pierogies.

No, I did not make these pierogies from scratch. Please, I wish I was that talented. These were bought at a local farmer's market and trust me when I say they were delicious. They're filled with cheese and potatoes, and I sauteed them in butter with some onion and snap peas. Delicious. They were so pretty, I just had to share.

two-pea pasta with ricotta and tarragon.

I'm always on the search for new pasta recipes, so when I found this one online at Delish.com, I thought it sounded great and couldn't wait to give it a try myself.


the recipe
coarse salt and ground pepper
12 ounces gemelli or other short pasta
12 ounces sugar snap peas
1 10-ounce package frozen peas
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese


1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes less than al dente. Add snap peas; cook 2 minutes, add peas, and cook 1 minute more. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; drain pasta and vegetables and return to pot.
2. Toss pasta and vegetables with butter, tarragon, and ricotta, adding a little reserved pasta water as needed to create a thin sauce that coats pasta; season with salt and pepper.
3. Divide pasta among four serving bowls and garnish with tarragon, if desired. Serve immediately.


substitutions
I didn't have tarragon. I know that tarragon has a really unique flavor and there isn't really a complete substitution for it, so I just through some oregano in there for some flavor.


great with
Like most pastas, this stands great on its own. I had my pasta with a salad.


the review
Man, was this good. I'm kind of obsessed with peas, so the "two-pea" part of the recipe immediately hooked me. This is really easy to make, and it tastes fantastic. As far as sauces go, it's not heavy at all. I've been enjoying the leftovers for a few days now. I highly recommend making this.

oriental green beans with peanut sauce.

This is a recipe that I got from my mom. I think it might be from one of her vegetarian cookbooks, but I'm not sure which one. Anyways, my mom made this once and I thought it was delicious. I've been making it ever since. 

the recipe

serves 4

1 10-ounce package frozen French-style green beans

2 tablespoons peanut butter

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon water

2 teaspoons honey

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Cook green beans according to package directions. While beans are cooking, combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Mix with a fork or wire whisk until well blended. When beans are finished cooking, drain them and place in a serving bowl. Spoon peanut sauce evenly over beans and serve right away. 

substitutions

This recipe also works well with snap peas instead of greens beans. That's what I used for the picture for this entry. I also don't usually have ground ginger, so I just eliminate that item.

great with

Serving the green beans over some brown rice is delicious. I also usually like to have a Morningstar Farms chicken pattie with this recipe.

the review

I may be slightly biased since I'm a sucker for anything that has peanut butter in it, but I love this recipe. All the ingredients in the peanut sauce combine so well for an incredibly flavorful topping. I absolutely love it. It's also so easy to make. While this does keep and reheat pretty well, it's definitely best when it's first made. Enjoy!