A Dinner Party

On Friday, September 26th, we held a dinner party for some close friends. The menu consisted of chicken, dill and parsley peas, garlic green beans and mashed potatoes. The big winner was the dill and parsley peas, one of Nina's specialties.

Dill and Parsley Peas

• 1 lb. frozen peas
  
• 1 medium onion
• 1 cup fresh dill
• 1/3 fresh parsley
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• Vegeta
  

Chop the onions into pea-sized pieces. Saute them until slightly translucent and then add the frozen peas. Continue to cook until the peas are thawed. Add Vegeta to taste. Simmer for about 20 minutes to infuse the seasoningin to the peas and onions. Add dill and parsley. Stir in corn starch slowly until the dish is thickened slightly.

The only reason the garlic green beans were not the number one dish is that the peas were superlative. Usually the green beans make the night.

Garlic Green Beans

• 1 lb. green beans
• 8 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Salt to taste

Heat the garlic in the oil over low heat for at least 30 minutes. Make sure that the garlic does not crisp or burn. Steam the green beans until they are slightly softened--they will turn bright green when ready. Drain the green beans and toss in the garlic oil, adding salt to taste.