Cheesey polenta with black bean soup

Polenta has a reputation for being either quick and easy, or massively time-consuming. My method falls into the quick and easy category. I haven't developed the patience for the 2-hour technique as described so beautifully in Heat by Bill Buford. Maybe one of these days I'll give it a whirl and I'll never turn back... apparently it's just THAT good.

An added factor is that when I want polenta, I usually am not thinking about it two hours in advance. In my southern husband's vernacular, polenta = grits. White or yellow, it matters not. So grits are a common accompaniment to our weekend breakfast extravaganza. It comes together quickly, and as you can see in the picture above, it makes for a hearty lunchtime option as well.

So basic polenta/grits comes together with a very simple formula: 1 cup of water + 1/4 cup of polenta. That makes a hearty serving. I very often make it in the tried and true quadruple form: 4 cups of water + 1 cup of polenta. Bring the water to a rolling boil, add a teaspoon of salt and then whisk in the polenta. Turn the heat down to low, and whisk until it thickens. This usually takes about 10-15 minutes on my stove, and I am very comfortable just putting a lid on the pot and turning my attention elsewhere, coming back for a stir every now and again.

The variations are endless, in terms of adding cheese to the mixture. I've done blue cheese, parmesan as well as cheddar. Each is spectacularly yummy in its own way.

The bowl you see above is a hefty ladle of polenta with another of black bean soup over the top. I mixed in cheddar (generously) to the polenta, and the result was quite pleasing.

Friday night grateful moment

OK, enough with the grumpiness already. Time for a little dose of the "suck it up, zip it, snap out of it" medicine. That... and a little gratefulness...

This week I'm grateful for:
* Quiet. I think I take for granted this very peaceful setting we live in. It is simply the most peaceful spot I know of, many days.

* The pheasants the wander the fields. We have pheasants and hawks aplenty. You'd think the gopher population wouldn't be so high, but we have very agile and clever gophers apparently. I'm not so grateful for them...

* Some very good laughs this week. Seth and I have been playing rock, paper, scissors on the way to school (yes, I can hear you all thinking I don't drive safely, but I do!) and for some reason it is just really funny. We both think we can "crack" the other's pattern... but he'll never crack mine!

* The male bonding time with the Wii. Good times I hear about later... whipping each other at bowling, tennis, boxing... I am very grateful for that bond.

* The opportunity to be exposed to a new hobby this week... too soon to spill the beans as there's a surprise element to it, but I had previously poo-pooed this activity, and was pleasantly surprised to a bit of fun in it. How's that for pathetically vague? Sorry.

* The longer evenings, which have been lovely and really can tease one toward springtime... looking forward to warmth accompanying the sunlight. I know, there's no pleasing the lady this week!

* As always, I am so grateful for the creative spark that seems to be in most of us, that burbles out in such beautiful ways from some in particular. I found this beautiful, fun blog this week, and another a few weeks back with gardening/food as a theme, and then this one on just gardening (in the UK!), and yet another one that is more food/poetry... I just love that creative spark that keeps ideas and thoughts moving, new ways to see things, new ways to do things... I could thumb through vi.sualize.us for hours! Or stumble!

* Health, health, health, so grateful for health. I know this is basically asking for the gods of colds and flues to visit again, but I am so glad that we are all better and doing well. There is a lot of illness near and far, and my heart is with a sick aunty in Roseburg right now, hoping she gets better. You are in our prayers, dear aunty!

* A purple pedicure. And a good friend to visit with during... this one took a while. Not the most efficient operation, but a good way to kick off the weekend.

I find this troubling

It's been quite the week. Pretty quite on the blog-front. What with the whole daylight-savings-dark-morning funk, too much to do on all fronts and not enough verve or pep (yes, I know, normal people just call it "energy") to get it all done, I've been a little undone. Being around me hasn't exactly been a thrill-a-minute...

Not to mention we've been eating down the pantry (but the boys haven't noticed!), so what fun is there in blogging about that? (You wouldn't believe some of the slapped together meals that have been taking place around here. Today for lunch I had some leftover fried grits and a yogurt. Whoo-hoo. But tomorrow there WILL be grocery shopping. I need my coffee creamer! And cheese. And apples. And bananas. The list will be long.)

Well, to top it off, apparently figs are an abomination and doom nations. I might as well just end it now. I am quite curious where exactly a flier like this would get handed out? But I'll leave that to your fertile minds... (click here for a more readable version complete with chapter and verse!)

And wish me luck on that gratitude list this week. I'm sensing a short one...

Eating down the pantry

Found this interesting experiment while browsing online this morning. It's a challenge to eat what's in your cupboards and not grocery shop for one week. While I'm too late to officially participate, this is something we've been discussing around our house for some time. We're not the only ones; it's been on many minds these past few months too, as we see grocery prices go up and for many, incomes/savings go down. A quick google search and I found a good number of blogs and websites on the topic, and I even joined a Facebook group around this particular week and challenge.

It's not much of a secret: I have a grocery store "habit" and it's been all too easy the past couple of years to overstock--"just in case" a craving strikes... It's a leftover from the days of catering, when the walk-in was stocked with just about everything I like to eat--and there is nothing like the air circulation of a walk-in refrigeration unit to keep things fresher longer, so no waste (or, less waste). So, I have developed a habit of indulging the "I want what I want, when I want it," in regards to food at least. It's rather embarrassing to admit how stocked up we are.

I did a little scope of the freezer and fridge(s) this morning and am convinced we can do this, easily. I found some leftover eggplant parmesan, chili, perogies, soup, bread, even a cake (!)... the list goes on! And that doesn't count the pantry of cans and boxes of pasta... At the very least we'll raise our consciousness about what we eat, what we need to replenish more frequently (breakfast smoothie ingredients, especially apples and bananas) and what we don't. I know this week will be a bit different because Seth is with us--nothing like the eating machine that is a 12-year-old to remind you to pick up a few extra groceries!

Wish me luck. I haven't even told the boys yet. Let's see if they notice...

The many moods of Seth

It's been awhile since we first fiddled around with the superhero site Hero Factory, but I've been meaning to post some fun superheroes that have popped up around our place... Seth has conceived many different iterations...

Some days I think that is a very apt title... (love the green!)

This one fits too; he can be quite angelic...

I think this is how he'd like to see himself! Very strong and capable!

And then Grandma had to weigh in while she was visiting...

And good friend Margie sent over a little nugget as well. We couldn't help but have a good chuckle at her fur-lined cape and especially colorful name!

Last but not least is the husband's fun take! Methinks "courageous" and "Jedi" sound just about right!

Top Chef: After the final rose

Ha ha ha. Not quite the Bachelor, thankfully. While Hosea may have gotten a little flack for winning Top Chef, it hasn't nearly had the press coverage of that OTHER reality show this week. Thankfully.

Anyway, I almost forgot about this final hoo-ha episode of Top Chef, but when I saw that it had been recorded on our dvr I was quite pleased. I always enjoy the recap and the video montages, and of course, the fan favorite! This episode was no exception, and actually went a long way toward reminding me why I enjoyed this season so much, in spite of my recent whining about the winner...

These cheftestants really enjoyed competing with each other, almost all of the time. Sure there were some tiffs and spats and Jamie didn't appreciate the love Stefan had (still has!) for her, but there weren't really any of those over the top bleep-fest-shouting-matches as in seasons past. I remember noting that when they helped each other out a number of times--either sharing ingredients or helping finish a fellow chef's dish. It seemed more collegial than in seasons past, and some of the previous "unseen" footage underscored that.

And of course, it was fun to see the video tributes to the finalists, and other bits about the birthday curse, Carla's kookiness, who was the biggest crier, and of course, the whole Hosea-Leah romance. Enough already. My favorite video was the bromance between Fabio and Stefan, of course, and all the kissing of Stefan's bald head! I don't think I buy Stefan's rather weak, "I'm relieved I didn't win" defense. Yeah, right. Because that's why you put yourself through that whole ordeal, to come in second place. Sounds about right. Hmmm.

Oh, and the other thing that pleasantly surprised me was how un-annoying Toby Young came across. Fairly mellow, a little tongue in cheek, and having a good sense of humor about how he'd been perceived so far this year. I had to give him a few points for that. The editors undoubtedly had a lot to do with how snarky he came across at the judges' table.

In the end, the lovely outcome that Fabio was the fan favorite made my day--not much suspense there, as he was pretty much the only one in major contention who hadn't had a video tribute yet. But still, he was an endearing candidate who seemed to have a good grasp on his cooking, his attitude and what it meant to compete. Kudos to him! $10K is nothing to sniff at... although maybe Stefan is glad he wasn't voted fan favorite? Ha. The way he was portrayed, I'm pretty sure he wasn't in the top 5, even.

There are some great videos at bravotv.com; I'd have posted them here, but had some real trouble embedding them, so head on over and have a laugh!

Friday night grateful moment

After 24 hours of no internet, there is one thing that tops my list above all others:

* I am so grateful for my internet. It's mine. All mine. I will share with the rest of you, but really, it's mine. That lightning strike yesterday up at Pike's Peak (or so the provider said...) put me out of sorts, but definitely helped with getting more housework done today! No getting pulled into facebook or checking on my fave blogs. Nope, just me and my 409 bottle, running around making things clean.

* Grateful for Seth's help in housecleaning. I love his cheerful little chatter while we clean... until of course he disappears for a bit into his room to read! He's best in spurts of energy, but always helps make our time in the dustbin go by faster.

* Grateful for a day off of school (and work) so that we could hang out. We cleaned, made pizza lunch for the husband, did some errands, hauled the recycling and bought some fun toys (bribing helps get cleaning done as well!). Seth had a leftover gift certificate at a local toy store, so we found some fun tidbits including one of those gyro-fly wheels (I had one as a kid, how retro of him!), and then wandered down to another book and game store for a grayscale rubik's cube... because it's not hard enough to solve the regular-colored one?

But the most fun, toy-wise, of the day, was mastering the magnetic levitron globe that arrived this week from Grandma and Grandpa. IT worked fine, but WE had some challenges from the user end... but it's up, it works and we all love it. And we'll never move it now.

"Someone" messing with the globe. If it falls, he's on the hook to put it back!

* Grateful for sunshine. What a week... the ups and downs and all arounds of the weather culminated in a day of sunshine, and probably a high in the mid-30s. But it was sunny! Last night there was a freak wind/rain/hail/snow storm that swirled around for an hour or two and left our landscape rather bleak and entirely too wintery.

* Grateful for the safe arrival home of a dear friend who has been taking care of her ill mother for many many weeks this winter... across the country and away from her man and boy. I'm very glad for her that she's home for a minute or two to relax and recover before she goes back on Best Daughter in the World duty. And looking forward to our pedicures next week!

* Grateful for the farmer who went on gopher-killing duty last week to help keep the mounds and destruction away from our yard. I am so tired of seeing the dogs dig where they THINK a gopher will be... can't wait until it's less of a mudpile and can get out and fix those holes!

* Grateful for Cyrus O'Leary's lemon meringue pies. I can make pies, sure. But when Cyrus is willing to do it for me? Not this Friday. And not many Fridays. The lemon meringue pie is one of this family's favorites, and so I often (less lately, we ARE trying toward healthfulness) veer toward the pie case at the grocery. Sometimes the lemon meringue can be hard to come by... must be popular. I had every intention of going homemade this weekend, just for kicks, but somehow twisted my back this morning, so reverted to the bought-it technique this afternoon. Very grateful for Cyrus and his knack with the pie.

* Grateful for family. For the warmth and affection that surrounds me. Thanks, guys.

Something to look forward to, and it's not the weather

Happened upon a trailer for a movie soon to be released on dvd and thought... after the grim post of yesterday, maybe a little cheer is in order? This may be a little over the top for some (again, you know who you are, I don't like to name names Jen), but I think it's going to be a jolly good spot of British humour.
I've put the rifle away for the moment even though I heard from three separate people today that the next 10 days are supposed to bring snow, rain and freezing temperatures. Bother, as Pooh would say. I suppose I could check the forecast myself, but it seemed so much more dramatic: Three. Separate. People. Yes, apparently I'm not the only one weighed down by the gray.
So I'm eating dried mangoes while I type (little slices of heaven) and about to go roast some butternut squash. Both foods qualify as sunshine in my world, so consider me shaking my little fist at Mother Nature and moving on. So there.

Grateful schmateful

Apparently there were locations around the Pacific Northwest that had sunshine today. I heard rumors (you know who you are with your annoying Facebook updates about sun and joy and happiness).

We had sunshine in Walla Walla too. It lasted from 7:07 a.m. to 7:12 a.m. I was warned that the fog would not stay "burned off" as I hoped for those five beautiful minutes. Husband is generally correct about such things. Sure enough, it socked back up immediately and went on to rain throughout the day. Oh joy.

For more of the creative joy of the card above, see A Beautiful Revolution.

My friend the eggplant

I have always liked eggplant parmesan. Eggplant parmagiana. Whatever you want to call it. Oozy goey slices of cheese between slices of fried eggplant. What's not to love? When I was a kid, my dad was not a big eggplant fan, apparently. He has been a late converter to the delights of the aubergine, so while the parents were visiting this last week, I thought I'd make a batch of eggplant parmesan. That thought handily coincided with some magnificent specimens at the local grocery store!

And of course I have to make it more healthfully than the eggplant parmesan of yesteryear. I just can't do the whole fried thing and feel good about it anymore. I can let OTHER people fry my supper (the next night we had burgers and shakes and onion rings from the famed IceBurg), but I just can't bring myself to do it... just trying to keep the universe properly balanced on the grease scale, I suppose. So this is my healthy-ish version.

Eggplant parmesan
3 medium eggplants, sliced to 1/3-inch rounds

Salt the slices lightly and let sit in a colander for 15 minutes or so. There are those who say to salt it to remove any bitterness, and those who say to salt it to get rid of excess moisture. Either way, I salt it, let it sit, and then rinse it off (so how does that help with excess moisture? Don't ask, just do.) and pat it dry.

3 eggs, beaten, mixed with 1 T milk
Breadcrumbs

Heat a skillet or frying pan to medium heat. I use a nonstick electric skillet, so the need for additional oil is minimal. Use olive or vegetable oil as needed. Dip the eggplant slices in the egg mixture, then dredge in breadcrumbs. Cook until both sides are browned nicely (see photo above!).

I have concocted my own homemade marinara in the past, but this time we went straight to the jarred variety and had it easy and still flavorful. Layer the cooked eggplant slices with marinara, grated mozzarella and parmesan in a large baking dish (9 x 13), and top the mixture with more cheese. As you can see from the photo below, I used my REALLY large Le Creuset baking dish and even though I did three layers of eggplant and would normally have been overflowing a 9 x 13 pan, it maybe came half way up the side of this pan!

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, until the entire mixture is bubbling and the cheese is melted.


Serve with a lovely mixed green salad and crusty bread! And enjoy the leftovers, too. This one is even better warmed the next day.