• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Joy the Baker
Joy the Baker
  • Bread
  • Cookies
  • Cakes
  • Pies
  • Recipes
    • All Recipes
    • Biscuits
    • Muffins
    • Cupcakes
    • Drinks
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Fruit
    • Nuts
    • Buttermilk
    • Chocolate
    • Vanilla
    • Holiday
    • Healthy
    • Gluten-Free
    • Vegan
  • Blog
    • Baking 101
    • Tips
    • Beyond the Kitchen
    • Let It Be Sunday!
    • New Orleans

Breakfast Polenta: Two Ways

January 27, 2011 by Joy the Baker 186 Comments

IMG_8289

Dear Future Husband,

I got your email yesterday… the one with the subject line “To My Future Wife”.

Um….. can I be honest?  That was sweet… but a little creeptown.

I know… I know… you’re probably going to say it was all a joke and you were just kidding and blah blah blah.

Listen.  You may get the impression from this blog that it’s all sunshine and lollipops here at my end of the world.

Here’s some things you should know:

Sometimes I run out of toothpaste and forget to buy more.  Irresponsible.  I’m sorry.

I only have 168 Facebook friends.  That’s not a lot.

I adopt stray cats… even the ones with dirty, matted fur.  And I love them.  And I talk to them in my cat voice.

I have a voice I use specifically for cats.

I put my feet on the coffee table.  I’m demanding and unreasonable when I get stressed out.  I text too much.   I don’t want a pet bird.  I don’t want to pretend that I like your mother’s pet bird.  Oh.. and I’ll lose my everloving mind if you get pee on the floor and don’t clean it up.  I will.

So… yea.  I understand if you want to retract that email now.  If you don’t, you’re nutso.

IMG_8279

IMG_8275

I made breakfast polenta this morning.  Since I couldn’t decide if I wanted it sweet or savory, I made it both ways.

Then I ate both bowls.

Then I realized that I wanted savory breakfast polenta… but the sweet polenta was a lovely warm up.

Polenta… if you don’t know… is ground cornmeal.  When boiled with water, milk and butter, cornmeal cooks up into a creamy, warm, super comforting bowl of good.

Sweet Breakfast Polenta

Makes two large or four small servings

Print this Recipe!

3 cups water

1 cup yellow polenta

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/4 cup milk

1/2 ripe pear, sliced thin

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped pecans

small handful dried cranberries

1-2 tablespoons honey

milk

add cinnamon and nutmeg if you’re feeling spicy

Check the directions on your particular box of polenta, as the coarseness, ratios and cooking times may vary.  This was my experience.

Bring water to a boil.  Add salt and turn burner down to a simmer.  Add  dried polenta in a stream, whisking constantly so no lumps form.  Polenta will begin to thicken immediately.  Whisk occasionally for about 6 to 8 minutes.  Add butter and milk to the polenta and whisk over flame until your desired consistency is reached.

Top polenta with pear slices, nuts, cranberries, honey and as much milk as you like.  Delicious!

IMG_8313

Savory Breakfast Polenta

Makes two large or four small servings

Print this Recipe!

3 cups water

1 cup yellow polenta

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup milk

3 slices bacon, cooked crisp

1/4 cup diced onions

1 small garlic clove, finely diced

3 tablespoons grated cheese

2 to 4 large egg, fried, depending on how many people you want to feed

Check the directions on your particular box of polenta, as the coarseness, ratios and cooking times may vary.  This was my experience.

Bring water to a boil.  Add salt and turn burner down to a simmer.  Add  dried polenta in a stream, whisking constantly so no lumps form.  Polenta will begin to thicken immediately.  Whisk occasionally for about 6 to 8 minutes.  Add butter and milk to the polenta and whisk over flame until your desired consistency is reached.

In a medium skillet, cook bacon until crisp.  Remove cooked bacon and place on a paper towel to drain.  Cut into large bits when cool enough to handle.   Cook the diced onion in the bacon fat until browned and soft.  Add the diced garlic and cook for 2 minutes.  Remove onions and garlic and place in a small bowl.  In the same skillet over medium heat, fry the egg.  Fry is easy or hard… however you fancy your eggs.

Place polenta in a bowl and top with cheese, onions, bacon and the fried egg.  Hot sauce and black pepper are highly recommended.

Previous PostNext Post

Filed Under: Breakfast, Fruit, Gluten-Free, Recipes, Savory

Previous Post: « Tangerine Lemon Curd
Next Post: Peanut Butter Pecan Biscotti »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Bruce

    November 13, 2016 at 1:51 pm

    Oh.. and if you want to kick up your grits a notch or 2, use chicken stock instead of water when preparing the grits (polenta). Add a splash of cream just before serving to increase the creaminess.. yum!
    I particularly love my grits prepared with chicken stock, adding finely chopped garlic at the beginning, and then extra sharp cheddar at the end.. Garlic cheesy grits (polenta) makes for an awesome breakfast. Just add some shrimp or sausage for extra savory grits

    Reply
  2. Bruce

    November 13, 2016 at 1:46 pm

    No offense, but breakfast polenta is grits. Grits…not romantic, not cool, not provincial, not continental.
    I guess we could call grits and shrimp something else, like: Polenta and shrimp. There…that sounds so much better.

    Reply
« Older Comments
Comments Page 12 of 12
« Previous 1 … 10 11 12

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

RELATED POSTS IN Breakfast

Pile of baked croissants on rack just like starbucks ham and cheese croissant recipe.
Easy Ham and Cheese Croissants

I’ve got 30 solid minutes of your weekend planned out for you.  You’re going to be standing in the kitchen, but I promise it won’t be long. Pour a cup of coffee – that’ll help with everything.  Within your 30 minutes you’re going to pull bakery-quality ham and cheese croissants out of the oven.  I’m…

Read More

Hot cross buns frosted.
Easter Hot Cross Biscuits

Where do you land when it comes to Easter brunch?  Are you a ham, roasted lamb, and scalloped potato family?  Are you more of a quiche salad and biscuit clan?  Do you skip directly to the jelly beans and Cadbury mini eggs?  I’m nodding my head yes – there’s no wrong way to do it. …

Read More

Coffee cake recipe cut into squares on a wooden board.
Zucchini Crumble Coffee Cake

Friends, hi hello!  I’m comin’ in hot with a perfect springtime brunch offering – a cinnamon coffee cake recipe with a zucchini twist. But first let me address some of the concerns that might have popped up in the part of your brain that controls your sweet tooth.  That little bugger is saying OK BUT…

Read More

Primary Sidebar

Fresh baked emails, delivered to your inbox

Jump to Recipe

Receive recipes from Joy the Baker and updates on events at The Bakehouse.

HI! I’M JOY!

Jump to Recipe

Welcome! This has been my little corner of the internet since 2008!

I’m a baker, photographer, cookbook author and teacher.  I live laugh love in New Orleans. 

MORE ABOUT JOY AND THE TEAM

BOOKS + Magazines

Jump to Recipe

JOY THE BAKER 2022 SUMMER MAGAZINE

JOY THE BAKER 2021 HOLIDAY MAGAZINE

JOY THE BAKER 2020 HOLIDAY MAGAZINE

HOMEMADE DECADENCE

OVER EASY: SWEET AND SAVORY RECIPES FOR LEISURELY DAYS COOKBOOK

JOY THE BAKER COOKBOOK

Jump to Recipe

Joy the baker with dyed bandana around neck

HOW TO MAKE DYED BANDANAS

as seen in JtB Magazine!

Jump to Recipe
joy the baker on facebook joy the baker on twitter pinterest-social instagram-socialbloglovin-social

JOY @ WILLIAMS SONOMA

Jump to Recipe

SHOP THE CAKE LINE OF CAKE MIXES!

DRAKE ON CAKE

Jump to Recipe

Passionate from miles away since 2015.

Check it out on Instagram

Drake on cake instagram.

 

FAVORITE FRUIT RECIPES

fresh baked blueberry cobbler on a plate with vanilla ice cream on top.

The Secrets To My Favorite Blueberry Cobbler

Strawberry pie filling inside of unbaked crust with crumble top.

My Best Strawberry Crumble Pie Recipe

A slice of lemon blueberry gooey butter cake held on a cake slicer.

Lemon Blueberry Gooey Butter Cake

POPULAR CAKES

A slice of lemon blueberry gooey butter cake held on a cake slicer.

Lemon Blueberry Gooey Butter Cake

Slice of Chocolate Guinness Cake on a small pink plate

Chocolate Guinness Loaf Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Sliced and plated funfetti cake slices.

Funfetti Birthday Bundt Cake

Footer

Instagram

joythebaker

I’m calling it, friends. IT’S SUMMER and to ce I’m calling it, friends. IT’S SUMMER and to celebrate you’re going to need the latest issue of Joy the Baker Magazine. ⁣
⁣
This issue is packed with road-trip inspiration, summer’s best burgers, backyard margaritas, no-churn ice cream and cakes that bake without an oven. ⁣
⁣
We get crafty, we get campy, there’s so much ice dye… this one’s more than food - it’s our summer bucket list in magazine form. ⁣
⁣
Pick up your copy wherever magazines are sold across the US and Canada or buy a copy online using the link in my profile. ⁣(🙌 free shipping!) 
⁣
Also, look at this cover shot by @emferretti! The whole magazine is that mouthwatering. 👏☀️🍓
I spent part of this fine weekend cleaning this ve I spent part of this fine weekend cleaning this very hardworking pantry. It’ll never be rainbow organized or picture perfect but I’ll tell ya, a few sets of @rubbermaid containers, @ballcanning jars and brown packing tape with a @sharpie marker make this a high functioning space for recipe testing and life living. 
⁣
Swipe to see my supervisor 🦁 inspecting my work. ⁣
⁣
#organized #pantryorganization #joythebaker #weekendwork
Not gonna lie, peanut butter was my main food grou Not gonna lie, peanut butter was my main food group this week - either smeared on fruit or baked as cookies. ⁣
⁣
If you feel me on this, my top 10 peanut butter recipes will serve you well. 👏 Find the link in the bio, like we do. ⁣
⁣
#peanutbutter #cookies #cobbler #joythebaker
I either need a pep talk or chocolate cake though I either need a pep talk or chocolate cake though I think I actually need both - stat.⁣
⁣
This particular cake is gluten and dairy free though you’d never know it based on its tender chocolate crumb and swoopy coconut based frosting. ⁣
⁣
I’ll leave the 🍫 recipe linked in the bio. Please leave any pep talk thoughts in the comments below (lol I’m not even kidding). xo
Mmkay you can take one pie and one sweater to the Mmkay you can take one pie and one sweater to the deserted island. I suppose I’m set! 🤪
⁣
My Very Best 🍓 🍓 Crumble Pie recipe linked in the profile and the sweater is an old gem from Forever21 and sure it’s getting a little tighter every year it’s weird how sweaters shrink sitting in drawers waiting for strawberry season. ⁣
⁣
#strawberrypie #joythebaker #mothersday #bakedfromscratch
In this week’s Sunday post I talk about learning In this week’s Sunday post I talk about learning how to ride a motorcycle, making my summer bucket list dreams come true, and easing out that clutch. ⁣
⁣
Am I roadworthy? Not quite yet, but I am super proud of myself. ⁣
⁣
Your Sunday reads, linked in the profile.
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2022 · Joy the Baker
All rights reserved. Violators will be whupped and sent to bed with no dessert · Privacy Policy

Scroll Up