For a family of 5, buy 1 1/2 lbs fresh green
beans. Wash and remove stem and blossom ends
of beans. String if necessary. A good way to tell
whether the beans are the "stringy" variety is to
snap one in two. If strings appear, you are in for
a full session of removing stringy portion as well
as both ends of the beans.
Snap beans in 1-inch pieces. Into a skillet place
2 tbsp of butter or fortified margerine, or
drippings, and 3 tbsp water, salt, and pepper.
Add beans and cover tightly. Cook on high heat
until steaming, then reduce heat to simmer.
Steam for about 25-30 minutes. Just
before removing from range, add 1/2 cp cream
or top milk, bring to a quick boil.
Serve at once.