Planning a vacation? Instead of taking a vacation on your own, the best way to go is on a guided tour. They plan your trip and you get to see attractions of the city, go to the best of restaurants, shops and stay at the best hotels that you would have never known on your own. One such tour is to New York City. You travel through the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, dine at the Tavern on the Green in Central Park, you must have reservations at this restaurant for months. You get to attend a Broadway play, which is hard to do on your own and visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

Tomato dip

1 cup diced Italian tomatoes

1 cup sour cream

Drain tomatoes and blend in sour cream, stir until mixed well. Serve with chips or crackers.

Onion dip

1 cup French fried onions, crushed

1 cup sour cream

Combine crushed onions and sour cream and stir until well mixed. Serve on chips or crackers.

Party tip: Never serve the same menu twice to the same guests. Put the menu on an index card and the name of the guests, keep these cards in a recipe box.

Ham salad

2 cups frozen English peas

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 cups precooked ham

2 boiled eggs

Cook English peas according to pkg directions and drain. Combine peas with mayonnaise, ham and boiled eggs. Stir until well blended.

Slaw dressing

1 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons vinegar

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Put dressing on slaw and toss. Refrigerate.

Dill cucumbers

1/3 cup vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tsp dried dill weed

3 cucumbers, peeled and sliced

Combine vinegar, sugar, dill weed, 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Pour mixture over cucumbers. Chill for 1 hour before serving.