Polenta Cakes

*If you haven't entered my giveaway, click here to do that now.  Ends. Nov 2.*

So, none of you showed up to help me out with all my extra polenta.  What's up with that?  I was forced to try to be creative, imaginative even.  I'm from the south ya know, so that's means "why don't we just fry that!".  I guess.  

 I just took that polenta (that I prepared in my last post) out of the fridge and sliced it up while it was cold and cut it into circles.  Sounded good in theory, but it didn't really have much holding power.  

 yeah I'm talking to you there in the middle

I ended up mixing some up with an egg and flour to kinda help bind it a bit.  That seemed to work a lot better.  I wish I could give you amounts, but I'm not that precise.  I'd say maybe about 1 to 1 1/2 cups polenta, 1 egg, and maybe 1/2 to 3/4 cups flour.   Just fried it in a well oiled skillet over med heat till it's golden on both sides, and there ya go! 

I hope all of you and your families have a fun and safe Halloween, fall festival, or harvest.  Whatever it is you do to get strangers to give you candy!

Herbed Polenta, Rolls, and a Giveaway

I thought it was a stroke of good timing that I was contacted by a representative of CSN Stores to be able to offer you a giveaway, as this is my 300th post!  Woohoo, yay and all that!  I never really knew when I started this little blog that I would enjoy it so much and meet so many nice people along the way.  And getting to work with CSN Stores is a perk I never even dreamed of, and I never cease to be amazed at the variety of products they offer from  kitchen bar stools  to pet supplies.  I will fill you in on the giveaway details after I talk about the food :)

 I ran across the recipe for these rolls at a forum called Cuisine at Home, and was intrigued by them since they contain a custard mix.  They called them Custard Rich Rolls, which I thought was a little bit of an odd name, but whatever.  I liked them.  I liked the bakery-like smell and sweetness that the custard mix added to them.  They were pretty darned easy, only one rising, and I'd definitely try them again.  My husband found them too dense.  I tried to make them some little dunce caps for them but it just didn't quite work out.  

Here's the recipe:

Custard Rich Rolls

1 Cup Warm Milk 80F
1/4 Cup Water, warm 80F
1/4 Cup Butter Softened
1 Egg
1 tsp Salt
4 Cups Bread Flour
1/4 Cup Vanilla Pudding mix or egg custard or flan mix (I used the flan mix)
1 Tbl Sugar
1 Tbl Instant Dry Yeast

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. After five minutes of mixing add 1 to 2 Tbl Water or Flour(whichever is needed).
Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Form into rolls, place into pan and cover. Let rise in a warm place. About 1 hour.
Bake in a pre-heated oven 350F for 20 -25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack for five minutes. Coat top with melted butter.

Tonight I also tried my hand at making Herbed Polenta that I saw at Girlichef.  The funny thing about cooking the polenta is that no matter how low I turned the heat and how much I stirred, it kept doing this volcanic thing right in the middle and spewing halfway up to the ceiling.  And onto my hand. 

 But it was worth it, just perfect with the brisket on top...yum!  Only bad part is that it made a massive amount and I'm the only one who likes it.  Anyone want to come over for polenta tomorrow??

Here's the recipe from Girlichef:

 9 c. water
1 Tbs. salt
2½ c. yellow cornmeal or polenta
1½ c. finely grated parmesan cheese
1½ c. whole milk  (I only used about 1/2 cup)
10 Tbs. unsalted butter, cut into pieces
~½ c. chopped mixed herbs...I used flat leaf parsley, fresh thyme, fresh rosemary, fresh chives
¾ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Bring water to a boil in large, heavy pot. Add salt. Gradually whisk in cornmeal. Reduce heat to low, stirring often, until mixture thickens and cornmeal is tender, ~15 mins. Remove from heat, add cheese, milk, butter, herbs and pepper. Stir until butter and cheese melt. Serve.

So I'll plan to leave the giveaway open through Tuesday Nov. 2nd 10pm...Arizona time, whatever that is.  What's up for grabs is a $60 gift code to any of CSN's stores.  

To enter, just leave a comment of any sort and you're in (preferably a nice comment, if you tell me I suck it will make me cry). (I believe CSN ships to US and Canada)

For a second entry, hop on over to my Facebook page and click that "like" button.  If you do, or you already have, please let me know in a separate comment.

For a third entry, and this is a tricky one, if you can remember what I said many months ago (maybe years) that my favorite song is, you'll get an extra entry. (make this a separate comment too) 

Be sure I'm able to reach you in some way!

I'll plan to announce the winner on November the 3rd and contact you by email to let you know.

Thanks for playing!   

 

 

Christmas Food Round Up

Hello out there kiddies, hope you all had a fabulous Christmas. I'm still sitting here digesting so I thought I'd post up a few of the yummies we had today.

First up is this Winter Apple Salad based on the one I found at Under the High Chair.

I gave this about a 7 out of 10 for yumminess. It may have been an 8 or 9 if I hadn't burned the pomegranate reduction beyond any point of recognition and had to just skip it.

I used 3 apples in mine instead of just one. I really loved the mixture of tangy with sweet along with the crunch of the pecans. It was a hit with me.

I also had the opportunity to try this lovely cheese from the folks at Beemster.

I'm no cheese expert at all, but I enjoyed the X-O (which stands for extra old) quite a bit. It had a nice mellow flavor.

We also had an Eggnog Custard Pie from Jamie Deen. This concoction has 1/4 cup of rum in it, and for a girl who only occasionally enjoys a watered-down margarita, that packs quite a punch!

I think if the rum were decreased, and maybe prebake the pie crust a bit so it's not quite as soggy, it would be pretty good. I gave this one a 4, mostly based on the looks of finished product.

I saved this one for last because the picture is so crappy, but it was so delicious!

It's a cranberry roasted garlic risotto, and I found this one at recipezaar.

I replaced a little of the chicken broth with white wine, otherwise followed their directions to the letter.

It's so easy, no fussing, just put it together and throw it in the oven. This is one I'll be wanting to make throughout the year. I give it a 9.5, only subtracting 0.5 because I want to eat more of it but can't!