There are people in this world who find routine liberating. I am not one of them! The only "regular" meal I had growing up was Monday night "Yuck Night." It wasn't really yucky at all. My parents just made a rule that once a week, and always on Mondays, we'd have to eat all the leftovers in the fridge... even if they didn't make "sense" together. Lotsa mouths and little money: it would have been wrong to let things rot. I'm finding my August menu is pretty much variations on a theme: Sat: Homemade cream of roasted tomato soup and grilled cheese (Havarti & fresh mozz on crusty rosemary bread with caramelized onions) Sun: Venison burgers w/ fresh tomato and roasted peppers tonight: stuffed baked tomatoes with rice & Swiss chard on the side tomorrow night: Ham and fresh tomato quiche (Can anyone figure out my "theme?" LOL!) My concern with a fixed menu (in addition to the ones Meldy mentioned) would be that it would not lend itself to cooking with fresh, unprocessed, locally-produced, seasonal ingredients. I don't always enjoy carrying the burden of menu planning, but it's never gotten so bad that I'd resort to a small, fixed repertoire... Partly because I consider becoming an ever-better cook an important part of my ongoing personal development and an act of love towards myself and my husband.

I personally feel that if you throw a shower then you should feed your guests. This should definnatly apply if some of the guess are driving an hour or more to the party. I would hate to think that some guest may have to stop at some drive thru to or from the party. Pasta is a great $ stetcher. I also try to stick to the theme of the wedding. The last shower i threw was in the theme of an outdoor wedding near a light house. The theme for the shower was "Summer by the Lake." I served linguine with the choice of grilled chicken or lemon shrimp. The cake was served in champagne glasses. One other thing, dont forget music. Many people tend to forget that. I choose Seaside Tranquility to stay in the theme. Have fun!

These recipes are a bit "rough" since I've only made them once or twice; and are subject to change. TUSCAN CHICKEN (adapted from - Tuscan Rosemary Chicken and White Beans) Preheat GT Xpress 101 (takes 2-3 minutes). Meanwhile, chop veggies. When the light goes out... Place 1/2 T. bottled (or homemade) Italian Dressing in each cooking chamber. Add 1-2 small chicken tenderloins to each chamber. Flip the chicken so the dressing coats both sides. Top the chicken with a small sprig of fresh rosemary. Top the chicken with sliced veggies. I used 1 stalk of celery, 1 carrot, few slices of a small zucchini and small yellow squash, divided between the two chambers. If you want to increase the protein and use less chicken, use a small amount of chicken and add canned (or cooked) cannellini beans (drained and rinsed) mixed with the veggies. Other veggie choices would include frozen stir-fry veggies, if you are in a hurry. Cook 10-15 minutes, or until the temperature of the chicken reaches 180F and the chicken is cooked through. (Hubby\-Friendly) Hot Dog with Biscuit Topping Preheat the GT Xpress 101. Split hot dog and butterfly open. I use my homemade, multi\-grain version of a baking mix and used it for the biscuit topping. 3/4 c. Good\-For\-You Baking Mix 1/4 c. kefir (you could also use milk, plain yogurt, or milk substitute) Stir together, just until mixed together. In each chamber, place one hot dog (you may be able to place two hot dogs in each chamber if they are thin (I use Hebrew National). Divide the baking mixture in two equal portions and spread over the top of the hot dog/s. Bake 6\-10 minutes. Next time, I'm going to put the dollop of baking mix in the bottom of the chamber and top it with the hot dog and see how that works. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Cheeseburger Bake This was thrown together, so I'm not sure exact measurements. Preheat GT Express 101. Mix together 1/2\-1 cup pre\-cooked hamburger (I keep pre\-cooked hamburger in the freezer for quick meals \- ground gluten would also work as a good ground beef substitute), chopped onion (I used dried onion), and enough ketchup to hold mixture together. Divide into the two chambers. Top with shredded cheese. Top with the "Pie" Batter mixture from the book: 1 c. milk 1 egg 1/2 c. baking mix Mix all ingredients together in a covered shaker. Fill each chamber to the top, but don't over\-fill it. Cook 10 minutes. NOTE: The next time I make this, I'm going to make tiny biscuits with my homemade baking mix and top each of the meat mixtures with 2\-3 multi\-grain biscuits instead of using the "Pie" Batter. Shredded beef, onion and bbq sauce could also be used as the mixture in the bottom and topped with biscuits or even a slice of rye bread or Italian bread. Makes an open\-faced BBQ Beef Sandwich. Hot Dogs (butterflied open) can be topped with well-drained sauerkraut and mashed potatoes. Cook 6-7 minutes. Taco Salad (similar to Tostado Bowls in the cookbook) Another pull\-it\-out\-of the freezer meat I keep on hand is taco meat (ground beef (or beef/ground gluten combination), seasonings, salsa mixture), in individual 1/2\-cup portions. You need about 1/4 c. meat mixture per chamber. I cut a homemade tortilla in half (I made small tortillas so they would fit into the chambers) and fit one tortilla half into the preheated chambers. Added the meat, shredded cheese, cooked black beans (also from the freezer \- thawed). Cook 6\-7 minutes. Top with your favorite toppings (shredded lettuce, tomatoes....) Scalloped Potatoes (3 servings) Mix together: 1-1/2 c. Simply Potatoes - Shredded Hash Browns (refrigerator case, not frozen - or rehydrated dehydrated or freeze-dried hash browns) 1/2-1 t. dried onion 5 T. kefir (or half & half) 1/2 T. cheddar cheese powder (www.thespicehouse.com) Whisk together. 1/2 c. fresh bread crumbs 1-2 t. butter Melt butter, add bread crumbs to coat. Heat over low heat for a minute. Place hash browns in a small bowl and mix in dried onion. Add the kefir cheddar cheese powder sauce. Mix well and divide between the two chambers, which have been preheated and lightly greased. Divided the buttered bread crumbs on the top. Shut lid and cook 8-10 minutes. Option 1: I've precooked the recipe WITHOUT the buttered crumb topping, and only cooked it for 6-minutes. Removed the cooked potatoes and placed them in a buttered baking dish. (One recipe fits nicely into my 7-1/4x4-1/2x1-inch pasta dishes.) You can cool, wrap tightly with foil, and refrigerate this par-cooked recipe. When ready to reheat, add the buttered crumbs and finish baking in a toaster oven later in the day. Not sure of reheating times... Option 2: Line the baking dishes you are going to use with Reynolds Wrap Release non-stick foil. Place the par-cooked potatoes in them, quick freeze the potatoes. When frozen, remove the foil and wrap the potatoes in the foil and make a stack for freezer to use later. I made the recipe in the book, "Almost Instant" Coconut Custard Pies. I use unsweetened coconut and it worked just fine. I made these in the afternoon and chilled them in the refrigerator. So think ahead.... In the works: Chicken What\-the\-heck! Shepherd's Pie Impossible Pies from Bisquick \- in 2 serving sizes... \-Grainlady

If your drive is less than one hour and the food is in a car with AC and not in the sun, I wouldn't worry about it it being cool. Or, you could make the dressing and salad in advance and put separately in the fridge to cool. Then drive to the party and mix it well before serving. No worry if the olive oil gets murky or solidifies a bit when chilled, it will go back to normal as it warms. Or, leave out the olive oil for what goes into the fridge and add it when you leave home. The oil to acid (vinegar or lemon) ratio is normally about 3 to 1. Most food that's been left out for a few hours should be thrown out afterwards if not kept cold or hot, as appropriate, anyway.