The most sunshiny Kansas day turned into a rainy, stormy night, and I am writing. It’s a good evening for a confession: I am not necessarily a good cook. My husband and various relatives know this already. When we got married, I threw myself with zeal and vigor into cooking and baking. I made meal plans, researched diets, shopped for recipe specific ingredients, and spent more money than necessary on groceries because I had no clue what I was doing.

Halfway into our third month of marriage, I gave up, cried, and we ate ham sandwiches for a week. Since then, progress has been spotty. Somedays I feel good about what I’ve made for us to eat. Somedays I just want someone to cook for me. All days I want someone to cook for me, actually. Some evenings I’ll make something my husband can’t get enough of, and the very next time I make it I do it different and he hates it. As he is usually the only other person eating the food I cook, his opinion matters on this subject.

Through these ups and downs, I’ve discovered I don’t find much joy in creating new and exciting food for us to eat every day. I don’t find much joy in making sure we eat every day. I do find joy in eating, so thanks #adultlife, for this happy conundrum.

Like all major problems in life, someone else has experienced it, too, and that is why he or she invented canned food and spice mixes. Because, honestly, most days that is the key to any success I have in the kitchen.

Without further ado: my black beans recipe. I serve them with rotisserie chicken ($5 of happiness from Walmart), avocado, and tortilla’s. These beans also go well with heovos con chorizo. Beans for breakfast has become one of my favorite things.

Don’t mash these beans: let them simmer in their juices and don’t stir them. Add half a packet of Sazon Goya Con Culantro y Achiote spice mix. This is the easiest way to cook beans that almost taste like my mother-in-law’s beans do. Since that description of this recipe is way too long to be it’s name, we can simply call these canned beans with spice mix. Still too long? Oh well.

I hope you enjoy eating these beans so much you don’t notice this is definitely cheating. I for sure don’t notice.