You can make sweet corn tomalito (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sweet-Corn-Tomalito/Detail.aspx)! It's like the stuff they serve at Chevy's. It doesn't use much though ... I have a bag of masa left after making tamale burgers (http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/10323). I haven't tried it yet, but apparently masa is also used in papusas, and work well to dredge stuff in before frying.

tamales oaxacanes! chicken in mole sauce, then wrapped in banana leaves instead of corn husks -- deliciosa!

(You can get banana leaves packaged frozen -- many southeast-asian grocers carry them.)

you can make a breakfast porridge, just like cream of wheat.

You can also use it for Horchada -- Mexican hot chocolate thickened just a bit with masa and served as a breakfast drink. Hot milk, cocoa, sugar, cinnamon, a dash of cayenne, and masa harina (or ground almond meal, or another grain), simmered over the stove. Is it cold and rainy where you live like it is here? If so, MAKE THIS, it will make your breakfast lovely.

Horchata

you can use the masa to make little corn dumplings to float in a soup. tortillas turn into corn chips. if you make large ones and bake them in oven safe bowls you can use the tortilla "bowls" to hold salads.

pupusas!

I've been meaning to make pupusas with my masa, but haven't yet. You definitely can though. Let me know how it goes!

masa harina stirred to a paste with water is an excellent thickener for chili. I also use it mixed with my ground cornmeal under my resting bread dough to help it slide off the wood board onto the hot stone in my oven.

Here is a webpage with tons of recipes. I just found it and started with orange pancakes. I want to do corn gnocci and the carrot cake. Besides is Gluten-Free.

http://www.donamasita.com/en/recetas/Recetas_Gourmet/en/1/

@eminthekitchen - we call that Champurro or Champurrado and is served around Christmas as a drink like atole

pupusas, arepas, empanadas, gorditas, sopes and huaraches are all things I've made with masa, but I think you'd count them all as masa "shells."

I would think it could also be used for coating/dredging things for frying and for thickening soups/stews.

The hot drink with masa that you describe is "atole" not horchata.

Tamalitos (not tomalitos)
Oaxaqueños (not oaxacanes)

Sorry to nitpick--thought maybe someone might want to know how to spell/say them correctly. However, they all taste great no matter how they're spelled.

Yeah, horchata is a drink made of rice, almonds, cinnamon and water, but thanks for mentioning atole because now I'm going to make some tonight.

I bought a bag a while back for tamales & didn't know what to do with the rest of it. So, I kept some in a jar & now I always add some masa to my chili - it gives it a really nice flavor. And, I've used it in batters/coating for frying fish, green tomatoes, etc.

My husband and I love this Mark Bittman recipe for Green Chile Tamale Pie:
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/green-chile-tamale-pie-50400000110424/

You can use it to make a crepe for a Mexican twist on manicotti.

I was also confused by the mentions of horchata because I always thought it was rice drink and didn't think masa was used in it. Thanks for clearing it up jn and AFeastOfSnacks!

And I love all the suggestions from everyone. I've always wanted to try making tamales and now I'm encouraged since I won't have to worry about what to do with leftover masa harina.

Is masa harina the same thing as Maseca (corn flour)? Just wondering since in Nicaragua we used Maseca for making tortillas and other things. Masa harina sounds like flour dough to me, but it doesn't make sense.

For making atol (we drop the "e"), we use Maizena. Is <i/>that the same thing as masa harina?

@Anita83: It's the same thing. Corn flour. :)

gorditas

The Sweet Corn Tamale recipe from Rick Bayless.com is the best frickin thing EVER. I obsess about them.

these ideas are awesome! and culturally informative! thanks to all. -Suzanne

I make a "tamale chowder"... make a roux with butter and masa, add chicken stock and yummy mexican staples (sauteed onions, roasted poblanos, roasted corn, leftover cooked chicken). Its simple and delicious, even though it only uses a couple of tablespoons of masa at a time. You can up the tamale quotient by adding in the corn dumpling above that someone suggested, or topping with homemade corn tortilla chips.

Good news, though: it lasts forever in your fridge, so you dont need to go through it really fast.

Breading for fried oysters--they do this at Threadgill's in Austin, TX.

I second (or third, or whatever it is by now) pupusas - pretty easy, and super delicious! I just made some this weekend: http://bowenappetit.com/2011/05/16/pupusas/

does masa go bad? i bought a bag and everything i made with it was terrible---tortillas, pupusas, empanadas... we're talking throw in the garbage and order pizza bad.

I use it to make meatballs hold together. I make albondigas soup about once a month. The meatballs are made from a quarter cup of masa, a half pound each of ground pork and beef + spices. So delicious.

cornbread! :-)

I mix masa with some garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, black pepper, and enough water to make a dough. I form little flat arrowhead shapes and deep- or shallow-fry them. I eat them with sour cream and any rich, spicy sauce. I don't know why I do this.