I've always heard that the day after Thanksgiving is a huge day for pizza sales, probably because nobody wants to cook after preparing a food fest the day before and pizza tastes nothing like the turkey some people claim they're already tired of eating.

Pizza delivery, however, doesn't do a thing to reduce the volume of the refrigerator full of leftover side dishes. I'm not talking turkey - that's a whole other column. What we need is a creative solution for reinventing side dishes. I found a Web site, www.essortment.com, that had some great suggestions.

Too many mashed potatoes? You have the easy beginnings of creamy potato soup. Puree the potatoes with an equal volume of stock, then about half the volume of milk. For 2 cups of potatoes, use two cups of stock and one cup of milk. Season with sour cream and herbs.

Mashed potatoes are a great start for chowder, too. Add the potato soup above without the herbs to a large pot in which you have fried some chopped bacon. Add a can of drained clams for clam chowder or a can of creamed sweet corn for corn chowder.

A common use for mashed potatoes is shepherd's pie, that classic beef and mushroom casserole topped with mashed potatoes lightly browned under the broiler.

A simple favorite is mashed potato cakes. I flatten a scoop of mashed potatoes and brown them in a hot buttered skillet.

If the bread basket somehow manages not to be emptied (this never happens at my house), use the rolls for bread pudding or a breakfast casserole, such as French toast.

Leftover stuffing is tough to disguise. Robin Miller at the Food Network had a pretty interesting solution - a stuffing frittata. Frittatas are hearty Italian omelets that include meats, cheeses, and often vegetables.

If you've ever been bogged down by too much cranberry sauce, you should know there's help online. Suggestions include cranberry sauce as a condiment for enchiladas or other creamy poultry casseroles, icy cold on warm bread or bagels, or mixed with cream cheese in a 2- (cheese) to-1 (cranberry sauce) ratio as a bread spread or stuffed French toast filling. It's a great addition to turkey salad or muffin or quick-bread recipes. Combined in a food processor with minced garlic, onion, cilantro, fresh jalapeno pepper, salt and pepper, the whole cranberry sauce makes a spicy, tart salsa.

If you serve roasted sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving, you have the makings of sweet potato ravioli, curried sweet potato soup or Asian potato salad, all recipes courtesy of www.weightwatch

ers.com. You might want to check their Web site now. It gets pretty busy the day after Thanksgiving.

Sweet potato ravioli: Take a spoonful of mashed sweet potatoes and wrap in a wonton wrapper. Simmer in chicken broth until cooked through.

Curried sweet potato soup: Puree sweet potatoes with chicken broth, onions, leeks and curry powder.

Asian potato salad: Combine cubed sweet potatoes with shredded red cabbage, sesame oil and a touch of cilantro; top with chopped peanuts.

If you mashed your roasted sweet potatoes and topped them with marshmallows, you're on your own.

If you have a food note, e-mail it to  jul...@wvgazette.com or call 348-1230.

Stuffing Frittata

  Cooking spray

 2 to 3 cups leftover stuffing

 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (regular or reduced-fat)

 6 large eggs

 2 large egg whites

 3/4 cup milk

 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder

 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

  Salt and pepper

 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

PREHEAT broiler.

COAT an ovenproof nonstick skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat. Put stuffing in the bottom of pan to warm and stir to break up a little. Sprinkle cheese over top.

WHISK together in a medium bowl eggs, egg whites, milk, mustard powder, and nutmeg. Pour mixture over stuffing and cheese to cover stuffing. Sprinkle Parmesan over top. Cook on stovetop over low heat for 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to the broiler and broil for about 2 minutes, until egg is cooked through and cheese is golden and bubbly.

SPRINKLE with salt, pepper, and fresh parsley. Serve with sliced tomatoes.

Source: Quick Fix Meals with Robin Miller

New Orleans Bread Pudding

 Makes 12 servings.

 1 1/4 cups heavy cream

 2 cups (12 ounces) white-chocolate chips

 2 cups whole milk

 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)

 4 eggs, beaten

 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 1/2 teaspoon salt

 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

 1/2 teaspoon orange zest

 1/3 cup currants or raisins

 1 1/2 to 2 loaves stale French bread, torn into 1-inch pieces (7 cups)

 1/2 cup pecan halves

  Vegetable oil spray

  White chocolate sauce (see note)

BRING the cream to a simmer in a saucepan over low heat. Add chocolate, stirring until melted. Set aside.

IN A LARGE bowl, whisk milk with condensed milk, eggs, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, zest, and currants. Add bread cubes, folding to coat evenly. Set aside 30 to 60 minutes.

PREHEAT oven to 300 degrees. Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with oil. Bring several cups of water to a boil in a tea kettle.

FOLD chocolate mixture and pecans into bread mixture. Transfer to baking dish, then set it inside a larger pan. Place in the oven and pour boiling water into larger pan to come halfway up the sides of the smaller pan.

COVER with foil and bake 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 minutes more, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Serve warm or cool with sauce.

Note: For 13/4 cups sauce, bring 11/2 cups heavy cream to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat; add 6 ounces good-quality white chocolate. Stir until melted.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: (Per serving) 707 calories (55 percent from fat), 44.1 g fat (24.5 g saturated, 14 g monounsaturated), 171.5 mg cholesterol, 13.2 g protein, 67.9 g carbohydrates, 1.7 g fiber, 354.1 mg sodium.

Whiskey sauce

For a grown-up kick, serve this classic hard sauce with your bread pudding.

Makes about 11/2 cups.

 1 cup granulated sugar

 1 stick (1/4 pound) unsalted butter

 1 1/2 teaspoons corn syrup

 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

 1/4 cup whiskey

 1 egg, beaten

 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

COMBINE sugar, butter, corn syrup, lemon juice, whiskey and 1/4 cup water in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook about 15 minutes, until sauce thickens and turns golden brown. Remove from heat. Beat a spoonful of the hot mixture into the egg, then stir back into pot, along with vanilla.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: (Per tablespoon) 76 calories (46 percent from fat), 4 g fat (2.5 g saturated, 1.1 g monounsaturated), 18.9 mg cholesterol, 0.3 g protein, 8.7 g carbohydrates, 0 fiber, 4.1 mg sodium.

Source: Miami Herald

French Toast Souffle

Serves 12

 10 cups bread cubes - about 16 1-oz slices

  Cooking spray

 8 ounces cream cheese, 1/3 less fat - softened

 8 large eggs

 1 1/2 cups 2% low-fat milk

 2/3 cup half and half

 1/2 cup maple syrup

 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

 2 tablespoons powdered sugar

 3/4 cup maple syrup

PLACE bread cubes in a 13-by 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Beat cream cheese at medium speed of mixer until smooth. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add milk, half-and-half, 1/2 cup maple syrup, and vanilla, and mix until smooth. Pour cream cheese mixture over top of bread, cover and refrigerate overnight.

PREHEAT oven to 375°.

REMOVE bread mixture from refrigerator; let stand on counter for 30 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes or until set.

Source: "Cooking Light Magazine," April 2000

Shepherd's Pie

Makes 6 servings

 1 tablespoon olive oil

 1 medium onion, chopped

 1 container (10 ounces) mushrooms, sliced

 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef

 1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce

 1 package (10 ounces) frozen peas and carrots, thawed

  Salt and pepper

 3 1/2 cups mashed potatoes

HEAT in a 12-inch nonstick skillet olive oil over medium-high heat.

ADD onion and mushrooms, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Add ground beef, and brown, stirring occasionally; drain.

STIR in tomato sauce and vegetables. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Season, if desired, with salt and pepper.

PREHEAT broiler. Turn meat mixture into 3-quart casserole. Evenly top with hot mashed potatoes. Place casserole about 6 inches from heat source; broil 3 minutes or until potatoes are lightly browned.

Source: Adapted from a recipe in the Lexington Herald-Leader.