The winter weather here has really given me the BLAHS….below zero days and nights make me CRABBY!

Even “Date Night” at the Theater was a bit of a downer….”Long Days Journey Into Night”, while beautifully acted and staged was DEPRESSING!  And walking from the car… to the restaurant… to the the theater….to the car….it was darn cold!!!

We have a tradition of going out on the “never ending bridge” in the theater to look out at the city and the river.  We have done this every single time we attend a play….
Alas….this sign on the door greeted us this week….and now our perfect streak is ended!
But enough whining…..since I haven’t been doing much for projects….I will do one of my rare cooking posts…..because regardless of the weather….you gotta eat!
Here is my recipe for Green Beans Sweetwater Style!
I used to hate green beans….
maybe it was growing up being forced to eat those soft, mushy canned versions… seriously…do these beans even LOOK green? 
Then I watched Julia Child cooking green beans and it changed my view of this vegetable forever.  Her technique is so simple and fool proof it can hardly be counted as a recipe!
Now…maybe everyone in the world knows how to do this!
But maybe….you have just been boiling your beans and plopping them on the plate!
If so….if you follow these steps….you end up with a crisp, tasty, never fail side dish that looks like something you would get in a fancy restaurant.
 I love that you can buy green beans ready to cook…with the ends already snapped…..
Sometimes we are lucky enough to find a mix of green, yellow and purple beans….it doesn’t much matter as long as they are crisp and fresh to start with.
Start by putting the beans in a pan with a little….and I do mean little… water!
 Bring the water to a boil and cook until the water is almost gone….the beans will start to get really bright and green…when the water is gone the beans will still need more cooking time….and that is the trick to this technique!
 Add a couple of tablespoons of butter to the pan……hey….I didn’t say this was a low cal recipe….just a delicious one.
 Keep the heat high as you let the butter melt….keep stirring so the butter coats every little bean in the pan….but don’t stop there!!!
Keep stirring and cooking as the butter almost carmelizes on the beans.  (now do you see why you don’t over cook the beans before you add the butter?)
When the butter is completely coating all of the beans…..add a bit of salt and pepper….
 And there you have them……Perfectly Simple….Perfectly Delicious Green Beans!
Thanks Julia!!!
Bon Appétit!

Posted in: cooking.
Last Modified: February 2, 2013