The most versatile dish I make is my bean dip, and I use it to make migas, tacos, burritos, tortas, and tostados. I usually make a batch of pasta sauce that is good for two or three meals - some of it for pizza, some for lasagna, and some for regular pasta. When I make chili sauce, I use it for many different dishes as well, including Louis salad dressing. I often poach a whole chicken (mainly so that I can get stock), remove the meat from the bones, return the bones and skin to the pot for the stock, and then use the meat for many different dishes, including crêpes, enchiladas, tacos, etc., but I've only ever made one pot pie and don't think I will do that again, unless I plan to spice it up with some Indian spices. Otherwise, leftovers are just lunch. I have used leftover broccoli to make quesadillas or empanadas, however, but in general I do not cook enough vegetables to have leftovers. Besides chicken, the only meat I cook that creates leftovers is turkey, which is not that much different from chicken. I do make spice mixes and marinades that get used for a lot of different dishes. My current favorite is made with cilantro, spinach, olive oil, lime juice, salt, and maybe some garlic. Last Saturday I used it on the salmon that I grilled as well as the mushrooms and zucchini that I grilled. I made it mainly for some chicken breasts that I bought on sale. I had six large breasts, and so I cooked two of them after marinating them and then I put the other four into two ziplock bags along with the marinade and froze them. I seem to be more likely to use things from the freezer if they are already in a marinade. Lars

More good stuff. Thank you everyone. Blizlady, Not sure what the origins of this salad is but my beloved Mom made it for as far back as I can remember; I think my my Grandmother made it too. This is a very basic recipe that highlights the freshness of the ingredients. You may be disappointed to learn that it doesn't call for mayo, but I urge you to give it a try. The flavors are fresh and bright. It is not Christmas Eve without it and everyone looks forward to it. The measurements are only a guess, it really is done to taste. Mom's Shrimp Salad 3-4 lbs jumbo boiled shrimp*, cut into 4 pieces crosswise. 4-5 stalks celery, sliced about 1/4" thick (on a slight bias). Cut the wider part of the stalk into two pieces lengthwise before slicing. 2-3 garlic cloves, minced (I used a garlic press) Juice of 1 - 1 1/2 lemons Good quality extra virgin olive oil Kosher salt Toss shrimp, celery, garlic together. Add lemon juice and drizzle a few tablespoons olive oil. Lightly salt,toss. Serve chilled or room temp. *I buy the 4lb bags of shrimo at Costco, the ones that are by the fresh fish and sometimes sold at the kiosk. They are already deveined and cleaned; one only has to defrost (I defrost them in cool water) and remove the shells. To a pot of water I add lemon slices, pepper corns, bayleaf, and any other herb or spice I feel like including (coriander is good too). Once at a boil, I add some salt. Add shrimp and wait until pot returns to a boil. Check for doneness every so often. Once done, drain in colander and rinse with cold water. To trim shrimp, remove the 'beard' (its the overcooked flap of overcooked shrimp where the head was), and pull off the strips that looked ragged along each side of the slit. The cats are treated to these scraps. Sue

Congratulations on your first grandchild - the first one is always so special! I recently found a recipe website that I like a lot and they happen to have a baby shower feature that you might find interesting. I'm not exactly certain what types of foods you might want, but here are some sandwich ideas I might choose for an afternoon baby shower. I love appetizer type foods and think they're always nice to have a large assortment at a party so I've posted some favorite recipes. Wizardnm/Nancy's Cream cheese filling for wraps 8 oz pkg. cream cheese 2 green onions (white part and about 1 inch of the green part) 2 tbsp. dry ranch dressing mix 2 to 3 tbsp white wine (optional) Combine all in a food processor and process until smooth. Spread a couple tbsp of mixture on each tortilla. Fill using leaf lettuce, sliced deli meat of choice. A great cocktail pinwheel can also be made using the above mixture and the following. Olive and Green Chili Blend ¾ C chopped green olives ¾ C chopped black olives 1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chili's Combine the olives and green chili's. Spread a tortilla with the cream cheese mixture then spread with olive mixture. Roll up tightly and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 2 hrs or longer. Unwrap and slice into pinwheels about 1 inch thick. During the holidays I like to combine cream cheese with a bit of cranberry relish, spread on a tortilla and place deli thin sliced smoked turkey on it. Roll up and refrigerate as above. Yummy! (Nancy) CREAM CHEESE SANDWICHES Posted by: Lindac (My Page) on Fri, Aug 16, 02 at 12:35 8 oz cream cheese, softened, add 2 oz blue cheese,2 tsp w'shire, a rounded teaspoon chopped parsley, fresh if possible,2 T sherry ( dry or cream) and 1/4 cup chopped pecans. 8 oz cream cheese, 2 tsp grated lemon rind, 2 tsp rosemary, chopped fine and a couple of squeezes lemon juice to make it spreadable. Cream cheese with a can of tiny shrimp, drained and seasoned with grated lemon rind and horse radish. Date nut bread spread with cream cheese. MARILYN'S HOLIDAY DEVILLED EGGS Pink and Blue for this shower, I would think! Posted by: DanaIN (My Page) on Sat, Jul 5, 03 at 10:04 Place eggs in single layer in saucepan. Cover completely with water and add a large amount of salt, 2 tablespoons and about 1 tablespoon vinegar. Cover and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, keeping covered and allow to sit undisturbed for 25 minutes. Drain water and plunge eggs into ice water. If coloring eggs, for each color bring about 2/3 cup of water to a boil. stir in about 1/4 teaspoon vinegar and food color as desired. Carefully drop in cooked egg white and leave it in the water until it reaches the color you want (color will become more intense out of the water). Drain well on a rack until cool, fill as desired. Also, I got my egg plate at Walmart for about $3 I think! If you be sure to put a few drops of vinegar in your hot water with the food color, you will get darker eggs. Cool completely before peeling and remove yolks. Mash yolks and stir in other desired ingredients (Miracle Whip, mustard, pinch of sugar). Fill eggs (using a pastry bag) with yolk mixture and garnish as desired. Posted by: cookingrvc (My Page) on Sun, Nov 7, 04 at 12:49 Had a lot of eggs in the fridge, and a fair amount of cheese, so I put together a crustless quiche in a 13x9 pan. This one was good, I must say. They key is finding the perfect ratio of eggs to cream, which I think I've nailed. As long as there are 1 1/2 cups cream (I guess you can use milk, although I haven't used it straight yet) to 4 large eggs, it is foolproof... Measurements are approximate. I just make sure that the fillings substantially fill up the baking dish before the liquids are added. Can make ahead and refrigerate. Remove from fridge and let sit for 30 minutes before heating in 200° oven for 30 minutes. Large Quiche 4 1/2 Cups cream 12 Eggs Salt & Pepper 1 lb bacon - crisp 1/3 lb ham (I had sliced, but you can get the ham slabs and cut into cubes) 1 large onion - chopped 8 oz swiss - grated 4 oz. goat cheese - crumbled 5 oz. cheedar - shredded Preheat oven to 350° Mix eggs, cream, salt, and pepper - set aside Fill baking dish with fillings. Pour egg mixture over filling. Bake for 50 - 60 minutes, or until center is set. "Sweet Sausage Puffs" Vivian31 1 pkg cocktail sausages 1 can (10) biscuits Preheat oven to 350 Roll biscuits flat, cut into quarters, roll 1 cocktail sausauge into it and seal edge. Please seam side down in a greased baking dish. Sauce: 1/2 c. butter 1 c. brown sugar 1/2 cup fine chop pecans 2 tbsp. water Melt butter, add brown sugar, pecans, water, bring to boil. Pour over top of sausage rolls and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. PARTY SHRIMP SPREAD Posted by: Ruthanna (My Page) on Mon, Oct 7, 02 at 17:07 2 (8 oz.) pkg. softened cream cheese 1 cup cocktail sauce 1 1/2 cups (1 lb.) cooked baby shrimp 1/3 cup chopped green onions 1/3 cup chopped green pepper 1/3 cup sliced ripe olives 1/3 cup diced fresh tomatoes, drained 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese and/or mozzarella On a pizza pan or large, flat round tray, spread the cream cheese evenly. Spread the cocktail sauce on top. Sprinkle the shrimp, green onions, green pepper, olives and tomatoes onto the cocktail sauce. Distribute the Parmesan cheese evenly over all the other ingredients so it looks like a pizza. Cover and chill until serving time. Serve as a spread with crackers. Posted by brenda55 (My Page) on Thu, Dec 28, 06 at 15:37 I know, most are familiar with the cream cheese topped with the Raspberry Roasted Chipotle Sauce. I was served a recent appetizer where the cream cheese had actually been blended with the Raspberry Roasted Chipotle Sauce and then topped with toasted pecans. It was very good and relatively quick and easy

You can freeze the ham & defrost for any of these recipes: HAM & SWISS TART 2 cups cooked & cubed ham 1 cup grated Swiss cheese 1/4 cup finely chopped celery 1/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper 2 TBL minced onion 1 tsp dry mustard powder 1 TBL lemon juice 1/3 cup mayonnaise 9" pastry shell Combine first 8 ingredients & pour into pastry shell. Bake uncovered in a preheated 375° oven for 25-35 minutes or until golden brown.~~Food for Thought ALSATIAN NOODLES (serves 4) 1 cup cooked thin-sliced ham, cut in 1/4x1" strips 1/2 cup butter, softened 1/3 cup Dijon mustard 1/4 cup chopped parsley 2 TBL chopped chives 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 lb fettuccine In a small saucepan over low heat, warm the ham. In a bowl, cream butter. Add mustard, parsley, chives & garlic & mix well. Cook fetuccine in 4 qts boiling, salted water until al dente. Drain & return to hot kettle. Add 1/2 the butter mixture & all of the ham & toss well. Add the remaining butter mixture, toss & serve immediately.~~Bound to Please HAM & POTATO FRITTATA (serves 6) Can be eaten hot, warm or cold so don't worry about this making too much: 2 medium boiling potatoes, unpeeled 10 eggs 1/4 cup chopped parsley 1/2 tsp dried oregano 3 TBL olive oil 1 small onion, peeled & thinly sliced 1/4 lb thinly sliced ham, cut in 1" squares 1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Gruyere Pepper to taste Preheat oven to 400°. Place potatoes in a saucepan of lightly salted boiling water & boil until just tender. Drain & set aside to cool. Beat eggs in a large bowl until well mixed, but not frothy. Stir in parsley & oregano & set aside. Pour oil into a 2 qt baking dish & swirl to coat. Scatter onion slices evenly over bottom of dish. Place in oven 10 minutes or until onion slices are softened & just beginning to brown. Meanwhile, slice potatoes thinly. Remove baking dish from oven & reduce temperature to 375°. Arrange ham in a single layer on top of onions. Arrange potatoes ove rham. Pour in the eggs & sprinkle cheese evenly over the top. Season w/pepper. Return baking dish to oven & bake 25-30 minutes or until eggs are set & the fritata is puffed & lightly browned on top.~~ CHEESE SOUFFLE (serves 4-6) 3 cups cubed bread (4-6 slices) 1/2 cup mayonnaise 2 cups milk 7 eggs, slightly beaten 2 cups grated Swiss or Gruyere 2 cups chopped ham 1/2 cup grated Cheddar Preheat oven to 350°. Mix all ingredients except Cheddar together in a bowl & pour into a greased 9x13" glass pan. Bake 45 minutes. Top w/Cheddar & bake 15 minutes. Let set 5-10 minutes before serving.~~Bountiful Arbor