I've never had cheese fondue as an appetizer. I think of fondue more as a wintery dish but no reason not to serve now. Here's a pork chop recipe that would go with it & it could be fixed ahead up to the baking part: APPLE CIDER PORK CHOPS (serves 6-8) 1/2 cup apple cider 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 TBL dry mustard 1 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp dried thyme 1/2 cup soy sauce 8 pork chops Chopped fresh parsley or baked apple slices combine first 6 ingredients; add pork chops. Marinate at least 2 hours. Drain pork chops, discarding marinade. Bake chops in a preheated 350° oven for 40 minutes. Garnish w/chopped fresh parsley or baked apple slices, if desired.~~Food for Thought

You can freeze the ham & defrost for any of these recipes: HAM & SWISS TART 2 cups cooked & cubed ham 1 cup grated Swiss cheese 1/4 cup finely chopped celery 1/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper 2 TBL minced onion 1 tsp dry mustard powder 1 TBL lemon juice 1/3 cup mayonnaise 9" pastry shell Combine first 8 ingredients & pour into pastry shell. Bake uncovered in a preheated 375° oven for 25-35 minutes or until golden brown.~~Food for Thought ALSATIAN NOODLES (serves 4) 1 cup cooked thin-sliced ham, cut in 1/4x1" strips 1/2 cup butter, softened 1/3 cup Dijon mustard 1/4 cup chopped parsley 2 TBL chopped chives 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 lb fettuccine In a small saucepan over low heat, warm the ham. In a bowl, cream butter. Add mustard, parsley, chives & garlic & mix well. Cook fetuccine in 4 qts boiling, salted water until al dente. Drain & return to hot kettle. Add 1/2 the butter mixture & all of the ham & toss well. Add the remaining butter mixture, toss & serve immediately.~~Bound to Please HAM & POTATO FRITTATA (serves 6) Can be eaten hot, warm or cold so don't worry about this making too much: 2 medium boiling potatoes, unpeeled 10 eggs 1/4 cup chopped parsley 1/2 tsp dried oregano 3 TBL olive oil 1 small onion, peeled & thinly sliced 1/4 lb thinly sliced ham, cut in 1" squares 1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Gruyere Pepper to taste Preheat oven to 400°. Place potatoes in a saucepan of lightly salted boiling water & boil until just tender. Drain & set aside to cool. Beat eggs in a large bowl until well mixed, but not frothy. Stir in parsley & oregano & set aside. Pour oil into a 2 qt baking dish & swirl to coat. Scatter onion slices evenly over bottom of dish. Place in oven 10 minutes or until onion slices are softened & just beginning to brown. Meanwhile, slice potatoes thinly. Remove baking dish from oven & reduce temperature to 375°. Arrange ham in a single layer on top of onions. Arrange potatoes ove rham. Pour in the eggs & sprinkle cheese evenly over the top. Season w/pepper. Return baking dish to oven & bake 25-30 minutes or until eggs are set & the fritata is puffed & lightly browned on top.~~ CHEESE SOUFFLE (serves 4-6) 3 cups cubed bread (4-6 slices) 1/2 cup mayonnaise 2 cups milk 7 eggs, slightly beaten 2 cups grated Swiss or Gruyere 2 cups chopped ham 1/2 cup grated Cheddar Preheat oven to 350°. Mix all ingredients except Cheddar together in a bowl & pour into a greased 9x13" glass pan. Bake 45 minutes. Top w/Cheddar & bake 15 minutes. Let set 5-10 minutes before serving.~~Bountiful Arbor

Kim, you really should explore the world of seafood, as it is ideal for fast meal prep. The whole secret with cooking shrimp, scallops, and other shellfish is to make sure you don't overcook it. But the particular critter usually gives you a clue. Shrimp turns pink when it's done. Scallops turn opaque. Clams and oysters curl at the edges. The hard ones are calamari and abalone. But even they give you clues. To clean shrimp you need to remove the shells and the mud vein that runs down the back. This can be done before or after cooking, depending on recipes. Hint: Shrimp cooked in their shells are more flavorful. There are special tools for prepping shrimp. But a regular table fork works just as well. Stick one tine into the shell from the head end, pointing into the mud vein. Then push the shrimp onto the tine. The shell and vein will pop right off. If you look at the Nuts & Bolts thread I've posted a simple recipe for Shrimp & Sausage Carbonade that you might want to try. Finned fishes, too, can broaden your choices. Fish does not require a long cooking time in any recipe (the rule of thumb is to cook ten minutes for each inch of thickness). Virtually any cooking method---from poaching to deep fying, baking to barbecuing---can be used for fish cookery.

I know you've already had your special date, but wanted to share this recipe for Bolognese Sauce, published in O Magazine, February 2007 - "Learn to make this sauce, and find a man worth cooking it for, in that order. Make a meal that will leave him hungry, not for sex, but for you! This sauce will smell better than anything youÂve ever smelled before. Make it only once a year, and keep him hungry! Great for special occasions and wonderful in the fall when itÂs cool. This sauce takes a lot of time  it should simmer for four to five hours  but it does not require much skill or effort. Once the vegetables are chopped, all thatÂs left to do is add ingredients and stir. This gives you plenty of time to shower, tidy up your home, and do whatever else you need to do to prepare for your dinner guest. Ingredients: 1 medium onion 1 large or 2 small carrots 2  3 stalks celery 1 ounce pancetta, very finely chopped 1 lb ground beef (not lean) 1 tsp salt ¼ tsp freshly ground pepper Pinch allspice 1 cup whole milk 1 cup dry white wine 1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes w/ juice 1 lb pasta, such as rigatoni Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for grating Finely chop onion, carrot, and celery. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven over low heat, cook pancetta until all fat is rendered and pancetta is just beginning to brown. Add chopped vegetables; raise heat to medium, and cook, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent and soft. Add ground beef, breaking it up with a spoon, ¼ tsp (to start) salt, plus pepper and allspice. Cook until meat is brown. Add milk. When it begins to simmer, reduce heat to low and cook at a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally until milk has mostly boiled away, about 30 minutes. Add white wine and cook as with milk, until it has mostly boiled away. Add tomatoes and juice; bring to a simmer. Cover pot, reduce heat to low, and allow sauce to cook very gently at barest simmer, 2.5 to 3 hours. Season to taste with remaining salt. Just before sauce is done, bring a pot of water to boil, salt it generously and boil pasta according to package directions. Drain, mix with a third of sauce, the serve with remaining sauce on top with lots of grated Parmigiano cheese. Makes 4 cups sauce."