Sausage, Mushroom & Pesto Polenta Lasagna

Lasagna is definitely a comfort food, but this one has a little twist. Polenta replaces the lasagna noodles, making it that much creamier and comforting.

It's was hard to get a good photo of this "lasagna", but it tastes better than it looks....Just look how much Rick loves it!

Here's the recipe.

We used the last variation with some of our own homemade pesto. Rick also made the polenta himself. Here's how:


Bring 2.75 cups water to boiling. In a bowl combine 1 cup cornmeal, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1 cup cold water. Slowly add cornmeal mixture to boiling water, stirring constantly. Cook and stir till mixture returns to boiling. Reduce heat, cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes or till mixture is very thick, stirring occasionally.

Mixture will have a consistency like a thick bread pudding. Spoon polenta onto sheets of wax paper and roll to make a tube that is 2-3 inches in diameter. Chill overnight.


OR make your life easier and buy the prepared polenta the recipe calls for.

Either way, enjoy it with a class of wine and a fresh green salad!

Rice Hotdish: The Remix

This is my first attempt at a more ... shall we say interesting version of the old Spohr Family favorite: Rice Hotdish.

I have to admit, this picture still doesn't make it look very interesting at all. It basically looks like mush. Ah well - it tastes better than it looks.

Tonight I omitted the cream of mushroom soup and added a little chicken broth and whole mushrooms. Then for a little color I added some Red Bell Peppers.

Another factor in the taste of this one is that the little plastic cap with the slit in it that covers my soy sauce jar seems to have gone missing. So I opened up the bottle to shake a little soy sauce in and I'm pretty sure this dish got a 1/2 a cup. It doesn't seem to have done much damage. I'm enjoying this as I type.

Let me know if you get any more ideas for an update. This one's not quite perfected yet.

Sara

Rice Hotdish

"Rice Hotdish" really is the original comfort food. It has traditionally been one of my favorite foods. Ingredients: Rice, Ground Beef, Cream of Mushroom Soup, Celery, and Soy Sauce. I made this particular dish for a roommate once and she said - thank goodness there's celery in there. My mom says that Rice Hotdish was a favorite of the whole family - never any leftovers on that meal. I'd add a picture of this recipe - but I haven't made it in months. In fact, I may never make it again.

Why? Why would I retire such a recipe? Well, I'm not a kid anymore. When I was a child, I ate like a child. Now that I'm an adult, I'm trying to eat more like an adult.

Although some people think that I eat like a kid - a kid who is a picky eater. Sometimes I think my "do not eat" list is longer than than my "eat" list. I'm trying to work on that. Thus, the blog.

For some reason I decided to give up restaurants for Lent (9 days to go!). So, I decided that if I wasn't going to eat out - I should expand my cooking repertoire. I headed off to the Library and came back with two books.

• Rachael Ray, 365: No Repeats
• Everyday Foods: Great Food Fast

Both of these have been helpful to me in my quest to eat more adult like. I've tried about 4 new recipes, eaten some new foods (Spinach, Tofu, and Chickpeas), gone on a Mango Chutney hunt involving 3 grocery stores, and been inspired to blog about it. I'll post those recipes tonight, with pictures - because I am 80% more likely to try a recipe if I've seen a picture of it.

My siblings are much less picky than I and are trying to encourage me in this endeavor! I hope they will contribute their great recipies from time to time too. Although I hear Linda is making Split Pea Soup with Ham tonight - sorry to say, but Ham in any form is on my "do not eat list."

Tonight I'm making Mary's recipe of Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burritos - although I'll be eating it on rice since I don't have any tortillas.

So, Rice Hotdish No more - I'm eating the new comfort food tonight,

Sara