Yesterday I told you that I’d give you some ideas on what to do with those leftover polenta trimmings you accumulated when you made the Polenta Pesto Bruschetta.

Idea numero uno is these “easier than easy” polenta croutons.

After you look at the recipe, be sure to go to the end of the post to see some of the delicious food I enjoyed at my Les Dames d’Escoffier meeting yesterday. Oh my!

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With Thanksgiving only a few days away, I was thinking that this might be a nontraditional but lovely way to serve a small turkey for a party of two or four. Mind you, I would not be able to bring myself to do it, I need my traditional roast turkey, but for a very savoir-faire sort of hostess.

Otherwise, it’s just a perfect winter heartwarming and hearty dish to serve at a dinner party or to your family on a special night.

When a recipe calls for a whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces, the eight pieces consist of the 2 wings, 2 legs, 2 thighs, and the breast that is cut in half to make two pieces. The back is not used but is the perfect piece of chicken to use to make chicken broth.

To cut a chicken into pieces, you begin with either the wing or the leg and move it around until you locate the joint.

Cut through the skin and through the joint, which the knife slides through quite easily. If there is a lot of resistance, you’ve hit the bone, so move the knife to one side or the other until you located the joint. Easy, once you get the hang of it.

Finally, if it looks like I have a ton of chicken and a double amount of polenta in the photos below – it’s because I do. This was the main dish I taught at my first class in the three-week series at Les Gourmettes last Wednesday night. Obviously, the recipe is easily doubled or tripled.

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My girlfriend, Lorie, was recently in town from California; along with her sister, Cathy, who was in from Indiana. We had a great night out and Lorie was raving about a roasted vegetable and polenta lasagna she had ordered at a Los Angeles area restaurant called Zinc Café & Market.

Let me tell you, I am a fool for polenta and there aren’t too many things more fantastic than roasted vegetables! Since I won’t be getting to LA in the near future, I had to make my own concoction! The polenta fills in as the “noodle” layers in this healthy, gluten-free, and vegetarian lasagna. You can purchase prepared firm polenta in a tube at most grocery stores and always at Trader Joe’s. Thank you Lorie for a great night, dinner, the cute little glasses you gave me, and the idea for this scrumptious lasagna. It was a bonafide hit with Dave, me, and (believe it or not) even my Dad!

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