Ouch!

My poor mom broke her hip on Saturday night. WHILE DANCING! After the funeral she and her honey, Roger, went to church and then squaredancing. (She has a much better social life than I do). Due to the slippery nature of her cowboy boots (vanity, thy name is Marie), down she went during a particularly vigorous whirl. I saw the x-rays, cracked right across in two places. Surgery (FINALLY) took place on Sunday night and now, thanks to 3 screws, she is doing really well. You can see how good she looked on Tuesday. (Holding a bag of chocolate, how can a woman heal without medicinal chocolate?). She was quite determined to be let out of the hospital and proved it to the powers that be. They sent her home (to Roger's) on Wednesday. She has an unnaturally high pain tolerance, and the danger now is that she will overdo it. She is not to put weight on it for 2-3 months! RIIGGHHTT! I am making her a sock for that foot with tacks in the toe. My mom is a little embarrassed about this, she says only OLD ladies break hips. I told her it is a sports injury and now she will (temporarily) be a coach.

It is also painfully cold here in the northland. With windchill, it was 50 below zero this morning. We cancelled preschool, it's ridiculous to bring little ones out if you don't have to.


Here is a nice warm dinner. I was in the mood for something different, that didn't involve campbell's soup! This is a recipe I've had for a long time, but don't cook very often because Paul is suspicious of polenta.

I like it because it is gooey without being too cheesy. Cheese is one of my favorite foods, but I'm trying to cut down. Go ahead and use more parmesan (my mom calls this parmeesian cheese) if you want, no sense being a martyr. I use cornmeal instead of real polenta because we're rubes and can't tell the difference, if there is one. The recipe calls for 4 egg yolks, but unless you have a use for egg whites, use 2 whole eggs. It is just fine that way.

Poulet a la Polenta (Chicken and cornmeal)

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs OR 4 boneless, skinless breast halves, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 medium onions, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 pound (1 package) mushrooms, sliced or quartered
1 Tbls vegetable oil
1 large can (28 oz) diced tomatoes
1 quart milk
1 1/2 cups cornmeal
4 egg yolks or 2 whole eggs

Cook chicken, onions and mushrooms in oil until lightly browned. Add tomatoes and cook for 20 minutes to reduce liquid. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
In another saucepan, heat milk to boiling, add cornmeal and whisk over heat for 10 minutes. (or less). Pour polenta into oven safe dish and spread evenly. Taste chicken mixture for seasoning and pour over polenta. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 15 minutes. Serve with something nice and green, like spinach salad. Serves 4-6