Stretching a Buck!

I am newly in love with polenta! I had never tried it until last week. . . It is the greatest way to use 1 cup of cornmeal that I can imagine. . .it is smooth and creamy and hearty -- a veritable blank canvas! There is so much you could do with it.AND, it is such a cool way to stretch a buck -- you can take 1 cup of cornmeal and water, and make 4 - 6 huge servings! If you're in a budget crisis, this is a great, inexpensive meal stretcher! I've tried one recipe already (It will be a post for another day :~), have another one to try as well, but I'm most excited about just experimenting with it! It could easily substitute for mashed potatoes in any meal. I can't wait to add a plethora of herbs to give it a wonderful fragrant flavor of its own. You should try it, too!

Here's how:

Creamy Polenta

1 cup cornmeal
1 cup water
a dash of salt
3 cups boiling water

Mix 1 cup of cornmeal and one cup of water to create a loose paste. Gently stir the paste mixture into the 3 cups of boiling water, along with a dash of salt. Bring it to a boil. Reduce heat, cover for 10 minutes or so and serve as desired.

Experiment and have fun -- it's the tastiest blank canvas you'll eat!