Cheerleader Crunchy Green Beans

Fresh green beans (lightly blanched), toasted silvered almonds, a little bit of butter. Now, this is interesting because Alice's recipe is almost identical to the one I make from Gourmet. The only real difference is that I also use garlic and she doesn't, and there is a slight variation in the tossing/cooking of the beans at the end. But, it's the same, which is good. It's funny how sometimes Alice and I are so in sync, and other times not so much.

Episode Note: "Greg's Triangle" Greg is in a pickle when he is the chair of the committee charged with selecting Westdale High's new head cheerleader. The three girls competing are Marcia, Pat Conway (played by a very young Rita Wilson) and Jennifer Nichols, who has set her sights on Greg. Jennifer goes out of her way to sweet talk Greg, pretending she doesn't know he will be the one choosing the winner. She's all over her "Greggy-poo," much to the chagrin of Mike and Carol, who see right through her. Greg, of course, is blind. He thinks he has a solution and the road to impartiality when he realizes the other three judges can vote and the majority will rule. His plan backfires when he finds himself in a 3-way tie and must cast the deciding vote. Unable to choose between Marcia and Jennifer, Greg wisely chooses the girl with the most spirit, Pat. Marcia is pleased that Jennifer's conniving got her nowhere. Furious, Jennifer dumps Greg quicker than you can say "Go Bears!" Greg finally realizes that Jennifer just may have been using him to get his vote (hello), because as he tells his father "Dad, if there's one thing I know, it's women."  Hmmm. Despite his bravado, Greg proves no match for the cutthroat world of cheerleading. Rah, rah, sis, boom, bah.