Sugar Snap Peas with Orange Ginger Butter

I originally made this recipe for Thanksgiving years ago and misplaced the recipe.  I'm making this for tomorrow's feast and am posting it now before I lose it again!  

This recipe makes about 4-5 servings.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups fresh sugar snap peas
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 1 Tbsp butter or margarine
• 1 Tbsp orange marmalade
• 1 tsp cider vinegar
• 1/8 tsp black pepper

Directions:

1. Remove the strings and tips from the peas.  Cook the peas, covered, in a small amount of boiled salted water for 2-4 minutes, or until crisp-tender.  Drain well.
2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan cook the ginger in hot butter for 1 minute.  Stir in marmalade, vinegar, and pepper.  Cook and stir until marmalade melts.  Pour marmalade mixture over hot cooked peas and toss to coat.

Red-skinned Mashed Potatoes

Hey, remember when you read the recipe for Pork Tenderloin and thought, "I wish I had a mashed potato recipe that would be perfect for that pork...?" Well, here you go! I found a recipe for mashed potatoes and made it my own. This is enough for about 4 side-servings.

6 med. red-skinned potatoes
salt
1 clove garlic, crushed/minced
3 tbsp. butter
1/4 stick cream cheese
about 1/4 cup milk
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. white pepper

1. Peel about half the skin off the potatoes and cut into small cubes. Place in a pot with enough water to cover the potatoes and a sprinkle of salt. Add the garlic to the water. Bring to a boil and cook about 10 minutes. Here's my test: insert a fork into a cube and if it falls right apart, they're done. Drain the potatoes well and return them to the pot.
2. Add the butter and cream cheese first and mash the potatoes with a potato masher. Smash 'em up well and allow the butter and cream cheese to melt before you add anything cold! This prevents too many lumps.
3. Pour in the milk and seasonings. Whip the potatoes well with a wooden spoon, or if you want them to be smoother, use an electric mixer. The small amount of skins in them add texture so I like to have a couple lumps here and there. Enjoy these babies, they're so tasty!

Fresh Jersey Tomato Pie

A neighbor dropped off a bag of very-ripe, home-grown Jersey tomatoes and I had to use as many as possible ASAP. I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com, made it my own, and literally ate 1/4 of the pie for dinner all by myself. Hope you like it!

1 9-inch refigerated pie shell
7 ripe tomatoes, seeded and sliced (the amount depends on the size of the tomatoes)
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (I threw in an extra handful!)
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
ground black pepper to taste
dried basil to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.


2. Bake pastry shell for 8-10 mins, until browned.


3. Place sliced onions in bottom of pastry shell. Arrange a few generous layers of tomato slices on top. Add black pepper and basil to taste.


4. In a small mixing bowl, combine mayo, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese. Spread this mixture evenly over the tomatoes.


5. Bake for 20-25 mins or until golden brown.

This pie can be served as a main dish or on the side, hot or cold. I like it hot and in large amounts!

Broccoli Cheese Crunch

A delicious way to get your greens!

1 10-oz. package frozen cut broccoli
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup corn flakes cereal, crushed
1 tsp. butter

• Heat butter over medium heat in small pan until melted. Throw in corn flakes and stir for a few minutes, until they are toasted. Remove from heat and put to the side.
• Cook broccoli according to package directions.
• Place broccoli in small casserole dish, top with shredded cheddar cheese, and top with corn flakes.
• Heat in oven on 375 for about 10 mins, so cheese is melted and corn flakes are crispy. Serve hot.