Wedding, Royal or Not

In honor of the wedding seen around the world yesterday I am sharing a recipe from my own wedding, royal enough for me! We had incredible food at our reception- all very down home and "family" style. We had a hog roast w/ all the trimmings, and a huge buffet of other selections, from salads, to meats, to veggies and fruit, to muffins....there was a ton of food! And we were so lucky to have a very good friend of the family prepare all of it (besides the hogs, which Adam's family was in charge of) at cost, as part of our wedding gift. She was amazing. She cooked for 2 weeks prior to the big day, and even made extra things I hadn't thought of. We fed a lot of people, around 280, for so little money, and were so thankful for all she did. When we sat down to come up w/ a menu one of the dishes I insisted on having was pea salad. I love it. It is one of my favorite treats in the spring/summer; and w/ our wedding on May 17th it was the perfect time of the year. But not all pea salads are made the same, but as luck would have it, she knew exactly the kind I wanted and made a delicious version of it. Being a new bride swept up in the day and the moment, I of course never though to say "hey, can I have that recipe". But I've combined 2 recipes I've found, one from Paula Deen and one from All Recipes and come up w/ something very close to what we ate that special night that will live in my heart forever. Congratulations Prince William and Princess Catherine--may God bless your marriage always, may love fill your lives and smiles fill your days.

Garden Pea Salad
1 15 oz. can very young early peas
1/4 c. chopped onion
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
salt and pepper
2-3 TBS mayonnaise
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

In a colander, drain peas very well. Place peas in a medium bowl. Add the onions, eggs, cheese and mayo. Toss gently but well to coat peas. Season w/ salt and pepper. Chill until serving.

Green Peas