Polenta

I used to hate polenta. The first time I had it, it was from a plastic tube I got at Trader Joes. Normally I would be the first to get down and propose to Trader Joe any day... but his polenta was not impressing me. That changed when I visited my sister and we made polenta together. Since then polenta has become one of my go-to meals.  I can make a big batch and then refrigerate the leftovers to slice into cubes or patties for grilling and pan frying. Polenta can be turned into a classy dinner with something like shrimp and oven roasted tomatoes, or it can be transformed into a comfort food by adding some pepper and a lot of cheese!

Do you see why polenta is so great?

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Flickr Found Inspiration!

You know how sometimes you think you couldn't love something more... and then you do? That happened to me with photography when I discovered Flickr. I've always enjoyed poking around Flickr, but now that I have an account where I can save favorite photos and contacts to visit later, I really really enjoy Flickr. It's my photography go-to for inspiration. The demographic ranges from amateurs to professionals from all over the world, so I can see what projects successful magazine photographers are working on or I can see my friend's recent vacation.

 I contacted a few of my favorite Flickr found photographers and asked to share their photos, and they all enthusiastically accepted my request! Here are some of my favorites:

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Keeping Warm

So much for spring... at least where I am! The snow won't give up, so I haven't given up on my favorite warm comfort foods either. I recently made these pan roasted brussel sprouts with rosemary and lemon atop some asiago and garlic mashed potatoes. I added a few avocado slices and I was ready to relax. Yum! This came to me as a sort of vegetarian's comfort food pot, though it could easily be made vegan and I imagine for you meat eaters out there it could serve as a great meat accompaniment.

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Banana chips

 With a pile of quickly browning bananas I tried something other than the usual banana bread recipe. It uses less ingredients, I made them while multitasking about eight other things,  and I don't feel as bad about eating all of them....though I probably had enough bananas to make a large batch of banana chips and a loaf banana bread!

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Lazy Sunday and Stuffed French Toast

Some days you wander around poking around with an indecisive stomach, and other days you know immediately what you are in the mood for. This dreary Sunday I knew I wanted something fruity and warm to cozy up with that fall under the category of both a satisfying and healthy start to the day... and indulgence. Somehow I didn't even have to think hard about it either. This morning my brain and taste buds just knew: French toast stuffed with bananas and blackberry preserves.

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Simple Pasta with Balsamic Tempeh

 So as you can probably see, I've been playing with the look of this blog here and there, and I'm starting to feel a little more at home with this design, what do you think? And speaking of feeling at home, I've been moving into a new place, so the home comfort is a bit harder to come by while in transition. As things move along and I've been finding my nooks an cozy spots, I also have found that nothing is more comfortable and homey than a bowl (or in this case, mug) of pasta! And some fresh baked chocolate chip cookies can't hurt...

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