I keep a close eye on my mother when we cook together. She has a habit of adding unnecessary ingredients – things she wants out of her fridge – to recipes.
The last few squirts of horseradish sauce? Why not add it to the omelets?
That soft, forgotten onion quarter? Onto the grilled cheese sandwiches its goes.
As I prepare vegetable potpies, I watch her pull a hunk of ham from the back of her fridge and sniff it.
I thought about this the other night in my own kitchen, a pile of summer squash before me. I could use yellow squash like acorn squash, right? I could top it with brown sugar and butter – and maybe the rest of these coconut flakes, I thought as I peered into my fridge.