Rerun: Monterey Jack, Corn, and Roasted Red Pepper Risotto

I've been on a corn kick lately. Friday's dinner was a repeat of an old favorite: Monterey Jack, Corn and Roasted Red Pepper Risotto. This didn't come out quite as well this time as I normally does, but I didn't exactly spend the right amount of time stirring it. I was hungry, impatient and multitasking.

Oh well. Still pretty good. Read the original post for more detail.

Overall my weekend was really tame. I spend most of Saturday afternoon trying to find shoes to go with my sister's skirt I thought would be my size. It ended up being two sizes smaller than I thought it was, so I guess my search for shoes wasn't necessary. Now I need to find something else to wear to her bridal shower in two weeks. It's casual, but all I have is jeans, and I'm not sure I want to be that casual. It's a shower thrown by her future mother-in-law, so maybe it doesn't matter what I wear. Who knows.

Today was mostly errands and cleaning, but that's fine. I'm off work Wednesday, Thursday and Friday for a staycation of sorts. It's been a while since I took this much time off, so I'm looking forward to it.

Tonight I made grilled chicken with a two corn polenta for dinner. I didn't plan on making this, but after I thawed out the chicken I realized I was missing a main ingredient in the meal I planned to make. Oops.



I grilled the chicken with Mrs. Dash Southwestern blend, but any grill seasoning or spice blend you like would work. The two corn polenta is something I made occasionally — usually in summer. I also ended up using the Mrs. Dash in the polenta, too, just to give it a little oomph. Chili powder, cumin and garlic powder would be a good substitute if you want to make it southwestern-flavored like I did. Or, just a pinch of red pepper, which I always use in polenta. I made two servings, but can easily be doubled.

Two Corn Polenta
2 cups chicken broth, vegetable broth or water (I used chicken broth for flavor)
1/2 cup polenta or cornmeal
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed or fresh corn cut off the cob
1/2 tsp or so Mrs. Dash
1 tsp butter or more to taste

Bring broth or water to a boil over high heat and slowly whisk in the polenta. Add salt and drop the heat to low and simmer about 10 minutes, or until the polenta starts to thicken up. Stir in corn, seasonings and butter and cook until butter melts and corn is warmed through — about a minute or two.