For the past few months, we’ve been enjoying breakfast polenta at the Whole Foods breakfast to-go bar.  It’s a nice little routine we have. I go to yoga on Sundays, Casey watches Coop and I pick up some polenta & coffee on my way back home.  It’s thick, creamy and super delicious.  We sit at our kitchen table and devour it slowly while Cooper naps. It ties us over until our late afternoon lunch.  And it’s heaven.

This morning was different. I woke up with the urge to have Breakfast Polenta immediately!  Not even coffee first. NOW.   And since yoga is tomorrow, what excuse do I have to go out and pick some up?  None.

I mentally prepared myself for this polenta adventure to be like risotto– where I had to coax the grains into thickness by stirring it every second….babysitting it….for a long time. But NO!!!  It all came together in a blink of an eye.  It thickened up perfectly.  I was even able to run away to help change a diaper in the process.  Totally glamorous, huh?  If it got too thick, I just added a little more milk.

The only challenging thing is cleaning up the pots & bowls…which are still sitting in the sink.  It’s Saturday, and I’ll get to that later.

This recipe comes from Heidi at 101cookbooks.  It’s a wonderful post!  You should read it!  I like her idea of having a Breakfast Polenta party…and supplying all of the sides!  A big batch, a room full of friends for brunch.  What could be better?  Playing around with sweet & savory toppings sounds pretty fun too!

It all starts with a cup of polenta.

I found some in my pantry.  I thanked myself for purchasing it many moons ago.  You rock, Tracy!

Add it to boiling water and stir stir stir! I added milk every now and then to make it creamier.

Now you have a blank canvas!

Casey enjoys a LOT of brown sugar in his….with some butter, raisins & nuts underneath.

Today I added brown sugar, raisins, walnuts & a dollop of Greek yogurt on top to mine.

It’s soo filling, I doubt you will want seconds!

Soo yum on a cold winter day like today.

Breakfast Polenta

(recipe-101 cookbooks.com)

• 4cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup coarse polenta (not quick cooking)
• milk or cream

Bring the water to a boil. Stir in the salt and polenta. Stir and stir and stir. Reduce the heat (you might want to wear an apron as the polenta has a tendency to spurt and spit). Simmer for at least 30-35 minutes (it took me about 20 mins).  If the polenta gets too thick and starts to dry out along the way, just stir in more water 1/4 cup at a time (I added some whole milk instead to make it creamier). In the end I like my breakfast polenta to be on the loose side, thick enough to coat a spoon, but loose enough that it has trouble holding shape. Serve warm in bowls with your favorite toppings!

Serves about 4

I followed Joy’s steps for the leftovers here. Maybe we’ll make some fried polenta sticks later!