A Great Weeknight Recipe Sausage and Polenta Casserole

I mentioned on Facebook that I made this great casserole last night and had a few requests for the recipe, so thought I would share the recipe here. It does not take too much prep time and the end result is mouth-watering good! I'd post a picture, but we ate it all up for dinner the last 2 nights. We had enough for 4 for dinner for two different nights, so serves 8. So here it is...

Sausage and Polenta Casserole

16 oz. Italian sausage 2 cups cornmeal
1 tbls. olive oil 14.5 oz. chicken broth
1 large onion,chopped ¾ tsp salt
1 large stalk celery, chopped 4.5 cups boiling water
1 carrot, peeled and chopped ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 can (28 oz.) whole tomatoes 8 oz. Fontina or mozzarella cheese

First, sauté in your Dutch oven 1 pound of Italian sausage after removing the casings. Brown the sausage while breaking them up with your spoon. My original recipe called for 8 oz. of hot and 8 oz. of sweet sausage. I did do that the first time I made it and it was yummy, but I had to buy 2 packages of sausage and my kids picked out the hot sausage, so this last time I just used one package of sweet! Once the sausage is browned, remove from the Dutch oven and then add 1 tbls. of olive oil. Add 1 large onion, 1 large carrot, 1 stalk celery, all chopped fine, and brown. Takes about 5 minutes. Add sausage back in and one large can of whole tomatoes (original recipe calls for roma tomatoes in puree, but can never find in standard grocery store, so just used can of whole tomatoes in sauce this time and it worked fine). Bring to boil and then turn down and simmer, covered for 10 minutes and then opened for 10 minutes. This last time I added a little bit of white wine before the tomatoes and a little salt, pepper, and oregano (but tasted great without those things the last time I made it).

While tomatoes are simmering, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Also grate about 8 oz. of Fontina cheese and set aside. Start polenta, after you relax a bit, as it only takes about 5 minutes! For polenta, start water to boil (4.5 cups). In large saucepan, mix 2 cups of corn meal, 14.5 ounces of chicken broth, and salt together over medium low heat. Add 4.5 cups of boiling water and whisk together until smooth and starts to thicken. Once thickened, add ½ cup of Parmesan cheese and whisk together.

Now just layer all your ingredients in a 13 x 9 baking dish. Lightly grease the pan, put in half of polenta and spread across pan, cover with half of tomato mixture, sprinkle on half of cheese. Then repeat. Save the last half of cheese and bake casserole uncovered for 15 minutes, add the cheese, and put back in oven for another 15-20 minutes. Last night I screwed up and put the cheese on before I baked, so I just baked for 30 minutes and it was fine. Let sit for 10 minutes then serve.

The Facebook Generation

I have found myself being sucked into Facebook. Every day I make attempts to avoid going there, only to find I can't avoid it. Initially, I joined and then visited it rarely for more than a year. Then I discovered the Facebook application for my Treo and it slowly began to suck me in. Soon, I checked in at least once a day via my phone to see what my friends were saying in their status comments, to post pictures and see what my friends were posting, or just to share my own experiences. The tipping point for me appears to be the death of the dryer. The week I spent without the ability to do much laundry seemed to free up a lot of my evenings after the girls were in bed. I rediscovered my notebook computer and taking a lesson from my husband, began to play on my computer again right in front of the television. During this time, I realized that the real Facebook site is actually much more fun than my minimized phone version! My Facebook time severely increased and I find myself drawn to checking it multiple times per day.

Much of it is the social networking, but then there is that addictive game Mafia Wars. I need my fix daily and find myself returning again and again to do some criminal jobs, acquire dirty money, and fight other mafia families. Who knew the mafia life could be so fun or addictive? Well The Soprano's were a bit addictive too, but not quite as much fun with all the realistic violence and sex!

I find myself wondering how healthy my Facebook usage is. I have always had difficulty setting limits with my hobbies. I tend to obsessively pursue them and then finding myself quitting "cold turkey" to be able to attend back to "real life." I can read to obsession. I can watch television to obsession. I can play video games to obsession. Or I know I could and that is why I make sure that does not happen. Where does Facebook fit in this? Is it an escape to avoid the real world? Or is it truly a way to connect? I guess it really can be both. As with everything, it depends on how you use it. Do you use it to avoid having real relationships with people? Do you invest a lot of time and effort into people you are really not that close to?

I am not sure of my answers to these questions, although my gut feeling at the moment is that Facebook is kind of wonderful and is allowing me to grow in many ways. In a world where everyone is so busy and spread out, Facebook allows me to connect more with friends I truly miss but have no way to achieve face-to-face friendship due to geographical distance. It also allows me to connect more with friends who do live close by but are caught up in this day-to-day crazy experience of an over-scheduled life. It also allows me to explore the past a bit in many different ways. I can reconnect with friends from the past I lost touch with, or mere acquaintances from the past that I never took the time to explore, or even to approach people I may have made judgements about in high school and assumed would never have any interest in me.

Facebook is a social experience if you let it be. It is not easy and I still have to set my limits and continue to enjoy and live my non-virtual life. However, my goal is to truly connect with everyone I be-friend on Facebook. I vow not to friend someone blindly, but to make an effort to really connect with everyone. To post on their "wall," to comment on what they choose to share with the world, to learn more about everyone and to let them know who I really am. I vow not to be the person I have been for much of my life, afraid of being judged and therefore judging of others. Perhaps Facebook is one path towards my own self-discovery. We shall see.

What do you think about Facebook? Is it your friend or foe? Share a comment and let's discuss.

Why Don't We Accept the Answer, "No?"

I have been thinking about how difficult it is to say, “No.” I am fully aware that it is my responsibility to exercise this right and responsibility. I need to be constantly aware of my own limitations and boundaries and to refuse to take on new responsibilities as they are offered. I do not abdicate my responsibility in this. Do you hear a BUT coming on?

However, I noticed today that the world is filled with people who somehow seem to assume that when a person responds, ‘No!” to a question, they are merely waiting for someone to coax them into an affirmative response. Has this ever happed to you? My epiphany today occurred as I was making copies in the copy-room, which is of course the unofficial meeting place for my office. One of the nurses comes into the room to ask if anyone would like to adopt a cat. The room erupts with people denying interest in the cat. Instead of the conversation ending, one of the nay-sayers seeks to poll the room to find someone else to adopt this cat. I say clearly that I am not interested in another cat. I then spend the next 5 minutes being browbeaten by my co-workers as to why I should adopt this cat. “Your other cat is lonely.” “He clearly is missing other cats.” I waste my time responding to their inquiries and strong suggestions, even though I have already stated I do not want another cat and that I feel overwhelmed with the cat that I do have. Eventually, I leave the room, which is kind of silly since I was the only one in need of the copier at the moment.

I have some suspicions as to why people do not respect a negative answer. In this case, interestingly enough, the person who initiated the query respected my negative response. It was the other targets of the question who threw me, “under the bus.” I suspect many people do this to feel better about their own guilt over saying, “No.” I am not trying to be a mind-reader. I guess I just wanted to remind people that it is cool to respect your friends, co-workers, or even strangers, by allowing them to make their own decisions and to avoid questioning any decisions. Everyone has a right and a responsibility to say, “No,” when they need to but let’s try not to make this even harder for people by forcing then to defend their choices.

Children's Television That Parent's Actually Can Watch Without Dying of Boredom

I have been noticing that my kids seem to like a lot of shows that I do not fine vile and annoying. I am not sure if this is due to their inherent good taste, or if it is due to some subtle brainwashing over the years from their mother. We do love many PBS shows, but let's start with our favorite, not educational, favorites. So for my friends with kids, here are a few television suggestions for your kids that you might actually not mind watching:

(1) Pucca (http://disney.go.com/disneyxd/#/disneyxd/shows/pucca/) - This is one funny show from Jetix on Disney Channel. Pucca is a little girl who doesn't talk but is in love with Garu, a ninja boy. The show revolves around Pucca chasing Garu. Sounds a bit weird, but it is so funny. The characters are fantastic, from Santa, to Pucca's uncle's who run a noodle house, to the ninja who is always hunting Garu, to so many more. Some of the humor comes from the things spoofed in different shows. For example, in Sooga Size Me, a Texas couple comes to Sooga Village in their huge motorhome and with their horrible American tourist way, insult the culture and then build a restaurant to serve super-sized American versions of Japanese food. Lot's of good sarcastic fun for adults.

(2) Ben 10 and Ben 10: Alien Force (http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/tv_shows/promotion_landing_page/ben10/index.html): My daughter's love Ben 10 of any kind. It is always the first show they request from any backlog of DVR'd episodes. These are shows on Cartoon Network and Ben accidentally becomes the owner of the Omnitrix at age 10 which allows him to turn into 10 different aliens. Helped by his cousin Gwen and his grandfather, they fight evil and have a lot of fun. Ben and Gwen fight like siblings. Grandpa is a smart alien-fighting expert. Interesting aliens, fun, and plenty of sarcasm. Ben 10: Alien Force is a kind of sequel with Ben and Gwen older and still fighting bad guys as teenagers. Thanks to their friend Kevin, lots more sarcastic fun and fighting of bad guys.

(3) Johnny Test (http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/tv_shows/johnnytest/index.html): Another Cartoon Network show, Johnny Test is about a boy who always seems to get in trouble but almost always ends up saving the day too. Johnny is hyper and self-centered, and has two older genius sisters who can invent anything. Everything is against type. Mom works, dad stays-at-home. The sisters are brilliant. Johnny and his talking dog Dukey are lots of snarky fun.

My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey - Jill Bolte Taylor

There have been a few biographical books that have struck me with such force that I felt changed by them. Two I remember distinctly because I listened to the audio book versions. The first I remember was Tuesdays with Morrie, by Mitch Albom. I found the book fascinating, but what blew me away was hearing Morrie’s voice speaking some on his wisdom at the end of the book. Hearing an author read their own work or share their story seems to intensify the message. I felt this same way after listening to a more recent book by Jill Bolte Taylor, My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey.

Dr. Bolte Taylor woke up one morning in 1996 to discover that she was experiencing a rare form of stroke, an arteriovenous malformation (AVM). Three weeks later, she underwent major brain surgery at to remove a golf ball-sized hemorrhage that was placing pressure on the language centers in the left hemisphere of her brain. The first part of the book told who the author was prior to her stroke and then in great detail told what it felt like to have her stroke, made even more fascinating due to her training and career as a neuroanatomist. She watched her mind completely deteriorate to where she could not walk, talk, read, write, or recall any of her life. She than shared her experiences in recovery, from her initial time in the emergency room and eventual surgery to her years of rehabilitation. We learned the details of her recovery, designed primarily by her mother who basically repeated her childhood development. Finally, we heard some of her observations about right and left hemispheric differences.

I thought the book was very readable thanks to the compelling story and Dr. Bolte Taylor’s personality. I found something of value from every part of the book. The description of her stroke and deterioration was a profound explanation of the left and right brain functions. The tale of her rehabilitation highlighted ways we need to change our current methods of stroke rehabilitation. Her observation that her need for sleep was imperative in allowing her brain to heal really hit home how important sleep is to our brain functioning. I even found her observations of life without a left hemisphere made her a better person a good illustration for the benefits of cognitive behavioral therapy and used this in one of my recent discussions with my pain group. I highly recommend this book, and even recommend you try the audio book to hear the story in Dr. Bolte Taylor’s own voice.