The town we live in, and I believe most of the state as well, has a delightful tradition of scheduling 3 half-days followed by two days off from school in the first week of November.  Both working and non-working moms can appreciate the small bit of chaos this can wreak in an otherwise orderly schedule.  But as my Nana liked to say, it’s an ill wind that blows no good, and this particular wind means a break from school lunch preparation, which I must admit is not among my favorite activities.  Though my children have fairly experimental palates in general, when it comes to school lunch, we’re in a bit of rut, from which, try as I may, we seem unable to break free.

And so it is that these 3 half days provide an opportunity to prepare a hot lunch!  Yes, I know some of you are saying, “this girl needs to get a life if this is what excites her,” but I do love having a morning free of peanut butter sandwich-making, and a lunchtime seated at the table with my daughters.

Yesterday my fridge contained the last-of-the-season green beans from the farmers’ market, and my head contained a vague recollection of a recipe I had recently encountered that called for green beans, bread crumbs and garlic.  Here’s the result:

Roughly chop a clove or two of garlic and two handfuls of green beans.  Warm two slugs of olive oil in the bottom of a skillet.  Add garlic and saute over medium-low heat until soft, raise heat to medium-high and add green beans.  Sprinkle with juice of half a lemon and cook about two minutes, stirring frequently.  Stir in a handful of breadcrumbs, salt and pepper to taste.  When beans are cooked to your liking, add pasta (which you should have been cooking during the preceding process) and toss to coat, adding a little more olive oil, if necessary.   Serve with parmesan.
Your children will eat their green beans today.