Yesterday was Easter for many of us. Passover began Friday evening through this coming Saturday for others. In the midst of all this are the celebratory (or memorial) meals that have become traditions throughout the world.
Although the Spring holidays don't have the same food impact as the Fall and Winter holidays do, food still plays a prominent role. Whether it is Easter ham, Seder brisket, Holy Thursday pancakes or fish on Fridays during Lent, food is center stage during these holidays.
I had the opportunity to enjoy a ham dinner yesterday. I love ham, but my daughter doesn't, so I don't get to eat it much at home. I did bring her a platter, but it was filled with everything but ham. I can understand why some people don't eat ham (or pork), but I can't imagine how someone doesn't like ham after they've had the chance to try it. Unfortunately, I have no leftovers to munch on, so I'll be making myself a hamburger once I post this.
That's right. You don't have to be a college student to decide to cook dinner at midnight (or just past, in our case). I just didn't feel like cooking yesterday and my daughter had a date, so she wasn't here to eat. But, when she got home from the movies, she asked if I had made anything because she was hungry (apparently, the date didn't include dinner).
I had thawed a pound of hamburger, but when it's hot and humid, I'm not always anxious to go into the kitchen to work on a meal. So, we will "graze" rather than dine. But, by midnight, it had cooled some, so I offered to make some hamburgers (which I have been craving for a while). Or spaghetti and meat sauce. But, she wanted green beans and tomato sauce. I knew we only had a single can of tomato sauce which wouldn't be enough for this very simple, yet tasty, meal.
She went to the pantry and pulled out that can and a can of diced tomatoes and two cans of French style green beans and I went to work. I browned the beef, then added the drained green beans followed by the tomato sauce and tomatoes. We usually serve this with fried potatoes, so I quickly cooked up some frozen French fries to go with.
I prefer this with straight tomato sauce, but it wasn't bad. My personal tastes are to use a single can of beans with their liquid plus ground beef and at least one can of tomato sauce. But, my daughter is a huge fan of French style green beans, so we got a double helping. Season to your taste - we added fresh ground salt and pepper.
Although it was late, it was just what we both were looking for. Something a bit more substantial than tuna or peanut butter, yet reasonably healthy. Yeah, it was late, but heck - you're only young once (well, I can dream, can't I?)
