I'm one of those people that don't like dips and normally wouldn't serve any, so three dips is too many for me. I'd get rid of the dips except for the shrimp and cocktail sauce. I would suggest some bite size squares/finger foods, such as Spinach squares, Green Chili Squares or Artichoke and Red Pepper squares. These all can be made in advance and served either warm or at room temperature. Or maybe Blue cheese tarts, Foccacia topped with goat cheese and roasted red peppers or olive tapenade or Mushroom and Pimento in PUff Pastry. The Mushrooms in puff pastry can be made days in advance and frozen. Then baked at the last minute. 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. Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Spinach Squares =============== These are really good. They are from a Woman's Day Home Entertainment Magazine from Dec. 1982. 2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen, chopped spinach 1/2 cup chopped onion 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 tablespoons chopped parsley 8 eggs beaten 10 to 12 soda crackers, crumbled (2/3 cup) 2 teaspoons herbs, (thyme, rosemary, dill) 1 teaspoon pepper 1 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 cups grated cheddar cheese Parmesan cheese paprika . Thaw and drain spinach. In large skillet, heat oil. Saute spinach, onion, garlic and parsley until lightly cooked. Add eggs, crackers, seasonings and Cheddar cheese, mix together. Pour into a greased 8 1/4 X 13 1/2 inch baking dish. Sprinkle top with Parmesan cheese and paprika and bake at 325 for 45 minutes, or until knife inserted in centre comes out clean. cut in small squares, about 1 3/4 inches. May be served hot or cold. Makes 36 squares Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table ==================== Source: Williams-Somona 8 oz tart pastry dough (or frozen puff pastry) 3 oz spinach or Swiss Chard 1 egg 2/3 cups heavy cream 3/4 cup freshly grated Emmenthaler Cheese 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg salt and pepper 3 oz Blue Cheese (Roquefort, Gorgonzola,etc.) 2 Tablespoons pine nuts . If using tart pastry, prepare the dough and refrigerator 30 minutes before you are ready to roll it out. If using commercial puff pastry defrost in the refrigerator or at room temperature. Preheat an oven to 425°F. Bring a large saucepan filled with water to a boil. Plunge the spinach or Swiss Chard into the boiling water and cook for 30 seconds. Immediately drain in a colander and rinse with cold water to halt the cooking. Drain again, pressing against the greens to force out as much water as possible; set aside. Break the egg into a bowl. Add the cream, Emmenthaler cheese, nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste and beat with a fork until completely blended. Coarsely chop the spinach or chard and add it to the bowl; stir well. On a lightly floured board, roll the dough out as thinly as possible. Sprinkle the Roquefort or other blue cheese evenly over the dough. With a fluted pastry cutter about 1 1/4 inches in diameter, cut out 18 dough rounds. Use the rounds to line 18 individual tartlet pans or wells in tartlet trays or miniature muffin pans. If using the former, arrange the lines pans on a large baking sheet. Fill each lined pan with some of the egg mixture and scatter a few pine nuts on top. Place the tarlets in the oven and bake until the filling sets and the crust is golden, about 15 minutes. Serve Warm. Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table ===================================== 1 focaccia, homemade or purchases 1 roasted red pepper, cut into strips and drizzled with olive oil. 1 recipe homemade Tapenade (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 Green Chile Squares =================== April 12/02 Perfectentertaining.com We love simple recipes, and this one certainly qualifies. With only three ingredients it whips up in under five minutes and then bakes unattended, making it perfect for parties. It can also be made up to 24 hours ahead of time and served hot, cold, or at room temperature. 2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese 2 cans green chiles 4 well beaten eggs . Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle the cheese and chiles in the bottom of a 9X13 baking dish. Pour the eggs over the top. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown and firm. Cool to room temperature and then cut into squares. Makes 8 servings. Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Marinated Mussels ================= The Foods and Wines of Spain 1/2 cup olive oil 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1 minced garlic clove 1 teaspoon small capers 1 tablespoon minced onion 1 tablespoon minced homemade pimiento 1 tablespoon minced parsley salt Freshly ground black pepper 2 dozen mussels 1 slice lemon . Mix the oil, vinegar, capers,garlic, onion, pimiento,parsley, salt, and pepper in a bowl; set aside. Scrub the mussels well, removing the beards. Discard any that do not close tightly. Place 1 cup of water in a skillet with the lemon slice. Remove the mussels and bring to a boil. Remove the mussels as they open; cool. Remove the mussel meat from the shells and add to the bowl with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Reserve half the mussel shells, clean them well, and place them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Before serving, place the mussels in their shells and spoon a small amount of the marinade over each. Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table ====================================== The Foods and Wines of Spain 1 package puff pastry 1 Tablespoon olive oil 1 Tablespoon minced onion 1 clove garlic minced 2 Tablespoons minced pimiento preferably homemade 1/4 pound mushrooms, chopped fine 1/2 dried red chili crumbled or 1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes Salt and pepper to taste 2 Teaspoons grated parmesan cheese . Heat the oil in a skillet and saute the onion and garlic until onion is wilted. Add the pimiento and cook for a minute, then the mushrooms, chili pepper, salt, and pepper and saute until mushrooms are softened. Remove from the heat and stir in cheese. Roll the puff pastry to 1/8 inch. You can cut Cut into 1 3/4 inch circles and place 1 teaspoon of filling on half of the circles. Moisten the edges with water, cover with the remaining pastry circles, and press with the tines of a fork to seal. I prefer to make them triangle shape,by cutting the pastry into 2 1/2 inches squares, add filling on one half and then folding over corner to form a triangle. (May be prepared ahead and refrigerated) Place on a dampened cookie sheet and bake at 425 F on the upper rack of the oven for 7 to 10 minutes or until golden. ( To cut down on work you could make this appetizer in a larger size and Bake for about 20 minutes.) Then cut into wedges.

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

Party_music, here is the recipe. It is from the Robin Hood Flour website. Apple Cranberry Muffins Like most recipes, even using the first time I made minor adjustments. Here is the link to the original recipe:http://www.robinhood.ca/.../Apple-Cranberry-Crumble-Muffins and the recipe with my minor adjustments. Basically using butter instead of oil. Adding a little salt and vanilla and subbing some sour cream for some of the yogurt. Source: Robin Hood Flour With some minor adjustments. Topping ¼ cup brown sugar, packed ¼ cup almonds, chopped 3 tbsp Robin Hood® Oats ½ tsp cinnamon pinch salt 1 tbsp Butter Muffins 2¼ cups Robin Hood Original All Purpose Flour 1 cup packed brown sugar 1 tsp baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 egg 1 cup plain yogurt 1/2 cup sour cream 1/3 cup melted butter 2 teaspoons vanilla 2 cups peeled and diced apples ¾ cup cranberries, fresh or frozen Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease or line 15 muffin cups with paper liners. Topping: Combine all ingredients. Mix well in a small bowl. Set aside. Muffins: Combine flour, brown sugar and baking soda, salt in large bowl. Whisk egg, yogurt, sour cream , vanilla and melted butter in medium bowl. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moistened. Stir in apples and cranberries. Fill prepared muffin cups with batter. Sprinkle with topping. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in centre of muffin comes out clean.

I also like sardines and crackers, they were always "camping food" and so they have good memories for me. Plus, I like fish and seafood, so there's that. Olychick, I meant to say that I have actually changed the way I install the toilet paper roll. At home it was always "over", and so I did that for years. Then we had a cat that would sit on the lid of the toilet and "spin" the roll with both front feet and watch it unroll. Being unable to convince my girls to just close the darned door, I switched to the "under" method of installing toilet paper and then when the cat spun that roll it just went around and around and did not unroll. So, I changed it, but I changed it for a reason. Now I automatically install it "under" and Elery tells me it's wrong. I told him that he never owned my particular cat, LOL. Annie