a mess of boiling eggs, cooking pasta, and baking biscuits. Once, when I was trying to fix a casserole that was becoming monstrously overbearing, I pureed the whole thing, added crumbled crackers, and rebaked it. I really did. You should have seen the Palinode's face when as he struggled through that one.

This recipe, though, is a breeze.

With the use of two spices and some lime juice under my belt, I just might be gaining some culinary confidence.