I have this bad habit of casually inviting people to my house for any number of reasons — most recently the big NFL bowl game — and not keeping any sort of track. So when Sunday morning rolled around for a recent football game, and texts and tweets confirming attendance started popping up, I panicked.
Of course I had no idea how many people I’d actually invited. In surveying the food I would serve, I was absolutely certain we’d all starve, everyone would go home hungry, and I’d be remembered for throwing the worst party ever.
I was in no mood to face the grocery store one more time that weekend, especially a couple of hours before kick-off. Certainly I had enough things on hand to whip up something… anything. This Cheesy Black Bean and Sweet Corn Dip was the result. I have made it three more times since then and am of the belief that I could solely eat this, and only this, for the rest of my days and I wouldn’t be mad at it.
I poured through my kitchen staples for something tasty, hearty, crowd-pleasing, and easy. This was so simple it only required that I crack open a can, rip open a bag, stir, bake, and eat.
One of the few canned goods I keep on hand is black beans. Those alone will make the quickest and easiest dinner for my toddler, not to mention how they effortlessly transform simple salad, soup, or taco dinners. With black beans as a base, I discovered a spare bag of frozen sweet corn, generally reserved for my Chicken Taco Soup.
I used the remaining green chili enchilada sauce in a jar from a previous meal, and chopped a handful of jarred jalapenos. All stirred together and topped with real colby Jack cheese (I believe that a little bit of higher quality cheese is so much better than a little or even a lot of some cheap, reduced-fat variety).
This baked for about 15 minutes in a 350 degree F oven and came out ready to dip and devour!
It was the simplest thing I prepared for the party and was one of the most raved about. There were enough leftovers to take in my lunch the next day, and rolled in a tortilla with fresh spring greens and avocado it made a killer vegetarian burrito. 
Cheesy Black Bean and Sweet Corn Dip
serves 6
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen sweet corn
1/8 cup pickled jalapenos*; chopped finely
1/3 cup green enchilada sauce
1/2 cup colby Jack cheese, shredded
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Spray a glass pie plate or similar baking dish and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients (except the cheese) and stir to combine.
3. Pour ingredients in the baking dish, cover with cheese, and place in the oven to bake for about 15 minutes.
4. Serve immediately with tortilla chips.
*add more or less per your heat preference!
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Recipe by Brandi Koskie; photos by Kacy Meinecke