Blue Corn Polenta

Tonite, I came home from work and my husband asked...."what's for dinner?"  My snappy retort was, "Whatever you fix, dear."  After a moment of shocked surprise on my husband's face, he realized that I was sort of kidding and sort of serious.   I eventually caved in and suggested polenta with sausages, peppers, onions and a white wine, garlic and tomato sauce.

I went to the freezer to get out the stone ground corn meal and only had about 1/2 cup left in the bag.  I hunted and searched and only found some blue corn meal that I had recently purchased.  I looked at what I had and decided......what the heck.  If Alfred Hitchcock can serve an entirely blue meal, I can sneak in some blue corn meal.  This turned out fabulously creamy and very tasty.

4 cups water
2 cups milk
1 stick of butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Place everything in a pan and heat on low, stirring occasionally until the utter melts and the liquid is hot.

Slowly whisk in 1 1/2 cups  corn meal
Once the cornmeal is incorporated, continue to cook on low, stirring constantly until thick.  This will take about 15 to 20 minutes.

Add 1 cup of shredded parmesan cheese and stir to incorporate.

Ladies and gents, this was delicious and had a very nice, soft texture.

From the heart of my purple kitchen to you, enjoy!!!
S.

Spicy Cream Cheese Dip

There is a store not far from where I live that sells something called "Love Dip".....and I just LOVE it.  i have served it at parties, had it for a snack and even served it with grilled chicken and pasta.  I do not know exactly what the store puts in it, but I do know that it is creamy, spicy, cool and is great with veggies, pasta, chicken, turkey or pork or your favorite chips.

I wanted to try to make a version of this that was cool, creamy, spicy and rather flavorful.  Here is what I did:

Prep time: approximately 20 minutes
Servings:  10 servings, 1/4 cup each
Temperature:  N/A
Difficulty:  Easy

1 eight ounce package of low fat cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup low fat sour cream, at room temperature
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 - 2 chipotle(s) in adobo, minced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Place all the ingredients into a mixing bowl  and stir until well blended.  Let sit for 30 minutes for the flavors to blend and serve.

Serving suggestion:  For a great dinner, mix about 1 cup of the sauce to 1/2 pound of cooked, hot pasta, add sliced grilled chicken breast and steamed broccoli....YUMNESS!!!!!

From the heart of my purple kitchen to you,Enjoy!!!
S.