I disagree with most of the above....the ex is a neighbor? Right? He's a man? Right?...you need to cook something that will fill the whole neighborhood with lushious smells! Even if you don't know how to grill....be sure you fire it up and al least pop a couple of meat patties on it to fill the neighborhood with the smell of grilling meat! No matter if you eat them....it's the good smell from the grill that will make him take notice. As for the actual meal....how about a "grazing" type of meal? I would include chicken winge ( simple, just spread out wings on a foil covered tray and drizzle on bottled "wing sauce"....bake at 375 for 20 minutes, turn them over, add more sauce and bake another 10 to 15 minutes until browned)....be sure you have your vent fan on to waft the wonderful smells outside! A dish of Italian beef ( recipe here under "seasoned beef") lots of sandwich buns, a bowl of potato salad, bowls of shrimp, lots of fresh veggies....champagne! Even cheap champagne has a cork which pops and yields a wonderful party sound....you can even aim the cork into s meighbor's yard!! Have fun! And remember, it's all about the smells of a party!!! Oh....and don't forget tos tring lots of party lights and Japanese lanterns to show it's a party....to the neighbors! Linda C

This is a link to a website (hope it comes through) for the request for rustic tiles. I found Ken Mason Tiles in a magazine. They are beautiful hand-made, hand painted tiles from California. Using them for my entire backsplash turned out to be "beyond my budget", but they do have a slection of "Overruns" on the web site for 1/2 price. I was able to pick out individual 3 x 3 tiles from the overruns to use as accents in my 4 x 4" tumbled travertine marble backsplash. They make me happy ever time I look at them. I love the "culinarios" (fruits and vegetables) and, especially, the cherub tile that is next to my sink. Here is a link that might be useful: Ken Mason Tiles

Not much simpler than this: BAKED LIME CHICKEN (serves 6) 2-4 limes 3 1/2 lbs chicken parts or chicken breasts 3 TBL butter 1/4 cup flour 1 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 2 TBL brown sugar 14 oz can chicken broth 1 TBL grated lime zest Preheat oven to 400°. Grate lime peel. Squeeze 2 TBL lime juice & toss juice with the chicken pieces. In a 9x13" roasting pan, melt butter in oven. Mix flour, salt & pepper. Dip chicken pieces in flour & then dip in butter. Arrange chicken pieces skin skide down in pan. Mix lime zest & brown sugar & sprinkle over chicken. Pour broth & remaining lime juice into pan & bake uncovered 50 minutes, basting occasionally. Use 1/2 can of broth for boneless breasts & you can add more lime juice if desired.~~Of Tide & Thyme I've used sliced onions with this when I couldn't get pearl onions. GREEN BEANS & PEPPER (serves 6) 24 fresh pearl onions 1 1/2 lbs fresh green beans, sliced diagonally 3 TBL olive oil 1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced 1 medium yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced 1 medium green bell pepper, thinly sliced 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 2 cloves garlic, minced Salt & pepper to taste Grated Parmesan, optional Blanch onions & drain: remove the skins. Blanch the green beans; drain. Heat the olive oil in a skillet until hot. Add the bell peppers. Saute just until tender. Stir in the beands, onions, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt & pepper. Cook just until heated through. Spoon into a serving bowl. Garnish w/freshly grated Parmesan. Serve immediately.~~Texas Ties These can roast in the oven with the chicken: ROSEMARY ROASTED POTATOES (serves 4-6) 3 TBL vegetable or olive oil 1 1/2 TBL butter, melted 2 1/2 lbs new potatoes 2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed 1 tsp garlic salt 1 tsp pepper Combine oil & butter in a 2 qt roasting pan. Add potatoes & stir to coat. Sprinkle w/rosemary, garlic salt & pepper. Stir well. Bake in a preheated 400° oven 30 minutes, stirring often, until tender & brown.~~Food for Thought

I think they sometimes become even more busy as an accent strip, because instead of countertop material and one backsplash material, there is now Two backsplash materials. Plus if the backsplash stops at a certain height with no cabinet above there is a wall color. So the vertical surface becomes 1)cherry, 2) stainless, 3)wall color 4) backsplash and 5) accent of backsplash, --more really because the accent is often multi colored and patterned If we were talking about a 5-or-more-colored pattern of wallpaper for another room many people would run out screaming. I've seen the 5-6 total number of finishes look fine as well, but why does everyone want to add more and more and more, in a kitchen that will also have a bunch of things on the countertop, and yet other rooms have to be so limited in palette? This is a point of discussion that goes beyond this thread and I am not trying to single out this backplash in particular but it's a esthetic disconnect that I've noticed before.