ST. PATRICK’S DAY PEAS
This past week I was finally able to plant some veggies in
my garden. I dug up the rich black dirt to prepare the soil, made rows, and
planted tiny seeds of beets, carrots, lettuce, radish, and kale. Pushing fat
mini bulbs of red onions in the ground gave me all kinds of satisfaction at the
thought of fresh onions to come. But
when I sprinkled the pea seeds is when I really began to drool.
Lots of people hate eating peas- even my two kids (of all
people). I don’t know if it was what they considered “torture” picking peas and
the time consuming shelling that transferred to their taste buds that did the
trick or what. I certainly did my best to raise them to become farmers like my
grandparents. There is something
altogether fascinating about peas from the fat little seeds that you plant in
the earth, to the delicate vines that produce lovely blooms that turn into fat
pods you pick, and then delightfully eat. Raw or cooked peas have a distinctive
taste that shouts spring. As soon as I
plant peas, my taste buds go into overdrive demanding fresh green peas.
To satisfy my craving for peas, I grabbed the next best thing-
peas out of my freezer. So once again in
a valiant effort (my children call it stubbornness, but I prefer to think of it
as the Irish in me) to convince my kids and all you pea hating people, I’ve
come up with a sure-to-please pea recipe that I call my St. Patrick’s Day Peas. The St.
Patrick’s Day Peas have a smooth creamy cheesy flavor that hints of spring.
My St. Patrick’s Day Peas is another
quick (only 15 minutes) and easy no-fail recipe that serves four to five.
ST. PATRICK’S DAY PEAS
1 lb frozen peas
½ tsp salt
Cover the bottom of a small saucepan with water, add peas,
and salt. Bring to a boil and cook for five minutes. Mix together:
½ c milk
2 tb cornstarch
Add to the peas. Cube:
1 c Velveeta cheese
Add to mixture and cook until thickened and the cheese is
melted. Serve hot.
Tip: Adding ½ tsp of
margarine helps prevent veggies from boiling over when cooking and adds flavor!
