We like to make tuna salad sandwiches for lunch every once in a while. For the past few weeks we had been out of canned tuna, so I stocked up on the them and bought 10 cans. Then hubby came home from grocery shopping with quite a few more (he didn’t notice that I already bought some last week). So we now have a pantry full of canned tuna.

I usually drain the tuna well, mix it with a little mayo, a splash of pickle juice, some shopped pickles, salt and pepper. Then server it on bread or rolls.

What else can I make with canned tuna? I’d love to hear some of your favorite recipes.

I’ve always liked mashed potatoes with turkey and gravy for Thanksgiving. Since my mother-in-law, whose house we usually go to for our big Thanksgiving meal makes both potato salad and scalloped potatoes instead, I haven’t had them in a while and thought it would be nice to bring them along as a side dish. So I made a big pot of homemade mashed potatoes this year. Guess what… when I got there, my mother-in-law had the same idea. It got really funny when my sister-in-law showed up with a big pot of steaming mashed potatoes as well.

Obviously there are only so many servings of mashed potatoes a person can eat in one meal and I am now stuck with a big tub of them in my fridge and we are all tired of eating them and have run out of the gravy to go on top.

So, what can I make with prepared mashed potatoes?

Since this is thanksgiving week, anything remotely related to turkey day is on sale at our grocery store, including marshmallows. Since they are pretty much our daughter’s favorite food, I stocked up and got 3 bags of minis and 3 bags of regular sized ones. As soon as I got home, our daughter announced that she no longer likes them….

I’m still hoping she’ll change her mind, but just in case she doesn’t, I need some ideas on what to do with all these marshmallows. We made a batch of rice crispy treats last night, following the instructions on the cereal box. They were a big hit, but I can’t see myself making 6 bags of marshmallows worth of those… the sticky mess cleanup wasn’t nearly as much fun as making them

So, what are your ideas… what do you make with marshmallows? Leave me a comment below with your ideas and recipes.

The Halloween candy is about gone and now it is time to focus on Thanksgiving! I love this holiday because it is so traditional. The family meets, we eat, we relax, watch football and skim the papers for the big sales for the following day.

Thanksgiving dinner is planned a week before the big day with my mother calling everyone to tell them what they are expected to prepare and bring. My dish for the last three years has been a recipe I received from a coworker.It is simple to make and is obviously delicious or she wouldn’t ask for it three years in a row!

Corn bread Casserole

1 can (12 oz) creamed corn
1 can (12 oz) sweet corn, drained
1  8.5 oz. Jiffy Corn muffin mix
1 cup sour cream
1/2 stick melted butter
1 cup cheddar cheese (optional)

Heat oven to 350.  Mix all ingredients and place into a casserole dish. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove and layer with cheddar cheese. Return to oven until cheese is melted.

I double the recipe for my larger family. The double batch feeds at least 12 and more if there are various other side items to eat.

Since we’re getting close to Thanksgiving, I’m seeing sweet potatoes on sale everywhere. Like I do with my turkeys, I’d like to stock up and take advantage of the super low prices. But once I get all these bags of sweet potatoes home, what do I do with them or how do I store them?

We like to eat baked sweet potatoes with a little butter and sugar throughout the year … it’s a sidedish and dessert all in one. Other than that, I only use them for sweet potato pies that I usually bake just for Thanksgiving.

Any other ideas and / or good recipes?

Last May, I decided to make a very small garden of fresh fruits and vegetables. My soil is terrible so I left the plants in their containers. I picked up strawberries, cherry tomatoes,  green bell peppers and cucumbers.

By mistake, I picked up two plants that I thought to be red bell peppers but they were actually red hot peppers. I was able to produce a lot of cherry tomatoes, some strawberries and green peppers (though smaller in size than what I am use to eating/buying at the grocery store), only four cucumbers, and an oversupply of hot, red peppers. In fact, while all the other plants had stopped producing by July or August, my hot red peppers are still producing. And it is November!

Other than the fact that they are pretty and red,  I have  no idea what to make with them! They are too hot to add to a salad. My daughter and I have eaten a few as a “dare” by my son and I have added them to a vinegar and oil combination to make a pretty but only decent pepper sauce.

What can I make with red, hot  peppers? Any good recipes out there?

We have a new grocery store in town called “Compare Foods” which caters toward Hispanics (the company is owned by Hispanics) and offers a lot of ethnic food from all over the world. It’s a really neat (and inexpensive) grocery store. If you have one in your area, you should definitely go check it out.

One of the things I bought during my first trip, was a box of authentic couscous mix. I fixed it for dinner tonight (as a side dish) and didn’t realize how much these little tiny pasta pieces swell up in the steaming process. The end result was that we still have well over half of the cooked couscous left over after dinner.

So I was wondering… What can I make with cooked couscous? I steamed it in plain water, so I could go either with a savory or a sweet dish.

I read somewhere that couscous can be eaten as a hot cereal, so maybe I’ll just try heating up some milk and sweetening it with some sugar and cinnamon and a few raisins. I like doing this with cooked leftover rice for breakfast and the couscous has a nice nutty flavor, so it may work out well.

I’m of course open to any suggestions and the couscous as a side dish tonight was a big hit, so I’m sure we’ll run into the same situation of leftover couscous on an ongoing basis.

It is a few days after Halloween. I have raided my children’s candy bags while they are away in school as well as eaten all the candy they gave me that they are not particularly fond of. Heck, I am not even fond of some of the candy but I can’t seem to stop eating it! I just threw away a bag of Whopper Malt Balls and refuse to steal another item from their treasured stashes. I am officially in the candy detox mode and want (need) nothing but pure, healthy, and nutritious  foods in this suddenly five-pound-heavier body of mine.

I am curious about soybean products, especially tofu. A friend brought over a tofu cream cheese spread and crackers (whole-wheat!) one evening last week when I offered to buy the wine. It was the first time I have tasted tofu and it was surprisingly good. Tofu is basically created from soymilk like cheese is made from milk. It is high in protein, iron, and calcium  and low in calories with no cholesterol. Sounds pretty healthy to me! Except to buy it already prepared like my friend did,  I have no idea what to make with it and would like to open this up to anyone and everyone who has an excellent recipe or suggestion  for tofu!

I’ve always loved a good cup of lentil soup, especially when it’s cold outside. There’s just something very comforting about that. I also like the fact that unlike other dry beans and peas etc., lentils cook in just 15 to 20 minutes and don’t require any soaking.

So I’ve picked up quite a few bags of dry lentils (the common brown ones) and am starting to experiment. So far I’ve made Lentil soup and cooked them in a little chicken broth seasoned with garlic salt and pepper as a side dish.

Here’s the recipe for the lentil soup I made:

Lentil Soup

• 1 small onion
• 1 cup grated carrot
• 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 2 chicken bullion
• 12 ounces of dry lentils
• Salt and cracked black pepper to taste
• some cubed cooked ham (optional)

Bring about 5 cups of water to a boil. Meanwhile, chop onion finely, saute with garlic, add carrots and cook slowly for 2 minutes. Add the boiling water to onion mixture, add lentils and bring back to a boil. Add chicken bullion and let cook uncovered, for 30 minutes or until lentils are tender and soup is reduced to desired consistency. Season with kosher salt. Ladle soup with pieces of cooked ham (if desired) and top with cracked black pepper. Serve with hearty bread.

I’d love to hear some of your favorite lentil recipes.

Ok, I’ll admit it … we went a little overboard on carving pumpkins this year. Now I’m stick with a bowl of cleaned and dry pumpkin seeds and no ideas on what do to with them.

I’ve roasted a few of them in a skillet with some butter and salt, which makes for a great snack, but there’s only so much of it you can eat.

What are your ideas and recipes for pumpkin seeds?