Green Beans with Orange Ginger Butter

Our green bean plants survived Hurricane Ike, but it did take a couple of weeks for them to recover. We started getting beans last week, and there's now enough to make some for everyone. Most of the time I just steam them and add some butter spray, salt, and pepper, but if I have a few extra minutes, I whip up this recipe. This is adapted from my Better Homes and Garden New Cook Book. The original recipe calls for snap peas (which we're also growing, however they're not ready to pick yet); I've found this works equally well with green beans. I've even used apricot preserves instead of orange marmalade, and it tastes just fine. I do like the little cirtus kick better though...you can decide on your own preference. Frozen green beans also take the sauce well; we all like fresh beans better-- I guess we're spoiled because we have a garden. I buy fresh beans regardless of the season--the kids have told me the frozen beans are "chewy," instead of "crunchy."

You can make the sauce on the stove top, but I just put everything in a microwave safe bowl and nuke it in the microwave. Then I can toss the bowl into the dishwasher instead of cleaning a pot!

My kids can't get enough of these veggies (except Christina of course, who won't touch anything green.) I cook a few beans a little longer for Gabriel so they're soft instead of crisp-tender, and he loves them too.

Green Beans with Orange-Ginger Butter

1 pound fresh green beans, washed and trimmed

2 tablespoons orange marmalade

1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Steam the green beans for 8-10 minutes in a vegetable steamer or in a pot over 2 inches of boiling water.

We like our beans with a lot of crunch, so if you like yours a little softer, cook them for a few extra minutes. When they're done, shake off the excess water and dump them into a serving bowl.

In a small pot or microwave safe bowl, combine the orange marmalade, vinegar, ginger, butter/margarine, salt, and pepper.

Microwave on "high" for 1 minute or until the butter and marmalade have melted.

Immediately pour the sauce over the green beans, toss to coat and serve. I made these a couple of nights ago, and there were no leftovers!

God bless your table tonight!