But I cannot bring myself to cook fish. The worst part of it is, I buy it. Salmon, halibut, cod ... I've bought them all at great price. They come home to my refrigerator or freezer and then they just sit ... sit forever ... sit until they have expired and I must just throw them away. Every night that the fish is in my refrigerator, I consider cooking it. I look up recipes. I think about it. I just can't bring myself to do it.

Part of it is that I have no fish cooking confidence, and I'm afraid I'll put all of this effort into the fish, and serve it to lukewarm diners at my kitchen table. That's just awful.

So, in all reality, I haven't cooked fish in my house since I tried that fish-in-the-dishwasher recipe about 9 years ago. Those of you who were my readers back then will remember what a disaster that was ...

To recap briefly, I can tell you that I wrapped the fish in cheesecloth and put it in the top rack of the dishwasher. I filled the soap dispenser with vermouth and ran the dishwasher on the gentle cycle to "poach" the fish, a beautiful piece of salmon, if I remember right.

The fish I served on a beautiful platter with vegetables "nicoise-style" was promptly proclaimed "soggy" and disposed of with no great fanfare. Which was the end of it. Until two weeks later when my small but perceptive daughters stood in the kitchen and said, "It smells kind of fishy in here."

We opened the never-used dishwasher and - poof - out floated the worst dead fish smell ever encountered. Many, many weeks later, after running vinegar, beer, tomato juice and various other things through the dishwasher on a daily basis, the fish smell finally went away ... and fish has not crossed my cooktop in all the years since.

But I'm trying to reform and I know you will be able to help me. Please send in your simple, good, easy to try fish recipes ASAP and I will do my best to not only buy the fish ... but actually cook it. And not in the dishwasher, this time.

Rose Emma's Artichoke Bread

I cannot bring myself to tinker with this recipe. It is just so rich and wonderful the way Rose Emma Pellicione created it. She has been asking me if I had tried her recipe and finally, I have. It's part of the Gilroy Assistance League's cookbook (sold out!) and really worth the very little effort it takes to throw it together. A fantastic appetizer for a party - great very hot but we also liked it at room temperature.

Artichoke Bread

2 French baguettes

3⁄4 stick butter, melted

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup sour cream

6 oz. grated Monterey Jack cheese

1 cup Parmesan cheese

2 (14 oz.) cans artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

Pepper to taste

6 oz. grated cheddar cheese

- Cut bread in half. Pull out the bread with hands, being careful not to break through the crust. Saute bread pieces in butter with garlic.

- Combine sour cream, Monterey Jack and Parmesan cheeses, artichoke hearts, sauteed bread and pepper to taste.

- Fill bread shell with mixture; top with cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes, until bubbly. Cut into 2-inch pieces and serve hot.

A salad or a sandwich

This great tuna filling uses no mayonnaise but instead depends on lemon juice and olive oil. Make sure you get the right tuna - Italian-style in olive oil.

This recipe originally came from The Food Network to my sister and then to me. We've all changed it a little but it's great as a salad or in pita bread or on regular sandwich bread. Perfect for a hot summer day.

Tuna & Vegetable Salad

2 6-oz. cans tuna fish in olive oil

2 lemons, juiced

1/3 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper

3 Tbsp. capers

8 ribs celery, chopped

6 plum tomatoes, chopped

15-oz. can chickpeas, drained

1 medium onion, chopped

1 handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1 can whole or chopped black olives

- Flake tuna. Combine all ingredients. Serve alone, or in a sandwich or pita bread.

Last-minute dinner

As far as last-minute ideas go, this is a no-brainer. It's easy and fast, takes almost no effort at all. The basic recipe is from the back of the frozen Foster Farms chicken breasts, but I added whole wheat cous cous, avocados and tomatoes to make it more of a complete, healthy meal.

The best part is, you can start with frozen chicken breasts for those nights when you forget to plan ahead.

Picante Chicken Little Dinner

4-6 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup medium chunky salsa

1⁄2 cup water

1⁄4 cup Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice or lemon juice

1 cup whole wheat cous cous

Sour cream

Avocado, sliced

2 tomatoes, sliced

Chopped cilantro, for

garnishing

- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking dish with foil. In a bowl, mix salsa, mustard and lemon or lime juice.

- Place frozen chicken breasts in pan and top with salsa mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and remove chicken breasts from pan. Stir whole wheat cous cous into the accumulated baking juices, put chicken breasts back on top and continue baking for 5 to 10 more minutes.

- To serve, place a chicken breast and a scoop of cous cous on each plate. Top with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of cilantro. Serve with avocado and tomato slices on the side.

Happy cooking!

Jenny Derry Jenny Midtgaard Derry is the owner of Jenny Derry Design Inc., a residential design firm specializing in remodels. She lives in Gilroy with her husband and daughters. Write: Jenny's Kitchen c/o The Dispatch, P.O. Box 22365, Gilroy CA 95020. E-mail: jderry@garlic.com.