A Summer Meal to Cure the Winter Blues

Well, Halifax has once again been dumped on with 13824958 cm of snow. Pandemonium occurred today when my early morning bus-ride reverie was interrupted by another of Halifax Metro Transit's fleet blocking the road. That was it- I've had it with winter...though we're supposed to get another storm this week!

*Insert tears and pouting here - hypothetically of course*

Obviously, at 7:30 am, my thoughts went directly to my dinner plans. What could I eat, I thought, that would tear me out of the winter doldrums and enable me to get a taste of summer, if only for a brief moment? I decided immediately to BBQ- That's right, tonight, in my parka and rubber boots, I loaded up the Hibachi and BBQ'd on my balcony.

The result was a juicy and tender pork chop with a side of summer; yellow wax beans sauteed in garlic and sprinkled with a chiffonade of light lemony basil. I could almost feel the sun on my face - and then I looked out the window just as the flakes started to fall anew...

BBQ'd Pork w/ Garlicky Wax Beans and Basil

Method:

The BBQ'd pork is self explanatory- clearly.

Steam wax beans until tender. Remove from heat. In a small skillet, heat 1 tbsp olive oil and sautee garlic until cooked. Add beans and S&P and heat through. Garnish with fresh basil.

And there you have it, a simple summer meal at the height of winter, served with a hearty portion of contentment and a smile on top.