Easy as Polenta Pie

When my family asks, "What's for dinner," and I reply, "Mama's Soup Surprise," they get a little nervous.  Sometimes I fix something for dinner that doesn't go over too well.  My family politely says, "You don't have to fix this again." 

Last night, however, I came up with something that everyone at the table liked.

Following is our meal, that I "invented."
Layer on the plate:
     A slice of Polenta Pie
     Fried and Mashed Beans
     Sliced and fried Sausage
     Fresh Tomato Sauce
     Sour Cream
     Shredded Cheese

The recipes for the polenta, beans, and sauce are below.

Polenta Pie

3 cups water

1 cup cornmeal grits

½ t. salt

1 T. butter

Bring the water and salt to a boil.  Add the grits and turn the heat to Low.  Cook slowly for 40 minutes.  Spread in an oiled pie plate.  Let it cool and set.

Fried and Mashed Beans

1 onion, chopped

2 T. olive oil

1 can red beans, drained and rinsed

¼ cup water (or broth or cooking wine)

Saute the onions in the oil at medium heat.  Add the beans and mash with a potato masher.  Mix in the water and heat all the way through.

Fresh Tomato Salsa Sauce

8 – 10 cups of fresh tomatoes*

2 T. olive oil

1 green or yellow pepper, diced

3 small onions, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 T. chili powder

2 t. dried oregano

2 t. dried cilantro

*Note:  Depending on the size and type of tomato, they can either be peeled and diced, or they can be cooked down and put through a rotary food press.

Saute the onions and peppers in the oil.  Add the tomato pieces or cooked tomatoes along with the herbs and spices.    Cook slowly to reduce the sauce.

Prepositions at the End

Most adults remember few grammar rules.  One that I'm sure will pop up for most is the "never end a sentence with a preposition" rule that they were taught from grade school to high school.  This rule causes you to write stuffy, pedantic sentences that no one would ever say out loud.

I have news of great joy for most of you -- it's OK to plop the occasional preposition at the end of a sentence!  The Grammar Girl says so; the Phantom Linguist gives us the go-ahead; About.com gives an authoritative "OK."


For the sake of argument and vigilance, some still promote keeping those pesky prepositions from the end of sentences because they are a wimpy way to conclude.  Mellanie Spiller seems to be a purist with whom you would need to argue this point.  The good folks at Garden of Phrases equivocate a bit.  And the Answer people at Yahoo even show you how to rewrite a sentence to make it stronger and more effective while keeping that preposition tucked somewhere in the middle.

In my class, I will allow the occasional preposition to appear at the end.  But be advised that I'm gritting my teeth as I deny the teachings of my elders.

Don't get me started on passive voice ......

A Trip up the Mountain

On a recent trip to the North Shore, Jim and I took a trip up a mountain.  My husband would have loved to gotten there via hiking the Superior Hiking Trail.  I, on the other hand, preferred a much less strenuous trip to the top.

Eagle Ridge Resort has a gondola to take people up Moose Mountain.  At the top is the Summit Chalet, a beautiful place for lunch, relaxing, and taking lots of pictures.  They've had lots of beautiful weddings up there.

We spent an hour walking some trails, checking out the observation deck, and simply reading in the mountain sunshine.

They Were Warned!

This summer I've been gently reminding AND nagging my family about cleaning up after themselves.  (see previous post)  When I came downstairs one morning to a pile of dirty dishes while the dishwasher sat unattended ... well ... drastic measures were needed.

Thankfully, my kids are pretty clever.  I had a clean kitchen by the end of the day!

North Shore Rocks (figuratively and literally!)

In our recent trek to the North Shore of Minnesota, I spent a lot of time looking at rocks.  I love the sharp cliffs along the shore line formed by lava flows.  I love the smooth, rounded rocks on the beaches.  I don't know what it is about the alternating rocky, sharp edges of the cliffs and the cobblestone beaches.  As I handle the smaller rocks, I think about the various shapes and sizes.  The larger rocks out in the water are just larger versions of these small ones.

If you're interested in rocks and beaches at the North Shore, here's a great link the explored rock hunting.

Coldwater Swimming

One of my favorite places in the world is the North Shore of Minnesota.  Once I get up to Duluth, leave I35 and get on the scenic Highway 61, the fresh air and view of Lake Superior refresh me from from my wind-blown hair to my flip flops.

Lake Superior is ruggedly stunning. As the glaciers retreated from this area, they left behind eroded igneous material, much of which covers the rocky beaches on the North Shore. The modern shoreline is composed of basalt lava flows and is covered with the unique, rounded North Shore rocks.  Lake Superior is the largest fresh water lake in the world.  It is the largest, deepest and coldest of the Great Lakes with an average summer temperature of 40 degrees.


Regardless of the cool temperatures, we made the most of the lake shore.

Best. Tour. Guide. Ever

On a recent trip to the North Shore, we stopped in Duluth to tour an old ore ship.  The tour guide, Ric, was one of the most unique and most enjoyable guides I can remember.