Brunch

I've always liked the idea of brunch. It's got a dorky name, and is a great mix of hoity-toity and slobishness. You're drinking mimosas at a table with a lace tablecloth, but you're hung-over and couldn't get up in time for breakfast. I'd like to host a big brunch someday, after a big party. Ideally it would be during summer, and served outside.

I've thought a lot of the aesthetics through (and practiced the night-before partying), but the food is something I haven't quite nailed down - not to mention getting the lovely home and yard where all of this would be set.

Today I actually woke up and had cooking on the brain. It helps that Food Network has so many recipe-oriented cooking shows on weekend mornings. I have been craving polenta lately, so I looked up some recipes on the Food Network site, and found a dandy. "Polenta Stacks with Ham, Spinach and Cheese" isn't the prettiest of all names, but it turned out to be delicious. I used already-firmed polenta I bought at the grocery store, and browned slices of it on the stove. Then, as the recipe called for, I heated some garlic and crushed red pepper flakes in olive oil, and wilted spinach in this. To serve, it was just a matter of arranging the sliced polenta, slices of jarlsberg (it's all I had lying around, but it's an amazing pair with a heavy garlic flavor), ham and wilted spinach, and then covering with warm marinara. It was easy with the shortcuts I took (marinara from a jar, polenta pre-firmed, spinach pre-washed), and a flavorful breakfast that wasn't too heavy.

Definitely a recipe to keep away in my fantasy food party file.