To recipe or not to recipe?

How do you feel about following recipes?  I tend to begin to follow each step with good intentions then find I have drifted off on a tangent, creating another dish that is different, yet equally good.  I like to use what I have on hand, instead of frantically running out for oils and spices that I will never use again.  I am constantly substituting ingredients and cooking by feel to suit my taste, rather than by formula.  Since I hardly ever write my recipes down, I am often stumped when I try to recreate a dish. This tends to frustrate my family to no end. "Make that dish you made last month, it was so good."  "Why didn't you write it down?"  I think I earned this trait from my Grandfather who was always creating the most delicious soups and sauces, and never writing them down.  To this day I still dream of his Tomato Basil soup, forever lost.

I came across this article at Gilt, all about the recipe and how it is not always to best place to begin.  I enjoyed it so much that I decided to forgo a much needed trip to the store for a week to see if we could create dinners using only ingredients on hand.  The experiment was a success and we were able to come up with some delicious and creative dishes that we would have otherwise missed.

While I may not cook by recipe often, I will make an effort for my family and you all to take a little more time to write things down.  With that, enjoy these light Mustard greens with Garlic.

Cooking them is silly simple (hardly a recipe at all).  Wash thoroughly and pat dry with a clean towel.  I stack mine and cut them in a wide chiffonade.  They melt into one another well and soak up more of the delicious garlic flavor.  Heat a wok or pan on medium high and add olive oil.  While this heats, chop, mince or grate your garlic.  I use two huge cloves, or three to four small ones. When the oil is hot, drop your garlic in and cook for about one minute.  Add your greens and stand back.  Once the spattering has died down, turn your greens to cook evenly.  They are done when they have wilted considerably.  Add salt and enjoy with a bowl of pasta, on their own or as a topping on toasted baguette.