John, you were actually on the right trail. Instead of sticking it in the toaster oven, if you had just refrigerated it you'd have then had the slicing kind. Even most of the pretty creamy thinner polentas will firm up if allowed to set. The name of the product does vary. The polenta cornmeal is of course a grit. It's just what coarseness of grit you prefer, but it can be done with pretty much any grit/coarseness/grind/etc. Grits that most call grits as supposed to be made from hominy as was mentioned earlier, but sometimes aren't. Sure, try again. That big old porcelainized kitchen table ya'll have heard me mention, was used by my Grandparents to serve the family polenta and meat sauce. Right on the table or on a big giant board. Big pot of polenta poured on, pot of meat/sauce on top, kids/people given spoons to dig in. What fun!

In the swap a year ago, Fall, I received a wonderful cookbook by Jack Bishop called "The Complete Italian Vegetarian Cookbook." In it he has a whole chapter on polenta. He has an easy way to prepare basic polenta that has worked every time I've made it. Granted, I haven't made it all that often, but it's funny you brought this up, because I've been hankering for it. Here's his method of making polenta, and I'll follow with one of the recipes I've used out of his book for the topping. By the way, I was able to find a package of polenta cornmeal in the baking section of the grocery store. It's probably priced too high, but that way I was sure to get the right texture of corn meal. Much of the corn meal sold is too finely ground to work well as polenta. Basic Soft Polenta Salt 1 cup medium-grind cornmeal 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1. Pour 4 cups water into a medium, heavy saucepan set over high heat. When the water comes to a boil, add 1 teaspoon salt and lower the heat to medium. Whisk in the cornmeal in a slow, steady stream. This should take almost 1 minute. Make sure to shisk the cornmeal continuously to prevent lumps from forming. cntinue whisking as the cornmeal comes back to a boil. Simmer, whisking constantly, until the polenta starts to thicken, 1 to 2 minutes. 2. Reduce the heat until the polenta is at the barest simmer. Cover the pot and cook very slowly, stirring with a long handled wooden spoon every 10 minutes or so, until the cornmeal loses it's raw flavor, 35 to 40 minutes. 3. Stir in the butter until melted and add more salt if needed. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately. Here's the dish I've made from this book that I really loved. Polenta with Garlicky Greens 2 cups medium-grind cornmeal Salt 1 1/2 pounds chard, preferable with red veins 1 1/2 pounds flat-leaf spinach 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 medium onions, thinly sliced 6 medium garlic cloves, slivered Freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1. Cook the cornmeal in 8 cups simmering water with 2 teaspoons salt added as described in steps 1 and 2 above. 2. While the polenta is cooking, removed and discard the stems from the chard and spinach. Tear off the green portions from either side of the rib that runs down the center of each chard leaf. Discard the ribs. Tear any large chard and spinach leaves in half. Wash the leaves in successive bowls of cold water until grit no longer appears in the bottom of the bowl. Shake the leaves to remove excess water but do not dry them. Set aside. 3. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onions and saute over medium heat until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until golden, about 2 minutes. 4. Add the reens to the pan. Stir to coat the leaves with the oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook, stirring 2 or 3 times, until the greens are tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the cover and simmer until some of the liquid evaporates, t2 or 3 minutes. The greens should be moist but not swimming in liquid. 5. When the polenta has finished cooking, stir in the butter and add more salt if needed. Divide the polenta among large individual bowls. Spoon some of the greens over each portion. Serve immediately. Bishop has a whole chapter on polenta, but I haven't gotten around to making the other recipes. I think I'll try one of them soon. They all look good. Enjoy! Sally

Well, it's all mush to me, ground corn cooked with whatever to a gloppy consistency. Grandma used to chill cornmeal mush in a loaf pan, slice it after it was cold and fry it in butter, served with maple syrup. I could eat it that way, but no other way. Imagine my surprise when I found a "roll" of polenta in the grocery store and realized that it was just cold mush, meant to be sliced and fried or grilled, with instructions right on the package. Because I was certain that polenta must be different than the detested childhood mush, I made some. Yup, it was mush. So I bought different cornmeal and made some more. Still mush. I bought extra-special-ground-just-for-polenta cornmeal. Um, yeah. It was mush. LOL So, make it however you want and put whatever in it or on it. Fry it or grill it or eat it in a bowl, but underneath all the fancy additives, it's still mush. As for grits, well, you can probably guess that they just remind me of mush, no matter the color. I'd eat the mushroom sauce, though, if that helps. (grin) Annie

Terri, Omitting the polenta recipe since you have it, here's topping we enjoyed. RECIPE: Polenta and Chicken Tartlets SOURCE: Giada De Laurentiis For the tartlets: 1 pound instant polenta (about 2 1/2 cups) 1 cup cream 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper For the topping: 2 cups shredded store-bought roasted chicken 1/2 cup store-bought pesto 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup dried cranberries Special equipment: 2-inch diameter scalloped cookie cutter For the tartlets: Make the polenta according to package instructions. Just before the polenta is finished thickening, add the cream, salt, and pepper. Pour the polenta onto a greased, rimmed baking sheet. Set aside to cool and firm up, about 30 minutes. For the topping: In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, pesto, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. To assemble: Using a 2-inch diameter scalloped cookie cutter, cut the polenta into tartlet shapes, about 24, and place them on a serving platter. Top each polenta tartlet with a spoonful of chicken. Top the chicken with a few dried cranberries. Serve.