cookin' at work: yummy fresh green beans...

... will blow your socks off (and not just due to the fact that we all know beans come equipped with a certain flatulence producing ingredient). I made the dish five times and had great reviews. Some customers who would stand around, forking food into their faces, humming to themselves, thinking: 'yum', then saying 'this is so good.' Hang around, looking optimistic, dally long enough for the next passers-by to hear them, providing a little testimonial to the goodness of the recipe. They would comment that I was a good cook, I'd say 'thanks'. Knowing that is not necessarily true: you just follow the instructions that have been tested, proof-read, evaluated, proven to be practically foolproof. Not that I am suggesting anyone might be a fool, but that the written directions are so clear and simple it would be pretty difficult to mess up.

The bean recipe starts with four slices of bacon, diced. I cut them really small, about 1/4 inch, though the instructions were for about an inch. Heat the skillet and put the bacon in, stirring until it is browned and crispy. Take the bacon out and put the beans in. Stir about five minutes, until they begin to get done, then add a thinly sliced yellow onion, and a box of sliced mushrooms. I cut the mush. into smaller pieces, so the servings on a small sample plate would be more manageable. When the onions and mushrooms are tender, stir in a couple Tbs. of cider vinegar, a Tbs. of sugar, salt and pepper to taste. When sugar is dissolved, add the bacon bits back in. This is so good, you will eat too much, then realize the beans, onions and mushrooms are sooo tasty because they were cooked in bacon grease. You knew that when you were doing it, but once you start eating, you will loose your self control.

All the nutritional value of the fresh vegetables just went right out the window due to the overwhelmingly heart-detrimental effect of a third of a cup of bacon fat. So this is something you should make when there will be other people around to prevent you from eating the whole thing by yourself: like a family gathering or potluck dinner. Sorry - between the tasty bacon and the yummy sweet and sour effect of the vinegar and sugar, you are pretty much guaranteed to regret it tomorrow.