Sorry for the delay in replying but I was at work. LOL Here's some suggestions I had posted before. My whole family packs lunch about 4X a week and often itÂs our main meal of the day. We tend to like vegetable salads without greens and with some meat, poultry or seafood with them. Her are some things we make for lunches (usually with some type of fruit or dessert with them): -Margarita scallop salad (grilled scallops w/a corn salad) -Grilled portabella and eggplant salad w/sesame ginger dressing -Hummus w/pita triangles and a Greek salad (and sometimes a grilled stuffed kibbee with it) -Ham and cheese on mini-bagels with chicken rice soup -Tomato and mozzarella salad with a couple of slices of French bread and some salami -Tomato stuffed with chicken salad, crackers -Baked chicken breast, baby carrots and sugar snap peas with dip -Caponata and some slices of smoked provolone -A fruit and cheese platter with rolled up slices of ham and turkey and assorted crackers -Shrimp and asparagus salad with mustard-dill dressing, bread soldiers -Cream cheese, blue cheese, horseradish and dried beef spread with garlic melba rounds, pepper cabbage -Cold salmon with a container of yogurt, cucumber and mint sauce and green beans cooked with tomatoes and onions -What we call Italian tuna salad (tuna, little cubes of tomato and onion, mixed with basil, olive oil and balsamic vinegar), thin slices of French bread -Stuffed onions or eggplant or zucchini (good use for leftover meat) and marinated mushrooms -Shrimp and corn salad with mini corn muffins -An avocado stuffed with crabmeat salad with breadsticks -Barley salad topped with sliced London broil steak -Gingered carrot soup with cucumber and onion sandwiches These are summer lunches. In winter, the menu leans more towards soups and stews. I try to either make up a few things on the weekend, and when weÂre grilling, we can throw some portabella or eggplant slices on there for a salad or incorporate lunch for the next day into dinner. For example, if IÂm making pasta with red crabmeat sauce, IÂll get enough crabmeat to make a salad for the next day while dinner is cooking.

Ruthanna, I have made this and it is tasty.......and easy too: Posted by: Mustangs (My Page) on Wed, Mar 16, 05 at 13:59 I make this frequently but really don't have a specific recipe, I wing it: Lemon Sausage 6 Italian sausage links 2 large lemons-juice only 2 tsp chopped garlic 1/2 cup EVOO 1/2 stick butter 1/2 cup white wine Broil or roast sausage links on 400 degrees. While sausage is cooking, add other ingredients to sauté pan and simmer. When sausages are pink, take out of oven and diagonally cut into 1 inch pieces. Add sausage to pan continue simmering until sauce thickens. I serve this quick dish as the main course for dinner but they can be used as appetizers. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This recipe is my only tomato sauce since I discovered it a couple of years ago. If I were using fresh tomatoes, I would drop each tomato down in boiling water for just a few seconds, then put in an ice bath to chill; the skin peels off very easily after and you can chunk the tomatoes without the skin into your pot to cook. Use an immersion blender or a food processor to buzz the sauce smooth after it has finished cooking. You may have to simmer a little longer to get the thickness you want when using fresh tomatoes. You will want at least two quarts of chopped fresh tomatoes. Simple Tomato Sauce Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis Serves: 6 cups Ingredients * 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil * 1 small onion, chopped * 2 cloves garlic, chopped * 1 stalk celery, chopped * 1 carrot, chopped * Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper * 2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes * 4 to 6 basil leaves * 2 dried bay leaves * 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional Directions In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, and bay leaves and simmer covered on low heat for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and check for seasoning. If sauce still tastes acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time to round out the flavors. Add half the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce. If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and pour 1 to 2 cup portions into freezer plastic bags. This will freeze up to 6 months.

If you'll have a cooler or access to a refrigerator, these are good: ROQUEFORT GRAPES (makes 50) 1 lb large, seedless red grapes 10 oz pecans 4 TBL crumbled Roquefort cheese 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened 2 TBL heavy cream Wash the grapes & pat dry. Crush the pecans on a platter or sheet of waxed paper. Combine the Roquefort, cream cheese & cream in a bowl & mix well. Roll the grapes in the cheese mixture & then in the pecans, coating well. Chill, covered, until serving time.~~ First Impressions BRIE CRISPS 4 oz Brie, rind removed, at room temperature 1 stick butter at room temperature 2/3 cup flour 2 generous dashed cayenne, or to taste 1/8 tsp salt Paprika Combine the cheese & butter in a processor & mix until creamy. Add the flour, cayenne & salt & blend until the dough almost forms a ball in the processor. Shape into a 2" cylinder & wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight. Slice the dough into 1/4" rounds, place 2" apart on a cookie sheet & bake in a preheated 400° oven for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are brown. Cool on a rack. Sprinkle w/paprika.~~ Beyond Parsley CASHEW WAFERS (about 75) 1 lb extra sharp Cheddar, shredded 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 1 tsp salt 3/4 tsp cayenne 1 cup sifted flour 2 cups dry roasted cashews, finely chopped Preheat oven to 325°. Bring cheese to room temperature & beat until smooth. Beat in butter, 1 TBL at a time. Add salt & cayenne. Stir in flour, 2 TBL at a time. Add nuts & form a ball. Chill dough & form into small balls. Place on lightly greased cookies sheets, spaced 1" apart. Flatten with fork tines dipped in flour. Bake 20-25 minutes. Cool & store in an airtight container until ready to serve.~~ You can all different things to jazz up this hummus recipe & serve it with rice crackers or pita wedges: HUMMUS (about 3 cups) 2 cups cooked or canned chick-peas, drained 2/3 cup tahini (sesame paste) 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice 2 garlic cloves, peeled Salt & pepper to taste 1/4 cup finely chopped green onions Parsley leaves (Italian) Place the chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt & pepepr in a food processor & blend until smooth. Sitr in the green onions. Pile into a small bowl & garnish with the parsley leaves. Serve with pita bread or rice crackers. You can add minced red bell pepper to this also.~~