Simple Meals

Tuesday last week Blaine was in charge of dinner in Wooster.  He wasn't assigned that duty; he told us he was taking care of it.  He had brought fresh green beans from his garden in Pyrmont, stopped at the store in Wooster and picked up potatoes and sausage plus some bacon, and planned a dinner for all 11 of us, including Greta who was helping with the clean out that day.

Early in the morning he snapped and cleaned the beans, then put them in a pot to cook all day.  Every time I walked through the kitchen I could smell the aroma of freshly picked green beans simmering in hot water and hear the gentle bubbles bursting against the sides of the kettle.  Later he cooked potatoes, added sausage to the pot, and dinner was ready.  Nothing tasted better after a long day of sorting, cleaning, and purging more and more closets and drawers than a from-the-garden type of dinner. Piping hot and tasty!  Just what we needed.  Plus a side benefit was the low cost.  Dining in a restaurant for our meals can be quite costly when we are there for several days.  An economical meal was a special treat for the credit and debit cards!

Yesterday Gary and I were talking about meal possibilities since we were going to be home for several days in a row.  I picked up some fresh green beans at Krogers along with two packages of sausage.  This morning after church I layered the green beans, potato slices, chopped up sausage pieces, sliced onion, in the crockpot.  After grinding some pepper and salt over the mixture, I added water, clamped down the lid, and turned the dial to Low. 

After several hours of stirring the pot, taste testing the contents, and smelling the delicious aroma, we decided it was time to enjoy the feast.  Added to the meal were several ears of sweet corn that we picked up at Welkers on the way home from church.

One word - delicious.  The sausage wasn't quite a good as that in Blaine's mixture last week, but the rest of the dish was superb. Hot.  Tender.  Tasty.  Just the right amount of seasoning.  Add some butter and I was all set!  And the sweet corn was super also!  For dessert later in the evening?  Fresh strawberry shortcake (with some raspberries and blackberries thrown in).

You just can't beat this type of meal in the summertime.  Quick.  Easy.  Tasty.  Filling. Economical. And much of it comes from the garden or the produce section of the store.  Give me this summer food anytime!

Thanks, Blaine, for the inspiration!  It was SO good (and there is enough left for tomorrow's lunch also!)