(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 [...]

Oh strawberries. Juicy. Sweet. Plump. Beautifully red. Naturally heart shaped. Fun fact: I also recently learned that North Carolina is the #3 for harvesting the most strawberries in the United States. Personal fact: As much as I enjoy chocolate, I will always pick strawberry shortcake over a brownie sundae! These cupcakes do require some love [...]

There was a time when extra overripe bananas meant the pleasure or pressure to bake. Once I made the banana ice scream recipe from the Vitamix cookbook, I realized that bananas were just as useful frozen as any other frozen fruit. This is an easy way to preserve those spare bananas without them sticking together! [...]