Frank and Beans
I lived in Florida for 15ish years and made good friends with a coworker. He's a born and bred Florida redneck with a heart of gold and the patience of a saint. We'd fish together all the time, create BBQ sauces, light tinker type projects, drink beer and sweet tea on the patio, just good friend stuff.
But his wife can't cook for nothing. Whenever I was over during dinner time, my friend made sure I had a few beers in me before the meal just so I wouldn't taste her food so much. I would never complain. His wife loved having me around and wanted to do nice things for me. Which meant always having a seat for me at the dinner table.
One day she asked what I wanted for dinner, I said franks and beans. She thought I was joking, but it's exactly what I wanted. The dinner was so simple, she made it to perfection! Even had honey butter cornbread with it. A squeeze of yellow mustard and home made BBQ sauce made it a home run.
After that, she made that meal for me every time I visited. And I loved it every time. I moved out of Florida 5 years ago and I make franks and beans for dinner all the time. I like that it always reminds me of my good friends and the way they cared about me.
So, tonight's dinner is franks and beans!