There's a candy shop up north that is famous for their chocolate covered potato chips, the girls loved them and I thought they were completely disgusting, LOL. Now, just recently, I saw a recipe on line that took cinnamon and sugar tortillas or pita chips and dipped those in chocolate. So, there's dessert.... I also like the homemade potato chip idea, and you could take those little tortilla cups that coconut mentioned and fill them with sloppy joe mixture or chili with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle of cheese, or some black bean and corn salad kind of mixture. There's also Frito Pie, or a walking taco kind of thing and, of course, taco salad. OK, I'm out of ideas, LOL. Annie

bbstx, glad the lasagna came out well. I have a frozen one in a square foil pan in my freezer right now. I told DH about that discussion and he didn't remember ever having a leak issue with foil pans either. He thought it might be the brand or quality of the pans. I've bought pans at the grocery store and at the dollar store, but I can't be sure which ones were used where. With my picky eater off at college, I will have to try a savory bread pudding or two. Meanwhile, this is a great breakfast casserole that's very easy to put together if you want to try something different. 1 cup bottled salsa (I use Pace chunky and measure generously) 1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained (I use the whole can) 10 (6-inch) corn tortillas, cut into 1-inch strips (give or take one or two) Cooking spray 1 cup (4 ounces) preshredded reduced-fat Mexican blend or Monterey Jack cheese, divided (seriously don't measure but probably use closer to two cups) 1 cup low-fat sour cream (have also subbed nonfat plain yogurt) 1 cup fat-free milk 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 large eggs 2 large egg whites 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions Combine salsa and beans in a bowl. Place one-third of tortilla strips in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with 1/3 cup cheese and about 1 cup salsa mixture. Repeat procedure with one-third of tortilla strips, 1/3 cup cheese, and remaining salsa mixture; top with remaining tortilla strips. Combine sour cream and next 4 ingredients (sour cream through egg whites); stir with a whisk. Stir in onions. Pour over tortilla strips; sprinkle with 1/3 cup cheese. Cover and chill 8 hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 350°. Remove dish from refrigerator. Let stand at room temperature 10 minutes. Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until lightly browned. (My experience has been that the total cooking time is closer to an hour, maybe even 60-70 minutes. You can serve with additional salsa and sour cream. Leftover reheat well. DH and I have eaten them for breakfast, lunch or dinner. This is flavorful but I've never had it too spicy for anyone. If stx is south Texas, you may even want that salsa on the side to be a bit spicier. Back to bread pudding - I'm thinking about a pasta dish I've had with sausage and pumpkin. I wonder if that flavor could translate to a bread pudding. I have some sourdough in the freezer I need to use, so I will see if I can get an idea to gel.

These are easy and well liked. And if you don't have time you can cheat. Buy the focaccia instead of baking your own. And instead of making the tapenade or roasting red peppers buy them all ready made. Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Focaccia topped with warm Goat Cheese ===================================== 1 focaccia, homemade or purchases 1 roasted red pepper, cut into strips and drizzled with olive oil. 1 recipe homemade Tapanade (or purchase all ready made) Chevre (Goat cheese) . Cut the Focaccia into bite size squares Cut the roasted pepper into small strips Warm the Goat Cheese in the microwave to soften. Put a dollop of goat cheese on top of each square of focaccia. On half the focaccia place a few strips of pepper and on the other half place a small spoon of Tapanade. Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Tuna Pate ========= Although this is a very easy appetizer that can be made earlier in the day, it is also a very rich because of all of the butter. One of my favourites. Instead of the toasted pita triangles just use toasted baguette slices. 2 (6 ounces) cans white tuna drained 1 cup butter 2 Tablespoons chopped roasted red pepper (Homemade or bottled pimentos) 1 to 2 teaspoons capers fresh lemon juice 2 to 3 drops tabasco salt and pepper . Puree tuna and butter in processor Add chopped red pepper, capers, lemon juice, salt, pepper and tabasco. Process on pulse until the capers and red peppers are finely minced. Taste and adjust seasoning. Pack into decorate serving bowl and cover and refrigerate. When ready to serve remove a bit early from fridge so that the pate has a change to soften just slightly. Serve with toasted pita triangles Cut Plain or whole wheat pitas into triangles. Separate each triangle and place on cookie sheet. Brush with melted butter or margarine. Bake at 350°F until crisp and golden. Be careful not to burn. Remove and let cool. Serve triangles surrounding tuna pate Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Artichoke Heart And Red Pepper Bites ==================================== April 12/02 From Perfect Entertaining website These simple appetizers are something that we always have on hand for surprise guests. They freeze extremely well, are very easy to make, and are always popular. They go together very well with the rest of this festive Easter menu and require no preparation time at all on a very busy day. Simply defrost and eat! 6 ounces marinated artichoke hearts in oil 6 ounces roasted bell peppers 1 small chopped onion 2 minced cloves garlic 4 eggs 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley Dash hot pepper sauce Freshly ground black pepper . Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8 inch baking dish. Drain the artichoke hearts, reserving 2 tablespoons of the oil. Drain the roasted peppers and discard the liquid. Finely chop the artichoke hearts and peppers and set aside. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the reserved oil, onion, and garlic. Cook for five minutes, or until soft and translucent. Remove from the heat and cool slightly. Beat the eggs in a large bowl until thick and lemon colored. Beat in the remaining ingredients along with the artichoke hearts, peppers, and onion mixture. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes, or until pale golden brown. Cool for 15 minutes, then cut into one inch squares. Tightly wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days, or freeze for up to a month. Serve cold, at room temperature, or gently reheated in a 300 degree oven for 5-10 minutes. Makes 60 bites.

Suzieque, it's a curse! I always have made pretty tasty appetizers, some very complicated, so am now expected to ALWAYS bring the appetizers and have to hunt and hunt for something different and delicious, because I party with the same groups of people most of the time. An easy one that I've made is to take a block of cream cheese, pour over to cover with seafood cocktail sauce, then top with those little fresh salad shrimp (not sure where you live, but they are readily available here). To make it a little more "fancy" I'll roll the cream cheese into a ball or oval, to disguise the fact that it's just a block of cream cheese, lol, then do the rest. Serve with sturdy crackers, like wheat thins or such.