polenta layered with beef

This creation was the result of a friend's text: "tired of thinking of dinner, have lots of food, but no ideas - what should i do with these?!" I sent back 3 menus for her, proof of the fact that we work better in teams. Plus, I love the challenge of an almost-blank canvas.

A friend asked me recently, "So, you love to cook; what do you love to cook the most?" I was stumped at first, because I'm a person who can MUCH more easily come up with a Top 20 than a single favorite. Then I remembered the text challenge & the menus that resulted, and I realized... I love having seemingly random ingredients thrown at me and finding ways for them to come together for a good dinner.

Which brings me to this: first, a once-in-a-while column where readers send in their this-is-what's-left-in-my-fridge ingredient lists, and I publish a recipe that would incorporate them. Hopefully, we'll all learn more about how things go together, which spices add certain nuances to a dish, and how we can become more confident in the kitchen.

Also, a CONTEST: I'm too small-time to offer actual prizes, but once per quarter I'll publish a reader's ingredient list and let you all have at it. My favorite recipe will be published here, and if you have a website, I'll happily link everyone to that website so they can get to know you a bit better. Rotating themes (quick & kid-friendly, exotic, romantic, etc.) will spice things up a bit, too. CONTEST starts next week, so get yourselves ready!

Now, for a surprisingly simple dish that tastes anything but simple:

polenta lasagna

We're gluten-free around here when it comes to dinner, so that means we've been missing lasagna for 1.5 years. Sad times. Until I heard about using polenta instead of regular pasta noodles. And we will forevermore thank my sister-in-law for the enlightenment - no longer are we to be deprived.

There are recipes out there that use sliced polenta (don't know what polenta is? it's essentially Italian corn meal) that's already in a log from the store. I made my own version of that for much cheaper. Although it's possible to use unformed polenta straight from the pot (consistency like oatmeal), both spreading the ricotta and layering are much easier if you use formed polenta.

We didn't even miss the noodles (nothing against them, they're still good), and Lizzie, our resident 2 year old who throws daily fits over the fact that I won't let her live on PB & yogurt alone, actually asked for seconds. Seconds. She asked for seconds. And Pink raved about it so much today that when a friend brought me some of her new lasagna recipe to try (which was delicious), Pink got all upset & scared that I wasn't going to let her eat the leftovers of mine. So, a hit all around.

toni's taco casserole

This actually came from my mom's recipe box from her pre-married days, because she copied it from her best friend's mom after liking it in high school. So, it has to be good, right? And easy as 1-2-3. This makes a VERY full 13x9 because I like to freeze 1/2 of it for another night. Each 1/2 serves 4-6 (which means that for now, while our girls are little, we get dinner, then leftovers for lunch, then dinner again, and leftovers for lunch again - all from 20 minutes in the kitchen).

tamale pie

Warning: this dish is only as good as your cornbread. So choose your recipe carefully...
I vary this recipe by switching out the meat or changing up the veggies I include. It's a perfect, hearty addition to a potluck and makes great leftovers. I wish I could get it to freeze well, but alas, the cornbread+juicy meat just doesn't do well all wrapped up for a few weeks. Oh well. More to enjoy this week!

southwest chicken bake

A classic Improv dish that resulted from a desperate, "Arghhh! What Am I Going To Make For Dinner?!" this casserole is so very versatile that you can make it your own. The spice proportions are perfect, but other veggies could be added, or the beans served on the side. If you want an all-in-one, add 1 cup of uncooked rice plus 1.5 cups chicken broth.

biscuts, beef, and rice

The recipe that started this whole food blog was the result of a couple of accidents: Mr. Improv had taken me literally when I said, "Get all the tomato stuff the recipe calls for" and he bought only the diced tomatoes, neglecting the spaghetti sauce; and I forgot to stop by the store on my way home from work the day I planned to make ravioli, leaving me without the necessary pasta sauce.

Because I regularly forget at least one item on my grocery list, plus regularly forget to even write one of the key ingredients down on my list, plus get whimsical once I don an apron, I already knew quite a bit about making something called dinner out of random ingredients that don't seem to go together.

And so, Biscuits, Beef and Rice was born, along with this food adventure. Bon apetit!