Green Beans and Bacon

If you thought you didn't like green beans... try them like this. Bacon makes it all better.

1lb green beans (about 3 Cups)
1C red onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic
3 slices of bacon
1/3 C almonds
3 oz bleu cheese (optional)

Trim your green beans and toss in boiling water for 4-5 minutes or until they're done to your liking.
Fresher green beans will snap nicely in the middle and cook faster. Older beans are a little harder to snap and need to cook longer.

Meanwhile, fry your bacon in a pan. Remove the bacon, place it on a paper towel to cool, and then chop into bits. You should be left with 1-3T of bacon fat in the pan. If not, add butter and melt.

When the beans are done, move them into the bacon fat and toss them to coat.
Saute for 1-2 minutes on medium high heat.
Add almonds and cut the heat. Stir to coat and then add the bacon back in.
Sprinkle with bleu cheese or leave it on the side if there are guests who may not like the taste.

You can make this very simply with just beans and bacon also, or for a different twist, add a teaspoon of vinegar to the bacon fat and then sugar to taste. Think hot bacon dressing on green beans. yum.