One of the great things about working late — for me, anyway — is that it takes the guesswork out of dinner.

What do I turn to? Fast food. The original fast food, as my mom likes to say: fruit.

Tonight it was an apple. It was well beyond dinnertime, so anything probably would’ve tasted great — but this apple was especially delicious. At the 9pm hour, I’d prefer to be at home vegging instead of dinnering at work. But if it has to be a late feast, I shall make it a light one.

Apple aside, I got home and decided wine was in order. One, it was a heck of a long day — although not my longest ever. Two, it’s Friday. Three, I just felt like it. What more reason do I need?

[Shameless plug for Pine Ridge’s 2011 Chenin Blanc/Viognier blend.]

The awesome thing about an apple and wine for dinner is that the pairing is akin to the naughty and nice combo.

Good cop/bad cop.

Sugar and spice.

I feel guilty, but not really — because I just ate an apple.

I feel semi-smug and über-healthy — but not really, because I just washed that all away with wine.

A perfect culinary dichotomy…minus any cooking in my apple and wine meal. So I guess “culinary” is misplaced. Drat.

It may not be a meal of champions, but it made me feel like I came out victorious after the day I had. And sometimes before you tumble into bed, that’s all you really need. For that, I am thankful.

Zzz.