Summertime, and the Dining is Easy

This, I must say, is a nearly perfect summer meal. It was hot, it was humid, Tom and I were in a hurry, and this is what we put together for Saturday night's dinner: fried egg sandwiches with heirloom tomatoes and Garlic-Walnut Green Beans. I'm not sure that it can get much better than this. Really ... sometimes simplicity rules the day.

It was 5:30 p.m., and we needed to leave the house by 6 ... what to have for dinner??? Lots of fresh vegetables were available ... some good Cheddar and Parmesan ... some fish in the freezer ... hmmmm. We debated our options.

And then Tom uttered the very phrase I had been thinking myself: "How about fried egg sandwiches???" Oh, what synchronicity!

But then, what to serve with them ...?

I had bought green beans the day before at a farmers' market, and Tom had some lovely tomatoes -- the perfect colorful accompaniments!

So I got to work and heated some olive oil in a large skillet while Tom washed and trimmed the beans. I chopped 2 cloves of garlic and a handful of walnuts, and sauteed them a bit:

Then I added the beans and sauteed everything until the garlic and nuts were fragrant and the beans were tender -- 15 minutes, maybe, total. I got a bit impatient and covered the skillet for a bit to help steam the beans, to make sure they'd be ready on time.


Meanwhile, I fried one egg for each of us while Tom made toast with some lovely Italian bread. I simply spread butter on my sandwich, while Tom added mayonnaise and lettuce. In all honesty, I'd have fried the eggs in reserved bacon fat -- a priceless commodity, so never just discard it! -- but that would have seriously increased the fat content, which was a concern for Tom. But it would have been perfect ... :)

So, that's it -- the beans cooked quickly, and the garlic and walnuts were lovely accompaniments to them. The tomatoes needed nothing but a pinch of salt and pepper. And it's really hard to beat the comfort of a fried egg sandwich. And it all took 20 minutes to make a complete meal with protein, carbs and vegetables ... yay!!!

FYI: I'll be taking the weekend off, so don't think I've disappeared. Too much to do of late, too little time to do it in, and it's only getting busier from here until after the Jewish High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah (begins Wednesday night, September 8) and Yom Kippur (Saturday, September 18). I'm not running away -- don't worry! And I've got a special event coming up on Monday -- my 100th post!!! So just takin' the weekend off to take a deep breath and loiter in my jammies for a bit ... :)