Darienne

OMG...talk about déjà vu. I typed in 'casseroles' content titles only, and up popped "My favorite casserole/one dish meal recipe" started by yours truly in 2014. Perhaps we should resurrect that topic and post there with our favorites. I see that several of us did post to that topic. What say you? Or a better more timely route to take?

"To further protect Canadians, the CFIA has announced temporary restrictions on imports of pistachios and pistachio-containing products from Iran. " Yay our team!

I'll pm them to you.

Following along from the lovely Hungarian potato recipe ... Two days ago I made a huge batch of a new casserole recipe I found on a Gluten-free website. It was a curried sweet potato, chickpea and spinach (I subbed previously-frozen chopped-up Brussels sprouts) and it was delicious. We ate it over a bed of brown rice. (Actually it was a major triumph for me in my somewhat lessened state. I used to make all kinds of casseroles when I cooked a lot...Greek, Italian, South African, northern African, Hispanic, East Asian, etc. Basically anything which Ed's mother had never made and trust me, Ed's Mom was married to Ed's father and he would never try anything which wasn't meat and potatoes. Ever. Not once.) So, can you use favorite casserole dishes which our families like? Particularly if they are not labor intensive?

Today Canada 'food recalls' is once again announcing the recall for possibility of salmonella ...not something to be casual about...in guess what? Pistachios. This has been going on for some time now. Again. And again. And again. Surely 'they' must know the country or countries of origin, but they don't tell us. And surely at some point, they'll just pull all the stock of pistachios from said country or countries and not risk the health and well-being of Canadians who have no idea of what's going on behind the curtain ...unless they subscribe to the Canadian governmental body which sends out these posts...or are lucky enough to be on the receiving end of updates from eG's own @chromedome... Surely you'd think. But apparently not.

Busy much?

Hey! I don't think you are close-minded at all. (I wouldn't eat a number of things either...) You don't have a northern constituent. And I did back down before I closed off. I just remembered I have a recipe which calls for potatoes and corned beef and another one for potatoes and cabbage and a hamburger and cabbage one also. I could message them to you.

I'll go for the cornbread! I looked at my list of possible lunches and the only one I came up with that is cost efficient, portable, not too much work,not too out there, etc, etc is a combination we eat of cooked sausages and sauerkraut. But then...I think...sauerkraut? Mebbe not...

Went to this website https://inspection.canada.ca/en/inspection-and-enforcement/food-safety-investigations/pistachio-recall-salmonella and found the many...MANY!!!...recalls. However, nary a word about the origins of this enormous boatload of pistachios is included. I find this a bit strange.

So I googled Crown Pastries, the sole source of contaminated pistachios in the last food recalls : Crown Pastries sources its pistachios from "Pistachios Land", a term they use to refer to the origin of the high-quality nuts used in their products. While their marketing uses this general phrase, Crown Pastries is an authentic Syrian bakery with deep roots in Aleppo, Syria, and they likely import pistachios that align with the traditional Middle Eastern standards, possibly from major producing countries like the United States (specifically California), Iran, or Turkey, which are the top global producers and suppliers to the Canadian market. Specific details on the exact supplier or farm are not publicly disclosed, but the company emphasizes using premium, high-quality pistachios as a core part of their authentic recipes.

"Pistachios are not currently grown commercially in Canada due to the climate, but could become a possibility in certain regions like the Okanagan in the future due to climate change. Canada's climate is too cold for commercial pistachio cultivation, as the trees require hot, dry summers and cool winters to thrive, conditions that Canada does not consistently meet. "

When I was last incarcerated in our local hospital, a highlight of the day was the snacks: a packet of apple slices...which you could not do ahead of time...and even better was the packet of grapes. And they were excellent grapes too. I wonder if you could do that? Little plastic lidded containers?

Dear Patti, You are for sure an angel in human form. I'm exhausted just reading about and looking at all the meals you have put together. I wish I could be of some use to you in your endeavor but I have no experience in this area. I'll follow your blogs an perhaps I be able to come up with some ideas you can use. I see that you use a lot of ethnic based dishes: Hispanic, Italian, Southeastern dishes, Chinese, etc...? In our local hospital I was served several Indian dishes (I asked for a vegetarian diet in the hopes of getting some food I could eat...but beyond a rare leaf of lettuce, there was nothing. I did receive a lot of good chickpea curry dishes. However, I got Ed, my husband, to bring me in a big salad every dinnertime so I could survive.), but in Ontario Canada we have a considerable East Asian population and we eat a lot of Indian food at home. I can understand how using fresh ingredients is a major problem in making prepared meals. Good luck to you in this wonderful and generous path you have chosen.

Found one list and Kroger wins with only 40 mg per3 ounces and Kirkland does not at 460 gm and that's what Ed buys. (.I am considered a cardiac patient now...I've had a clot removed from my left carotid artery...but I have low sodium. Not sure of a connection between blood levels and using salt on your food but in the hospital I was given all food with no salt. I had Ed bring me in a salt cellar. ) I'll see if I can find the Canadian list. USA list: https://www.google.com/search?q=list+of+grocery+store+BBQ+chickens+according+to+salt&oq=list++of+grocery+store+BBQ+chickens+according+to+salt&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRigATIHCAMQIRigATIHCAQQIRiPAjIHCAUQIRiPAtIBCTU4NjA3ajBqNKgCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 Canada list: there ain't one. Who is surprised?

One thing that occurs to me is to buy BBQ chickens. You get one meal when it's brought home and then you have cooked chicken pieces at your service for chicken salad sandwiches and in soups and casseroles and so on. Ed does all the shopping and most of the meals and this works for him. Of course, @Jaymes can make it last for five meals. Jaymes, if you please.

What's this you say? Contaminated pistachios? Surely not. yawn....

Now that's an excellent idea. We often have a steamed vegetable plate for supper ...we eat our big meal at noon...and for Ed I always make a cheese sauce. For me, it's olive oil and lemon dressing.

I have never eaten or cooked Brussels Sprouts with cream of any kind. I've only eaten and cooked Brussels Sprouts in water. I know - boring. Ed has been known to put some kind of gravy or curry sauce on them...it's true...he doesn't like them. I like them naked or with an olive and lemon juice dressing. I've also been known to eat leftover LGBoD cold from the fridge.

Ed laughed at your description.

Thank you @gulfporter, I roared with laughter...not my norm. What a treat!

Hey! Try a superior Montreal bagel while you are there. (Sorry. I couldn't resist.)

Our Canadian Thanksgiving is long over, but you can't have turkey and all the dishes without Brussels Sprouts!

We do business with Iran? Apparently we do. Mr. Google reports: Canada Imports from Iran was US$36.99 Million during 2024, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade. Canada Imports from Iran - data, historical chart and statistics - was last updated on October of 2025. ....and contaminated pistachios it seems. Added....and so does the US but far less: United States Imports from Iran was US$6.29 Million during 2024, according to the United Nations COMTRADE

Are all the Pistachio trees in the world infected? The recalls for pistachios just keep coming and coming. https://recalls-rappels.canada.ca/en/alert-recall/aoun-brand-pistachio-heart-recalled-due-salmonella?utm_source=gc-notify&utm_medium=email&utm_content=en&utm_campaign=hc-sc-rsa-22-23

I wonder if it's hit Canada. I put frozen spinach on this week's grocery list but Ed never got it. Oh well...