I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! What made ours even warmer was the gorgeous weather in Charlotte. It felt like spring time! This was a very special Thanksgiving because my parents and sister and her family all relocated to Charlotte earlier this year. We had a great potluck spread and my sister hosted. [...]

(Polenta cakes served with goat cheese, roasted veggies and hot sauce.) Polenta, which originated in Europe, is similar to grits as both are made from stoneground corn. The type of corn for each varies as does the coarser texture of the cornmeal used to make polenta. I consider polenta to be a great vessel for [...]

The key to a good, palatable bowl of oatmeal is retaining some of the original oat texture and preventing the transformation to mush. I use rolled oats (not quick oats) because I can better control that process and they still cook really fast. You can certainly make this recipe with quick oats or steel cut oats [...]