Honestly I got these because people raved about the taste and tenderness of them. Gosh, I hate them! Tired them twice, so tough I thought I must have waited too long. Tried again with very small beans but not tender even at that stage. I am very disapointed and will never be planting these again. In fact if it wasn't raining out right now, I would be out there tearing them out and planting peas in ther spot instead. And that is exactly what I am going to do probably tomorrow. I grow Blue Lake Pole Beans so that is my standard that I am compairing to.

Bean...I guess I should have made it clearer, yes that it was Epiphany day which here in Spain is like Christmas Day as far as gift giving. The children wake up to find their gifts, brought by the Three Kings during the night. So the day is one of family reunions, dressing up and holiday dining in or out. Annie I would love a taste of those baked beans! I can just imagine how good they were. I must also see if I can incorporate more of them into our diet, if I'm allowed, as I could live on beans and lentils quite happily. Wolf also says he'd like less meat and more fish and lentils. Today I harvested some of my basil, but only cutting off the tops and using it together half and half with some I purchased and made a really good pesto. We had it with whole wheat spaghetti and a salad of dark ruby lettuce, tomatoes, peppers and red onion. It was a favourite combination. Took photos of both dishes....then I went brain dead and accidentally wiped out instead of downloading the pics of the spaghetti. Darn...it looked so nice too! But the pesto recipe I took from TV is a winner, so here is a photo I made another time when I made it over wide noodles, along with today's salad platter. Rainy and cold here today. Only went outdoors long enough to feed the birds and our ferral cat. Pesto - from Italian TV Cook Program 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 cups basil leaves 1/2 cup olive oil 1/2 teasp salt 1/2 teasp f.g. pepper 1/2 cup parmesan grated 1/2 cup pine nuts teasp water Process all except oil in food processor, drizzling in oil slowly last. SharonCb

Plan ahead, the chicken requires a 3 hour brining. 2 cups chicken broth 1 teaspoon salt 4 large boneless, skinless breasts 4 eggs, beaten ½ cup all purpose flour 1 cup Japanese breadcrumbs (panko) 1 cup shredded Parmesan ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon ground black pepper Lemon Chardonnay Butter Sauce: ¼ cup butter (salted) ¼ cup Chardonnay wine 2 Tablespoons lemon juice ¾ teaspoon granulated sugar Dash salt 1 1/3 cups heavy cream Light olive oil Garnish: 2 Tablespoons shredded parmesan 4 teaspoons minced sundried tomatoes 4 Tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil 1. Make brine for chicken by dissolving salt with chicken broth in a medium bowl. Cover chicken breasts with plastic wrap and pound each one to about ½ inch thich with a kitchen mallet. If breasts are large, you can cut them in half. Add flattened chicken to brine. Cover and chill for 3 hours 2. When chicken has marinated, remove the fillets from brine and dab with paper towels to remove excess liquid. Beat eggs in a medium bowl, and pour flour onto a plate. Combine breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper in another medium bowl. To bread the chicken, first coat each fillet with flour, then egg, and then the Parmesan mixture. Let the breaded fillets rest for a bit on a plate in your fridge while preparing the chardonnay butter sauce. 3. Make chardonnay butter sauce by melting butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add wine and simmer 1 minute. Stir in lemon juice, sugar, and salt, and then add cream. Simmer on low over heat for 10 to 12 minutes, until thicker. 4. Add enough oil to cover the bottom of a large sauté pan, and heat over medium/low until hot. You can check the heat of the oil by dropping a bread crumb in to it. If it starts to sizzle, your oil is ready. Sauté each breaded chicken fillet in oil for 4 to 5 minutes per side or until brown . Remove fillets to a paper towel-covered plate until ready to serve. Serve each filet with a couple teaspoons of butter sauce spooned over the top. Pile a tablespoon of parmesan cheese on top of each filet, followed by 1 heaping teaspoon of minced sundried tomatoes, ans a tablespoon of basil. Serves 4 as an entrée.

This is not a "plain" side-dish style Spanish Rice recipe, it's more of a main dish casserole, but it is an excellent recipe and I thought I'd share it. I originally found this on Tobasco's web site and modified it slightly. * Exported from MasterCook * Spanish Rice Casserole Recipe By :Tobasco Web Site Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Casseroles Favorites Mexican Rice Tex Mex Tomato Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1/2 Pound Bacon -- Diced 1 Large Green Bell Pepper -- Diced 1 Medium Onion -- Chopped 2 Cloves Garlic -- Crushed 1 Lb Ground Beef 1 Can Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies 6 ounces Tomato Paste -- 1 can 2 Cups Long-Grain Rice 4 Cups Water 1 Tbsp TABASCO Sauce 2 tsp Salt 1 Tbsp Cumin 2 tsp Chili Powder 1. In 12-inch skillet, over medium-high heat, cook bacon until crisp, stirring occasionally. With slotted spoon, remove to paper towels; set aside. 2. In drippings remaining in skillet, over medium heat, cook green pepper, onion and garlic until tender-crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove to bowl. 3. In same skillet, over medium-high heat, cook ground beef until well browned on all sides, stirring frequently. 4. Add tomatoes with their liquid, rice, water, TABASCO brand Pepper Sauce, salt and green pepper mixture. Over high heat, heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 25 minutes or until rice is tender, stirring occasionally. 5. To serve, sprinkle mixture with cooked bacon.