Grandma's Green Beans

Okay, confession. Neither one of my grandmas ever made these for me. This isn't even their recipe; however, I justify the name because I will make these for my grandchildren one day. Granted, about 2,593,829 things have to happen for me to be in that position, but a girl can dream, right?

Right.

My friend, Rebekkah, is the queen of green beans. Actually, she's the queen of vegetables. Period. She can take that old moldy tomato at the bottom of the pile and turn it into something mouth-watering. She always tells me, "If you don't like the taste of vegetables, you aren't cooking them right."

Interesting concept, right?

So I decided to make my vegetables tasty. And let me tell you what ... if I could make all my veggies taste like these green beans — buttery and sweet and salty — I'd never have to eat a french fry again.

WAIT. No. I didn't mean that. That was a false statement. Let the record show, I enjoy french fries ....

... and "Grandma's" green beans.

Ingredients:
  • 1 lb. fresh green beans
  • 1 tbsp. butter
  • 2 tbsp. live oil
  • Minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 tsp. brown sugar
Directions:
  •  First, cut off all the ends of the green beans and rinse them. Discard the ends.
  • Warm up about 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.
  • Add the green beans and the garlic. Turn heat on medium low and cover.
  • Stir every 5 minutes or so, making sure they don't burn. If needed, turn it down to a lower heat. We want them to cook slowly and almost marinate in the olive oil and garlic as they cook.
  • After about 15-20 minutes, add a tablespoon of butter to the pan and move around until melted. If you're brave and feel like it, add more butter. Life is short (although more butter might make it shorter).
  • Cover again and let cook over low heat for about 10 minutes. Once again, keep an eye on it.
  • Add salt, pepper and 1 teaspoon of the brown sugar. Mix thoroughly.
  • Serve as a side dish
    • We want these green beans to be just the right consistency, and this timeline is what worked best for me. We don't want them soggy, but we definitely want them softer and not raw and crispy (unless that's your thing). Every pan and stove heating is different, so it's important to just keep an eye on it, allow it to stay at a low heat, and stir every few minutes until they're at your desired consistency.
The beauty about green beans is that they're versatile. They go great with steaks, chicken, pork, or fish. Personally, I love serving these to Tim with a big juicy steak and a loaded baked potato. Now doesn't that just sound amazing?

Love and cooking-veggies-the-right-way,
Rachael
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