I am not finished yet - the more you leave the more there is

Ever cooked too much tuna and ever cooked it too much? Fear not my brethren there is hope. Tuna salad made from fresh tuna is not like tuna salad you have ever had.

Take that over cooked tuna and chunk it into a bowl.

Add chopped green onion and hot house tomato and a big wad of mayonnaise.

Make sandwiches on toasted bread. Leftovers fit for a king.

Are you ready, Are you ready for this Are you hanging on the edge of your seat ........

"Another one bites the dust
Another one bites the dust
And another one gone, and another one gone
Another one bites the dust
Hey, I'm gonna get you too
Another one bites the dust "

That is exactly what happened to this chicken. What was once an inspired chicken soup that was cherished and honored became leftovers in less than 24 hours. What do you do with a pot full of chicken and veggies that is sans most of the broth because the broth was lopsidedly consumed more than the rest of the soup? Chicken pot pie is what.

If you thought making salmon cakes was easy then you can do this in your sleep. Make a nice and light crust for the bottom of the pie or if you really want hassle free use a pre-made pie crust, pierce it all over with a fork and prebake it until its golden. (I made this crust in less time than it took to write this paragraph.) Fill baked crust with shredded chicken chunks of veggies and make a little cornstarch slurry and pour over the whole thing to aid in thickening. Roll out a top crust and lay it over the filling and poke with a fork then Bake at 375 until golden, for the last few minutes brush with an egg wash to create a nice silky crust and crank the heat up to 400.

Slice into wedges and serve with a nice white chicken gravy and I'll bet you dollars to donuts you will be making pot pies all the time after you have one delicious bite. Look at all that chicken and the bits of carrot and potato, it screams out to be loved.

You can use mixed frozen veggies if you like, or you can even buy a rotisserie chicken and make it fresh from scratch. Make extra and freeze them for those busy times when you dont have time to cook. Chicken pot pies are about as comforting as comforting can get, add gravy and its cozier than a campfire.

leftovers leftover are leftovers leftover - make good on em'

Who cares what anyone says for that matter. Everyone has some opinion about something, whether its right or whether its wrong, in fact some people dont even care about that. I have heard opinions from people that literally had no clue what they were talking about. I learn from all of this since its my pirate way. Oftentimes someone close to me will say "if I only had one of your meals I would consider myself lucky" and to which I respond "but you do and you dont even know it."

Once everyone is adequately confused you proceed to throw together some leftovers. Yeah you heard it - leftovers. Leftovers should not have the negative stigmata that they are so keen to attract. Leftovers should be given the same guardianship that they were afforded when they were not leftovers. Chop up some celery, some cilantro, some onion and smash in some soda crackers.

Take that old leftover pistachio crusted salmon*, for instance, and chunk it up then toss in a couple of eggs and mix it along with the crackers and veggies.

Gently fold together

Make salmon cakes

Fry cakes

Plate salmon cake with a little cucumber and carrot salad and float it in a nice orange/ginger and butter glaze. Leftovers given the respect they need is what I am talking about.

*pistachio crusted salmon is leftover from a party I worked whereby 350 guests were fed delicious pistachio crusted salmon, miso glazed halibut and various other assorted delicacies but by some small stroke of oversight there were some things leftover.

fully Enchanted and back in the Apple

Our little trip to the Land of Enchantment was unexpected, sudden and now over too quickly. Without going into too much detail we had to go and it wasnt for fun but that didnt stop us from enjoying everything New Mexico has to offer. If you are talking scenic vistas thats a given, cool crisp and clean air as well but whats the biggest draw when you get home - the food!

Of course we had all kinds of things at all kinds of places but nothing and I mean absolutely nothing beats eating at my moms house. One of the biggest all time favorites is the green chile and cheese tortilla burger. Now dont go and try and capitalize on my idea and think you can start a franchise because you will run into a little opposition, worse than cinco de mayo, worse than whatever you think is worse and then more worse than that.

The beef needs to be shaped so that it fits in the tortilla better then you add a little green chile and some grated cheese.

Cooked to perfection you can then add whatever you have around, from guacamole on down but dont forget the yellow mustard the mayo and some onions, lettuce and tomato - now this is one damn good burger.

I am a cultural journey but I only go as far as a taco will take me

Redefining what we know best is probably one of the best ways to contribute to our own cultures and I like to make my contributions to the food of my people. Mexican food is such a loose description for a multitude of dishes and styles of preparation and that is only in Mexico. Mexican food in the USA is something else entirely because you have TexMex, CalMex, ArizonaMex and NewMexicoMex and out of all of these it is only the TexMex that has a cool name. Particular as I am I think that New Mexico makes the best out of all these other versions since we have readily available our own hot chiles that grow exclusively in the Land of Enchantment, if you dont believe me then look it up in Wikipedia. Ok enough of this business of which state makes the best southwestern food - I think we are all on the same page now.

Enchiladas are a big hit and always a favorite and they typically look like this when you order them out. (you might notice that this is the second time I am comparing foods and you would be right, in fact I might keep on doing this for quite some time so get used to it) Now these certainly do look good and they will do in a pinch but this isnt how I like to see them.

Enchiladas Suizas are simply a rolled corn tortilla with cheese and or chicken and then covered with a creamy sauce, chile and more cheese - incredibly simple and from a cost perspective incredibly cheap to make.

I like to serve things a little lighter, a little brighter and a little healthier after all I want to look as good as my food, dont you?

Stick around I am on a roll here showing you how good this stuff can really be, Mexican food does not have to be glop on a plate, it can be refined looking, healthy and tasty beyond your wildest dreams.

Maybe some of you remember when Billy Chrystal did Fernando Lamas on Saturday Night Live and he would say "you look mahvelous, you really do" well thats where I am coming from. Eat, light, eat bright and eat right and you too will look "mahvelous!"