Linda stole my idea! LOL! I was going to suggest a lovely spinach salad with fresh strawberries and a drizzle of any of the flavored Balsamics. There is also a recipe I have filed somewhere for a orange and fennel salad, I think the fig would be fab with it. I also have a recipe for a brie and pear strudel that would be WONDERFUL with a drizzle of one of the sweet balsamics. Or those palmiers form the Silver Palate cookbook with proscuitto and a drizzle of fig balsamic Then there is always the following: Balsamic Glazed Cipolline Onions The sweet sharpness of both the orange juice and the balsamic vinegar combines with the natural sugars in the onions to create a delicious snack that's perfect to serve with cocktails, as an addition to an antipasto assortment, or as an accompaniment to roasted meats. 2 pounds fresh small cipolline onions or pearl onions 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 3/4 cup fresh orange juice 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar Blanch onions in large pot of boiling salted water 15 seconds. Using slotted spoon, transfer to large bowl of ice water to cool. Trim root end if necessary, leaving core intact. Peel onions. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add onions and sautuntil onions have deep golden brown spots, about 9 minutes. Add orange juice and vinegar; bring to boil, scraping up browned bits. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until onions are just tender when pierced with knife, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer onions to medium bowl. Boil juices in skillet until syrupy and reduced to 2/3 cup, about 3 minutes. Pour over onions. Serve warm or at room temperature. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Rewarm or bring to room temperature before serving.) Market Tip Cipolline onions are small, flat Italian onions. They can be found in the produce section of many supermarkets and Italian markets. Makes 6 to 8 servings. Bon Appétit May 2005 ************************************************************* Balsamic Glazed Vegetables Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray Recipe Summary Difficulty: Easy Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes Yield: 4 to 6 servings User Rating: 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of your choice of the following, or any combination of: "baby" packaged fresh carrots, brussel sprouts, yellow squash (you can also use broccoli, cauliflower and zucchini) 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon butter Salt and freshly ground black pepper Chopped parsley leaves, for garnish Place veggies in a pan with water and vinegar. Bring to a boil and cover. Reduce heat to medium and cook 10 minutes. Remove lid and raise heat back up. Allow the water to boil away and the vinegar to reduce and glaze the veggies, about 5 to 7 minutes. When the vegetables are glazed, to a sweet, rich brown color add butter to the pan. Turn veggies to coat lightly with butter. Season with salt, pepper and serve. Garnish with parsley. For an optional glaze for the vegetables, substitute 1/4 melted butter and 1/4 cup honey for 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar. Follow method as listed. Episode#: TM1B58 Copyright © 2003 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved ***********************************************************

This one is T & T. My notes are at the bottom. Balsamic Chicken on Spinach Salad with Warm Shallot Dressing Based on recipe by Rachel Ray 4 3-oz. chicken breast cutlets, pounded thin 3 T balsamic vinegar, divided 1/2 c tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided Grill seasoning blend, or coarse salt and pepper 1 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped 1 large shallot, minced 1-1/2 T Dijon mustard Spinach Salad: 4 slices bacon, chopped into 1-inch pieces 1/2 pound fresh spinach leaves, trimmed and cleaned 1/2 c mushrooms, thinly sliced 1/2 c radishes, thinly sliced 4 scallions, thinly sliced on an angle Preparation Coat chicken with balsamic, 1-1/2 T olive oil, seasoning and rosemary and set aside. In a skillet, add chopped bacon, brown over medium-high heat. With a slotted spoon, transfer cooked bacon bits to paper towels to drain. Coarsely chop spinach leaves and place in a salad bowl. Top with radishes and scallions. Season salad with salt and pepper. Wipe out the bacon pan and return to stove, turning heat back to medium-low. Add one tablespoon olive oil and lightly sauté mushrooms. Remove and add to spinach in bowl. Sauté shallots for three minutes. Remove from heat. In a bowl, combine mustard and balsamic vinegar. Slowly stream in 4T olive oil while whisking the dressing to emulsify it. Add warm shallots and toss with spinach salad to coat evenly. Add cooked bacon and toss again. Pre-heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken breasts, four minutes on each side, in a single layer. Slice breasts on an angle on your cutting board once they are all out of the pan. Pile spinach salad on to dinner plates. Top each salad with sliced chicken breast. This is my version of RachelâÂÂs recipe. It is really good! I used BS chicken breast, pounded thin and I lightly sautéed the mushrooms. Next time I will top with toasted almonds or pine nuts. Linda

Lots of great ideas since I use a lot of Balsamic, white and traditional. I use it most with salads. Last weekend I made Bourbon Baked Beans; I always use BV in the beans. I quadrupled the recipe for the covered dish function thinking I would have left overs for Sunday dinner. There was not ONE bean left; I guess that's a good thing.

There are lots of bottled dressings that I find good tasting, but NO bottled ranch style dressings! Hidden Valley Ranch from a packet (the original that calls for buttermilk) is my family's favorite. I'm more of a vinegar and oil gal myself. Literally. We never dress a salad before serving because everyone likes something different. I like to lightly salt my salad and toss it, then let it sit for about 5 minutes or so to draw out the juices. Then I drizzle with a little olive oil and pour on the vinegar (lots). And if I have a bit of dried cherries or cranberries, I like to chop them and add them to the salad. Gives me a sweet and sour kind of thing.