Okay, okay. You shamed me into it. Particularly since I'm on a diet and my every day meals are going to be pretty boring for a long while. I will start with an appetizer today. Tomorrow you will get a main dish and on friday, a dessert. I love to share recipes but I'm too lazy to get up and get my books out and type them up. This one is real easy. Both to make and to type. Good, too. Artichoke Ham bites. One jar of artichoke hearts. You can buy the marinated ones but I think they're too oily so I buy just plain artichokes, quartered and marinate them in Good Seasons Italian dressing. Wrap each artichoke piece with a thinly sliced piece of ham folded and wrapped like a pig in a blanket, secure with toothpick and place on foil-lined baking sheet. Just before serving, broil a few minutes until hot. Not too high in calories very tasty, and so so easy!

On my To Try List: Shrimp Pasta with Creamy Chipotle Sauce (from Modern Comfort Food Blog) Ingredients 8 ounces dried pasta (linguine, fettuccine, etc.) 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 small onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced 1 small bell pepper, cored, seeded, and sliced 4-5 small fresh plum tomatoes (or 10 cherry tomatoes), stem ends and seeds removed, sliced 1 or more canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced, plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce 1/2 teaspoon cumin 1 pound peeled large shrimp 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 1 1/2 cups half-and-half, light cream, or evaporated milk 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro Salt and pepper, to taste (Optional) 1/4 cup grated cotija or parmesan cheese Preparation Boil the pasta in a large sauce pan until al dente, according to the package instructions. Drain and set aside. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large frying pan on medium heat and, stirring occasionally, saut� the onions for 2 minutes or until wilted. Stir in the garlic, bell peppers, tomatoes, and cumin. Saut� for an additional 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the chipotle(s), shrimps, lemon juice, and half-and-half (or cream or evaporated milk). Simmer until the shrimps are just cooked through, approximately 3-4 minutes, depending on the size of shrimps used. Stir in the cilantro. Taste and correct the seasoning by adding salt, pepper, and, if needed, additional chipotles to suit your taste. Return the pasta to the sauce pan in which it was cooked, sprinkle with the grated cheese, if used, and pour the shrimp sauce over it. Toss until well blended and transfer to a serving dish. Serves 4 as a main course.

This is something I made out of desperation one evening because I had forgotten to thaw anything out for dinner.Turned out really good. Hash Brown Casserole 1 package cook and serve hash brown potatoes.The kind you get in th case where the eggs are at the grocery store.I think they are partially pre-cooked. 2 cups ham cut into small cubes.I used the rest of a boneless Cure 81 ham left over from Christmas. Shredded monterrey jack cheese Spread half the package of hash browns into the bottom of a casserole dish that has been sprayed with non stick cooking spray.Spread half the ham cubes on top,sprinkle with cheese then repeat the layers with the remaining potatoes,ham and cheese.Bake for about 30 minutes in a 350 oven until the cheese is melted and bubbly. I think you could use most any other kind of meat in this as well.

River Omelets Allrecipes.com "A big oven-baked omelet stuffed with bacon, cheese, tomatoes, olives and mushrooms. Great for dinner or brunch." Original Recipe Yield6 servings Ingredients 10 eggs 1/3 cup milk 1/2 teaspoon salt 4 dashes hot pepper sauce, or to taste 1/2 pound bacon - cooked, and chopped into bite-size pieces 1 (4 ounce) can black olives, drained 2 roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped 1/4 cup green onions, chopped 1/3 cup mushrooms, sliced 3/4 cup Colby-Monterey Jack cheese, shredded Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat an 8 inch square baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine eggs and milk. With an electric mixer, beat until frothy. Blend in salt and hot pepper sauce. Stir in bacon, olives, tomatoes, green onions, mushrooms and cheese. Pour into prepared pan, and cover with lid or aluminum foil. Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until eggs are set in the center.