One of the things I enjoy most in life is cooking delicious meals for friends. A few weeks ago, a dear friend of ours came over to help my wife with some weeding, which turned out to be internal and external. While a good deal of the weeding was going on, I was inside preparing a simple, but delicious dish for my friend who loves lentils. One of the things I love most about my friend Maryanna is that food does not need to be gourmet or cost a lot to make her happy. It is usually the most simplistic of dishes like my tomato basil soup, grilled cheese sandwiches, my olive oil and garlic bread, or baked ziti. This particular night was just as simple, a lentil and rice pilaf with carmelized onions. What inspired me was her comment about how the smell carried her off the front porch and into the kitchen. She was already in love with the dish before it ever made it to the table.