Vettin I use frozen veggies all the time, due to the convenience, speed and cost. But I'm vegetarian, so the dishes I make are the center of the plate, not a side dish so I don't know if you will like the ones I make. I don't always use the mixed ones, also individual types. OK, for mixed, my favorite uber quick meal is instant brown rice, stir fried with frozen veggies and asian style baked tofu. Just by whatever frozen stir fry mix you like. Get the rice started while you heat 1 TBLSP oil in a wok. I have a flat bottomed heavy duty non stick one that I love. When I want super fast I just do the frozen veggies, but if not, you can do some fresh ones like onions, cauliflower, broccoli, peppers or zuchinni. Do them first. Stir fry for a bout 2 min. Then add the frozen veggies. This splatters since there is water in the mix. I use a splatter guard. You're not really going to get the crispy stir fried texture with the frozen veggies, but it still tastes good. Then chop up the tofu and add it after the veggies are heated through. I use McCormick's Thai spice mix or just ginger and garlic and maybe some mustard or hoisin sauce and tamari. I don't like five spice powder but you can use that if you like it. Lastly add the cooked rice, and adjust the seasoning to your taste with soy sauce. I buy pre-bottled thai peanut sauce or hosin sauce or some other kinds of pre-made asian sauces you can get in the groceries now, some are really good. Top with chopped peanuts or cashews or toasted ground sesame seeds. Dinner on the table in 15 min. I guess you could use indian curry style seasonings for this, and garbanzo beans instead of tofu. I get a mexican mix and add it to beans and rice. Same procedure as above, but I like black beans or red kidney beans or pintos. I use salsa for seasoning and adobo seasoning I get from Penzeys along with ancho chile powder. I also add frozen mixed vegetables to enchiladas. I mix them in with refried beans and cheese, roll into a corn tortilla and top with canned enchilada sauce or what I make myself with tomato sauce seasoned with salsa. You can also throw mixed veggies in between the layers of lasagne, top with ricotta or drained cottage cheese. You can add chopped meat bits to any of these dishes. I use frozen spinach, canned stewed tomatoes, and canelinni beans to make "beans and greens." Again, you can add whatever fresh veggies to the mix you like, such as onions, peppers and zuchinni. Serve over pasta or rice or polenta. Can also do this "jerk" style. Depends on what kind of seasoning you get. You can buy jerk seasoning but it is hot pepper to taste, thyme, allspice, garlic and maybe corriander, cloves or ginger and onion. Vinegar and brown sugar too if you like. As someone mentioned, getting good quality spice mixes or making your own makes seasoning mixed veggies fast and easy. Mix frozen baby limas, sauteed diced onions, scrambled eggs and a bit of ham or bacon. I use fake bacon bits. Another way to use frozen veggie mixes is in noodle soup. Make a clear broth of your choice, add the frozen veggies and then whatever type of noodle you like--lo mein, soba or rice. Season with soy sauce, ginger, garlic and scallions. Use tofu or chopped meat bits for protein. The same type of soup can be seasoned with italian seasoning and made with frozen peas and carrots and either rice or orzo or ditalinni or acini de pepe. Use frozen veggies with pasta, like lo mein, tofu, bottled sauce and asian style frozen veggies. Or mix peanut butter, hoisin and ketchup. Can use pork or chicken for protein instead of tofu. Or pasta primavera style, with a cream sauce mixed with parmesean. Mix frozen broccoli with rice and cheese, or pasta and cheese sauce. Goat or feta cheese are great with this. I've also made a more Germanic style pasta dish with thick egg noodles, very light cheese or white sauce, flavored with bacon, and frozen green beans. I have "Bavarian" sesoning from Penzeys for this dish. Also season with onions and oil. Mixed carrots and peas can be used for Ensalata Russa, which is a potato salad of Mediterannean origin.

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!

When I plan on making grilled polenta, I often add flavorings of one kind or another before putting it in the fridge to set. Various cheeses, sun dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, herbs, cloves of roasted garlic, caramelized onions, scallions, minced bacon or pancetta, gosh, the list is endless. It depends on what I'm serving with it. I make sure to slice it with a very sharp knife so that the additions don't tear holes in the polenta squares. A mixture of the tomatoes, olives & scallions makes for a very pretty presentation. I like soft polenta too, but generally serve that with some sort of topping, so often I just make that plain, with just the meal, water, butter, and maybe some salt & pepper. The other night, we had stuffed mushrooms for dinner on a bed of soft polenta and one of the last three jars of my spicy tomato sauce (I need my tomatoes to ripen SOON!) into which I'd added a little ground beef. Yum.

Jasdip, These were the other threads. The cookalongs. I know I said tried and true, but this is what I was thinking of...