Simple Summer Meal

Tonight my husband and I enjoyed one of our favorite simple summer meals, if you ever want a quick and delicioius home made dinner this one is a must. It's a simple meal but with a little extra effort it can take it from ordinary to extrodinary.

I start out by boiling some water and gathering together a few large cloves of garlic.

Dice up the garlic and prepare the green beans chopping off the ends. During the summer we are never in a shortage of fresh green beans and using fresh beans makes a world of difference. They have a fresh crunch that you simply cant achive by using frozen or canned. If you have never tried fresh green beans I highly recommend it, even if you don't like canned or frozen green beans give this recipe a try it really is completely different. The fresh green beans when cooked al dente have a wonderful fresh and clean taste and adding garlic makes their robust flavor pop in your mouth.

Boil the beans until they are al dente. They should still have a crunch when they are finished. In the mean time I begin slicing onions for the chicken. Cut a small onion in half and then cut it into thin long stips. I read a book once on Asian cooking and a big part of their cuisine is the way they choose to cut their items. I never realised the signifigance a simple cut of an item could put on a meal. This is hands down my favorite way to cut onions. I love the thin long strips it creates. It is a delicious addition to many meals and can add a special touch to your dishes.

Once the beans have boiled for 5 min or so drain them and toss them into a pot that has been coated with extra virgin olive oil that has been heated, when you toss in the beans they should start sizzling right away. If they do not your oil is not warm enough a medium high heat should do the trick. Toss in the garlic and flavor with salt to your personal taste, you want to keep a close eye on the beans I prefer my beans to be slightly darkened in the frying but it's up to you how long you cook them.

In the mean time toss a tablespoon of butter into a pan along with a tablespoon and a half of balsalmic vinagar. Sweat the onions and add chicken breasts. Cook through until chicken is no longer pink in the middle. Once your chicken is cooked sit down with the ones you love and enjoy! Although it seems like a simple meal some little tricks such as frying the fresh green beans with garlic and adding onion and balsamic vinagar to your chicken can add a very special touch to this super simple meal.

I hope you will all have fun preparing and eating this meal. After a long stressfull day it's no fun to slave over a hot stove but at the same time who wants to eat take out all the time? Meals like this make life so easy for me and I hope they will bring ease to your life as well.

Happy Eating,

Jennie