It\’s time to head back to the lab! I want something new to eat!

I don\’t wear a white lab coat, and test tubes and Bunsen burners are lacking. All the same, the kitchen is a laboratory of sorts.

Think about it. Wouldn\’t you get rather bored with making the same dish over and over, the exact same way? Sooner or later you\’d start to experiment, wouldn\’t you? You\’d try a different seasoning, or a different vegetable; pasta instead of rice, and so on.

A couple of weeks ago, I did that yet again. I hauled out The Feed Zone Cookbook, and turned to the recipe for Angel Hair with Bacon and Sweet Corn (pg. 140-141).

I didn\’t have any bacon, so I substituted 1/2 cup of cooked black beans, Note: next time, use a full cup. I also didn\’t have angel hair pasta; but I did have an 8-oz box of elbow macaroni, purchased at the salvage store for 50 cents. It was exactly the right amount, so I used it.

I don\’t know how much two ears of corn make when the kernels are cut from the cobs. I gambled on 1/2 cup. Another note: Next time, use more corn.

I didn\’t have any fresh tomatoes, and forgot to open a can of tomatoes. No big deal. Just remember it next time!

With no fresh basil on hand, I used 1 tsp parsley flakes and 1/2 tsp dried basil. I cut the olive oil back to 1 Tbsp, and used freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste.

Pretty good! I declared the experiment a success. Soon I\’ll be heading back to the lab, trying something else new!