This really wasn't supposed to be wordless but got published by accident since I was in a hurry to leave town. This is actually an idea given to me by a new friend. (Thank you, Scott -  if you are reading this blog!) It is a great idea for the grill or in the oven if the rain starts pouring as soon as you are done creating the little pockets as in my case. Basically, you spread the root vegetables on the bottom (carrots and potatoes), sprinkle Old Bay Seasoning, add meat such as clams, chicken legs, sausage, shrimp, etc. and tie up in cheese cloth and tin foil. Cook in grill or bake in oven for about 25 minutes. You are good to go! Enjoy.

Max Your Menu comes to you this week with ways to stretch your meat over the week in new exciting ways just like our grandmothers did in yesteryear.

So, what do you do when you can't grill out after watching all the chefs talk about grilling right now? Think ham! Yes, you can grill ham but I won't rub it in if it is pouring rain at your house like it is here right now.

The other week, we started on Monday with a simple baked ham, green beans, rice and apple sauce. Easy peezy.

But, we never eat a whole ham so WHAT DO YOU DO with the leftovers?

I found in my new P*ampered Ch*ef cookbook a wonderful recipe that adds chopped ham and red bell pepper to tortellini with browned butter and baby spinach which was truly outstanding and very easy. You just cook the pasta, pour it and the hot water over the baby spinach in the colander. Brown 1/4 cup of butter in a skillet. Throw some chopped red bell pepper in for color.  Add the tortellini, ham and spinach, and voila! It was so easy and tasted so great my kids even loved it.

Another night, I borrowed from my husband's Atkins all-protein days and made one of his favorites: Ham and Egg cups. Simply spray the bottoms of your muffin pan. Slice ham thin enough to layer the bottom of the cups. Crack one egg on top in each cup. Pour whole cream to cover. Cover with thick layer of parmesan grated cheese. Cook at 350 until solid and slightly browned.

When all else fails, simply slice ham, fry it up, and add to a golden biscuit for a delicious treat.

Feel free to add your HAM concoctions in the comments and I will feature them another week!

MAX YOUR MENU relates to my ongoing posts about how to use the usual suspects (beef, chicken and pork) in new and exciting ways throughout the week. This method lets you buy in bulk and create quick and easy menus without cooking big meals every night.

In looking through my new cookbook from P*mpered Ch*f, I found an incredibly easy and quick recipe for cheeseburger salad that was slurped down to my surprise by my picky family. I adapted it slightly to meet the needs of my family (i.e. less onion) so feel free to change it for your own needs or based on what's in the kitchen at the time! This recipe could be used in so many ways.

Cheeseburger Salad:

4 hamburger bun tops
1 small onion
2 plum tomatoes
¾ lb 95% lean ground beef
½ cup finely diced dill pickles or relish
¾ cup ketchup
1 tbsp yellow mustard
8 cups thinly sliced romaine lettuce
1 cup (4 oz) shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 425°F. Slice bun tops into ¼-in. strips (if bun tops are very thick, slice bottoms off horizontally before slicing into strips).

Arrange in a single layer on pan; bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly toasted. Remove & cool completely.

Remove and discard stems from tomatoes; cut tomatoes into quarters lengthwise and slice crosswise.  Set tomatoes aside. (Optional: you can also add sliced onions on top)

Cook ground beef in (8-in.) sauté pan over medium-high heat 5-7 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking beef into crumbles. (Optional:  Brown onions with beef instead of adding later.)

Chop onion. Finely dice pickles. Combine chopped onion, pickles, ketchup and mustard.

Add cooked ground beef; mix well.

To serve, arrange lettuce on large serving platter. Spoon beef mixture over lettuce. Top with cheese, tomatoes and sliced onion. Arrange hamburger bun croutons around edge of platter. Serve immediately.

Yield: 6 servings

Enjoy!