Unwinding with Easy Polenta

A blog post by Massel chef Elizabeth Schuler

Three different activities at my son’s school, a committee meeting that I was roped into by a friend, and my car needed an emergency tire repair. These kind of hectic weeks seem to happen way too often these days.

It was time to put on the brakes, take a moment, and reassess; I needed some sort of control. I grabbed broccoli and rice, the leftovers from last night’s Chinese delivery, and then my trusty Massel chicken style bouillon cubes. I threw the ingredients into a saucepan, covered them with water, and then let them brew on the stove until warm; 3 minutes passed and soup for lunch was done.

I sat down with a huge mug of steamy delicious soup in my favorite chair and ate. I did nothing else—just enjoyed my creation. All of the chaos of the week’s activities slowed to a moment’s respite, and after 20 minutes, I was feeling much better.

Then it was time to grab the calendar and look at what the next week had in store. I moved this appointment to that time, decided to quit that committee for which I had no time, and charted out my family will eat to keep us staying healthy (but most of all enjoy). Finally, I felt a little more organized.

I got up and made Easy Polenta in the microwave and spread it out on an oiled sheet pan, then stuck it in the fridge to chill. While that was settling, I tasked myself with the decorations for the school fundraiser… more like an arts and crafts cyclone!

When dinnertime came around, I pulled out the sheet pan and cut out squares to grill. Thereafter, I sautéed some fresh mushrooms for a heart healthy and rather elegant meal, finishing with some goat cheese and a drizzle of honey on the top. This was all done in 15 minutes! Snap, just like that, the feeling of control that I love came back.

Thanks, Massel!