Peanut Butter and Dill Pickles

We all have things we eat when we're alone, right?

I discovered I was not alone in this when I came across the delightful book, ""Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant: Confessions of Cooking for One and Dining Alone," edited by Jenni-Ferrari-Adler. 

Food lovers--all favorites of mine--as diverse as Laurie Colwin, Nora Ephron, M.F.K. Fisher, and Marcella Hazan contributed--along with writers who don't normally write about food, Ann Patchett, for example. (Love Patchett's novel "Bel Canto")

To quote the jacket:, the book is "part solace, part celebration, part handbook..It offers a wealth of company, inspiration, and humor--and finally, recipes that offer no division or subtraction." 

So, what do you eat when you're alone?

One of my favorites is a toasted peanut butter and dill pickle sandwich.

Today was crazy: way too much to do in that crucial 8-12 zone, so I skipped breakfast and had a tiny bit of leftover paella at my desk at around 11 am. After a meeting at Knoxville Tourism and Sports Corporation 2-4 pm, I walked home, hungry and in the mood for a toasted peanut butter and dill pickle sandwich.

I know I slammed Richard Nixon's combination of cottage cheese and ketchup previously. Maybe a toasted peanut butter and dill pickle sandwich.is just as weird or gross to some. But at least I don't eat it every day.

Actually, a  toasted peanut butter and dill pickle sandwich is the perfect combination of a little carb, a little protein, a little sweetness, a little piquancy. It's a quick, easy meal made with ingredients you probably always have on hand.

Start with good whole wheat bread. I like natural peanut butter. Tip: Store it upside down in your pantry. You won't have to stir it as much when you open it.

You can use any kind of dill pickles, but the ones specially sliced thin for sandwiches are perfect.

Next, toast the sandwich, just enough to make the bread crunchy and the peanut butter soft. Careful though: you don't want the pickles to get too hot.

That's what we're having. What do you have when you're alone?