It’s always easier (and quicker) to get a job done if you’ve got the right tools.   I’m not a professional chef, and I never really learned how to slice properly.  I do love using that great big chef’s knife, though!  And last week, I sliced a chunk of my finger while I was cooking.  Which reminded me (after an entire box of bandaids) that I DO have a great tool already in my  kitchen that will help me save time and money if I only remembered to use it.

There’s nothing better than a quick healthy AND delicious side dish.  And, in these dog days of summer one that requires exactly 2 minutes of cooking time is just about the best you can get.

So here’s how you make them.  You can either snip (using scissors) or cut (using a knife) a tiny little bit of the end.  That will show you where the “string” is that goes along side the pea.  Pull the string and throw it out.

Get a bowl of ice water ready - a lot of ice and a bit of water will act as a “shock” to the sugar peas and will keep them from getting wilted after they’re done cooking.

While you’re busy de-stringing, boil some water.  When the water is boiling, drop the sugar snap peas in for 2 minutes.    When the 2 minute buzzer goes off, drain the peas and put in the ice water.  Stir around for a minute or so.

Once the sugar snap peas are cold, take them out of the water and dry on a paper towel.  Then, put them in a bowl.  Snip some chives on top, a little sea salt and pepper, and a drizzle of toasted sesame oil.  Voila!  A great side dish, with almost no (hot) cooking required!!

They’re good for you, they’re beautiful, they smell good, they come in different colors - but there does come a time when you’ve just about had enough of the tomatoes sitting on your window sill.

What could be easier than cooking a tomato tart?  It’s so simple - you need tomatoes, parmesean cheese, and some frozen puff pastry.

Slice the tomatoes really thin and set aside.  Take the defrosted puff pastry out and lay flat on your counter.  Grate about 1 cup of parmesean cheese on top, and roll the dough out just a bit to incorporate the cheese into the flat dough.  Lay the tomatoes on top, and cover with some more grated parmesean cheese.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Pop the tart in the oven for 30 minutes.  Enjoy!!