Cooking with Friends ~ H.

I've been meaning to cook with my friend H. for a while. You may remember H. from the post I did of her Black Russian Cake.  While her adorable dog Asher didn't help with this meal, H. and I had a great time creating a dinner. She made a pasta dish with Campanelle pasta, cheddar cheese, sun dried tomatoes, olives and toasted pecans. It's a combination ingredients that I wouldn't imagine would go well together but I kept an open-mind and encouraged H. to try it. I was pleasantly surprised and helped myself to second and leftovers. The toasted pecans added a nice crunch and while I don't usually like sun dried tomatoes they added just the right amount of tomato to the dish. One of the great things about cooking with friends is being able to try someone else's dish/creation/specialty. It's wonderful to try something new and different and to expand your culinary horizons this way.

A long time ago, I remember H. saying that she grew up hating green beans. Mostly because the green beans she had were of the canned kind. Blech. Canned green beans are mushy and they take on the flavor of the aluminum can they've been stored in. Fresh green beans are much better. Steamed, sauteed and even roasted, you just can't go wrong. Just don't overcook them! I decided to make Green Beans Almondine to go with H.'s dish. It would be a good way for her to experience a different way of eating green beans. And Green Beans Almondine, although a very simple dish, tastes incredibly luxurious. The combination of butter and almonds adds flavor and texture to the green beans in a way that nothing else can.

A special thanks to H. who is always a pleasure to hang out with!

Green Beans Almondine

1 bunch of green beans

2 tablespoons of butter

1/4 of sliced almonds.

This makes 2 servings.

Lightly steam the green beans for about 5 minutes. Set aside. Melt the butter in a sautee pan and add the green beans. Coat the green beans in the butter and then add the almonds. Cook for a few minutes just so  everything is coated and warm and the almonds toast a little bit. Serve hot.