• 3 slices Applegate Farms Uncured Sunday Bacon, diced
  • 3 cups Earth's Pride Organics Peeled Baby Carrots, chopped
  • 1 small organic yellow onion, diced
  • 2 red bell peppers, seeded and diced
  • 24 ounces Fujisan Organic Edamame
  • 1 1/2 cups Berkley & Jensen Cut Corn, thawed
  • 15 Splendido Grape tomatoes, halved
  • 1/2 cup Horizon Organic Half-and-Half
  • 1 teaspoon Olde Thompson Organic Dried Parsley
  • Olde Thompson Organic Sea Salt, to taste
  • Olde Thompson Organic Black Pepper, to taste

A glimpse into my first assignment

Today was my very first day representing BJ’s Wholesale Club!

My first assignment was a segment on the Fox 8 Morning News in Greensboro, NC. Succotash, a Native American side dish, with a twist was to be our featured recipe. Monday I prepared for my segment by cutting all of the organic fruits and vegetables, cooking the Applegate Farms Uncured Bacon and getting all of the set decor needed. BJ’s certainly is a one-stop shop for your holiday needs!

On my way

Out of the house by 5:45 am I was on my way to Fox 8 in Greensboro, NC to be on the Fox 8 Morning News. As I made my way to the station, I remembered the years of shopping at BJ’s with my parents in Massachusetts, and after getting married, my parents advising my hubby and I to join the wholesale club to save money. We found this to be not only great advice for a young married couple, but for our family over the years. Now as empty nesters, Mike and I still shop at BJ’s, so naturally I could hardly believe that I was on my way to represent this amazing company!

Arriving on set

The very nice folks from Fox 8 welcomed me warmly as I set up the table with items I found at BJ’s. A beautiful artisan multigrain bread, two All-Natural Pumpkin and Apple Pies, Pacific chicken broth (you all know this is my favorite broth) and three boxes of my Spiced Nuts decorated for Thanksgiving for the nice folks at Fox 8 adorned the table. The assortment of vegetables were placed in glass bowls and the plethora of autumnal colors brightened the set. We were not actually cooking the succotash on set, but rather assembling it, and yet several people walked into the studio and commented on how lovely everything smelled. That’s how wonderfully fresh these vegetables and all-natural baked goods were!


I love buying nuts in bulk, particularly around the holidays, so that I can share them with either my guests, a host or just to get a head start on my Christmas baking. The savings on nuts at BJ’s is tremendous.

“Sufferin’ Succotash”…can you guess which Looney Tunes character’s catchphrase this is?

If you were like me as a kid, you loved Saturday mornings. A bowl of Cocoa Puffs, my favorite cereal … yes, me, I ate Cocoa Puffs as a kid and loved every bite! We all had our favorite sugared cereals back then didn’t we? Anyway, Saturday mornings began with me sitting on the floor at the coffee table in our living room eating my favorite bowl of cereal and watching Looney Tunes. Ah, those were the days! This is often how my weekends would begin. Sylvester the Cat was one of my favorite characters with his adorable trademark lisp and catchphrases like “Sufferin’ Succotash.” I don’t recall even knowing back then what “succotash” was, but boy as I grew up, I came to know and love this old Native American favorite. Fresh and delightful, this side dish is perfect for any time of the year, but especially for any thanksgiving table. This was a dish that the Native Americans shared with the Pilgrims after all! We enjoy succotash in the spring and summer with fava beans and fresh lemon zest and in the fall it is fun to update this Native American dish with edamame instead of the usual lima beans for fresh taste and extra nutrition.

Money Saving Tips

This delicious and healthy side dish feeds 10 to 12 people and came in under $2/per person. Many all-natural and organic products can be found at BJ’s and families can save 30 % off of their grocery bill. With in-store coupons and the addition of manufacturer’s coupons, BJ’s is very affordable and extremely helpful for families of all sizes. Save a bundle by taking advantage of their 60-Day Free Membership and see how much you can save especially on all-natural and organic products!

We hope you and your family will prepare this simple and delicious side dish together for this wonderful holiday. Create memories with the kids in the kitchen as well as at the table during the holidays. Kids eat with their eyes, so play the Eat Your Colors game and see the kids “gobble up” this amazing recipe! Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Saute the uncured, nitrite-free bacon in a skillet over medium/high heat, stirring as needed, until the fat renders, about 4 minutes.

Immediately add carrots and onions. Saute 3 minutes more, then add red bell pepper and cook another 4 to 5 minutes, until the onion is translucent, stirring to prevent burning. In recipes texture is always important, so having a little bite to your carrots is great!

Add the edamame beans and the corn, stirring for one minute.

Stir in the half-and-half and the beautiful grape tomatoes and reduce the heat to simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens slightly, about 4 to 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley. Using the Olde Thompson grinders is a lot of fun for the kids so have them season with salt and pepper just before serving and enjoy. Like in baking, a little salt helps to being out even more sweetness. Enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Cooking with Elise and BJ’s Wholesale Club!