Thanks guy/gals! That pepper relish and the cantaloup sounds yummy! Here's what I have, now mind these are OLD recipes so they aren't written in cookbook format: Yellow cantaloupes or musk- Sugar melonsWater Select the large yellow variety of cantaloupe or the old-fashioned muskmelons when they are beginning to turn a little yellow in ripening. Peel the thin outer rind, and cut a very thin slice next the seeds; cut the sections in pieces one inch thick, and put them into a preserving pan with six pounds of sugar to ten pounds of fruit. Add one-half gallon of water, cover and boil until the melon becomes clear and transparent. Remove the cover and boil until the syrup is thick. Seal in jars. ====================================== Spiced Fruits: To eight pounds of fruit allow four pounds of sugar, one pint of good vinegar, one table-spoonful of ground cinnamon, one tablespoonful of ground allspice, one tablespoonful of ground ginger, one teaspoonful of ground mace, one teaspoonful of ground cloves, one tablespoonful of grated nutmeg and six crushed bay leaves; mix the spices, put them in four muslin bags and tie them loosely. Boil the sugar and the vinegar for five minutes, add the spices and the fruit and cook until the fruit is tender. Soft fruit must not remain long on the fire. Remove from the fire and cool. Next morning lift the fruit with a skimmer and put it into glass or stone jars. Boil the syrup, pour it over the fruit and let cool; do this for nine mornings. This recipe will answer for pears, peaches, apples, currants, apricots, watermelon rind, citron melon and cantaloupes. Rather than doing it for nine mornings, I would process it hot in the waterbath for whatever time your cookbook says to do the particular fruits, LOL! ====================================== Here's one that sounds more modern! CANTALOUPE OR MUSKMELON PRESERVES The melons should be ripe but firm. The rind is removed and the firm pulp is cut into pieces of desired size and shape. The prepared material is weighed and ~ pound of sugar is allowed for each pound of melon. The melon and sugar are packed in alternate layers and allowed to stand for 24 hours. At the end of this period the juice from one small lemon per pound of melon is added and the materials are set over a slow fire. Slow boiling is maintained until the syrup sheets or flakes from the stirring spoon. The hot preserve is filled into clean jars and is processed in the water bath for 2 or 3 minutes. Steph

Unless you're willing to freeze finished meals, your option is to eat a lot of ham. Here is one recipe that tastes great and freezes well: Ham Casserole Webb In a skillet saute 2 cpw finely chopped ham in 2 tbls butter until it is heated through, and transfer it to a bowl. In a large skillet saute 2 cups finely chopped onion in 3 tbls butter until it is lightly browned. Add 1/2 lb mushrooms, finely chopped, and saute them until most of the juices have evaporated. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper to taste and combine them with the ham. In a small bowl mix 1 1/4 cups fresh bread crumbs with 1/2 tsp thyme, 1/8 tsp sage, and salt & pepper to taste. Mix 1 cup of the bread crumbs into the ham mixture and add 1 cup sour cream. Season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste and spoon it into a buttered 1 quart gratin dish. Top it with the remaining bread crumbs and bake the casserole in a moderate oven (350) for 20 minutes, or until the crumbs are golden. For a simple sandwich spread: Ham Filling In a bowl mix together 2 cups finely chopped ham, 1 tbls grated onion, a inch of dry mustard, and just enough sour cream to bind the mixture. You can either chop the ham, for a chunky spread, or run it through a meat grinder for a finer mixture---what the British call a sandwich paste. Finally, ham and crab seem to have a natual affinity for each other. The following works best with a cured ham, such as prosciutto. But any ham works: Ham Stuffed with Crab Meat Lay 5 large, thin slices of ham on a plat surface. In a skillet melt 1/2 stick butter over moderate heat until it is bubbling. Add 2 tbls finely choped shallots and cook them for 2-3 minutes. Add 1 1/2-2 cups crab meat and heat it until it is very hot and blended with the butter and shallots. Remove the pan from the heat and toss the crab meat very carefully with 2 tbls chopped parsley and 3 tsp finely chopped fresh tarragon. Add a sprinkling of salt, if need, and 3-4 grinds of black pepper. Spoon the mixture very carefull onto the piecdes of ham and fold them over it. Serve the stuffed ham on warm plates with a garnish of watercress or parsley.

Most supermarkets have spiral cut ready to eat hams this time of the year....I happen to like Smithfield but there are others. Then put that ham, shank down cut side up ( I am trusting you won't be buying a whole ham) into a dish with sides and pour honey over it and onto the cut side.....even open up the spirals where it's cut and put some in there. Teh ham will absorb the honey....and repeat.....and perhaps a third time. Then place that ham in a roasting pan, cut side down! and heat at 325, covered or wrapped in floi until it's just heated through...for maybe a 6 pound ham that would be about an hour. Don't over bake or all the honey will leak out. Enjoy! Linda c

Here are my two favorite chicken recipes. LEBANESE CHICKEN Posted by: Linda_inTennessee (My Page) on Tue, Nov 25, 03 at 17:53 thought you might like this recipe I love lemon taste in my food List of Ingredients Yield: 4 servings 3/4 c Lemon juice 8 large Garlic clove(s), minced 2 tbs Thyme, minced or 2 tsp Dried thyme 1 tbs Paprika 1 1/2 tsp Ground cumin 3/4 tsp Cayenne pepper 2 Chickens (3 lb ea) Split lengthwise, backbones Removed and discarded Lemon wedges to garnish Whisk lemon juice, minced garlic, thyme, paprika, cumin, and cayenne pepper in small bowl. Place chicken in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Pour marinade over; turn chicken to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight, turning occasionally. Preheat oven to 425 F. Transfer chicken and marinade to large roasting pan. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Bake until chicken is golden brown and cooked through, basting occasionally with pan juices, about 50 min. Transfer chicken to plates. Garnish with lemon wedges. Pass pan juices separately. CHICKEN SAVOY 2 1/2- to 3-pound chicken, cut into 6 pieces (two drumsticks, two thighs, two breasts with wings) 2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic 1 tablespoon dried oregano Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 6 to 8 teaspoons grated Locatelli or other Pecorino Romano cheese 1/2 cup red wine vinegar (preferably 7% acidity) In a 10 1/2-inch cast iron skillet or other heavy, oven-proof pan, arrange the chicken pieces skin side down and so that they do not touch each other. Sprinkle the chicken with garlic, oregano, salt, pepper and grated cheese, in that order. Place chicken in a preheated 500-degree oven for 35 minutes. Remove from oven and pour on all the vinegar at once. It should sizzle. Return the chicken to the oven for another minute or so. Arrange chicken on a platter and pour on the sauce created by the vinegar. Serve immediately. (Woodie's Note: I don't really use 500 degrees because my smoke alarm will go off, so I usually do 450 for 40-45 minutes, depends on which chicken pieces I'm using - we like dark meat the best. I also think that I use more vinegar, I don't measure, just pour it on, and I use any kind of vinegar, balsamic or red wine, doesn't really matter.)