Prosciutto e Melone

This one is good and simple. What you need -

Cantaloupe
1/4 to 1/2 lb. thin sliced Prosciutto

Yes, it is from those ingredients that you get the catchy title. Cut the cantaloupe into bite size pieces and wrap the paper thin prosciutto around the cantaloupe. Eat. Told you it was simple. Buon Appetito.

7-Layer Dip

8 oz. cream
12-16 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
1 can refried beans
1 can chili beans
1-2 cups salsa
1 small can sliced black olives
1 can diced green chilies
Chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Soften the cream cheese and then use it to cover the bottom of a 9 by 13 inch baking dish. Next spread the refried beans on top of the cream cheese. Then spread the chili beans, black olives, chilies and salsa to the dishing, spreading evenly. Finally top with cheese and put in the oven for 20 minutes. Cover with tinfoil for the first 15 minutes. Remove the tinfoil and leave in the oven until the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5-10 minutes and enjoy.

Artichoke Dip

1 can Artichoke Hearts
1 cup Mayonnaise
½ cup mozzarella cheese
½ cup Parmesan cheese
½ cup asiago cheese
1 Tablespoon dried onion
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Tabasco sauce
Optional: crab meat, diced green chilies

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Finely chop the artichoke hearts and mix with the mayo and cheeses. Add in the onion, Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco sauce (and any additional ingredients). Cover with foil and place in the oven for 15 minutes. Uncover and let cook an additional 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes and enjoy. The dip goes great with bread and crackers.

Stuffed Mushrooms

Who doesn't like combining cheese and fungus. Like most things that I put together, it's kind of made up, but it tastes good. I usually just eyeball the proportions, test the mixture as you go along. That's part of the fun of cooking.

Mushrooms - I generally use one of three types of mushrooms, white button, crimini, or portobello. Wash well and pull out the stems. If you want, you can keep the stems for something else or process them and add them to the stuffing mixture.

Stuffing: combine equal parts of the following cheeses

Cream cheese (or mascarpone)
Asiago
Parmesan
Mozzarella

To spice it up, you can add in some chopped spinach, crab meat or ham.

Mix the cheese well and stuff it into the mushroom caps. I like to cover it well, because the more cheese, the better.

Set the oven to bake at 500 degrees and put in the mushrooms for about 10 minutes, or until the cheese starts to brown on top. For an additional party in your mouth, after you've taken the mushrooms out of the oven, top the mushrooms with marinated roasted red pepper slices and a little drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Buon Appetito!

Asparagus and Prosciutto

This is a tasty, easy dish that is perfect either as a side dish or as a main dish. Yummy.

1-2 tablespoons olive oil
salt
6-7 shoots of asparagus (enough to fill a 9x13 pan)
6-7 slices of prosciutto (I like 1 slice per asparagus shoot)
Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Wash and wrap each shoot of asparagus in a thin slice of prosciutto. Place in the pan. Drizzle with olive oil and salt. Place in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool for a few minutes and then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Buon Appetito!