Birthday Cake

It
is sooo cold!  It was sunny and 70 degrees for the first half of last
week.  The second half of last week, it snowed.  The first half of
last week my boys were playing hockey (with no skates) in our cul-de-sac. 
The second half of last week, my boys were sledding.  Crazy!!  My
body hasn't had much time to adjust to the drastic temperature changes that are
happening and so the current freezing temperatures call for meals that are warm
and comforting.  This meal does a mighty fine job in both the warm and
comforting departments.  Pan-fried polenta topped with slow cooked beef
that has simmered in a red sauce and then topped with freshly grated Parmesan
is the perfect meal to warm me up!

Pan-Fried
Polenta with Slow Cooked Beef and a Homemade Tomato Sauce

Slow
Cooked Beef

Chuck
Roast

Salt

Fresh
ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 190.  Season chuck roast generously with
salt and pepper.  Place roast in a pot with a lid and cover pot with
lid.  Place in oven and cook for 15 to 18 hours or until meat is fall
apart tender.  Remove meat from pot and carefully remove fat from
meat.  You could shred the meat, but I like the meat in bigger
pieces.

Tomato
Sauce

1
tablespoon olive oil

4
garlic cloves, minced

1
teaspoon kosher salt

1
14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes

1 28-ounce
can crushed tomatoes

2
tablespoons fresh grated Parmesan

In
a large saucepan heat olive oil and garlic over medium heat until garlic is
fragrant.  Add salt, diced tomatoes and crushed tomatoes to the pan. 
Bring sauce to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer;  cook, stirring
occasionally until sauce has thickened slightly.  (At this point you can
pour the sauce into a blender to puree slightly if you have children who are
afraid of tomato chunks.  I used the blender, but only pulsed a few times
because I wanted the sauce to have some texture.  Pour sauce back into
saucepan.)  Add 2 tablespoon Parmesan to sauce and adjust seasonings if
necessary.

Add
pieces of slow cooked beef to the sauce and allow too simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Quick
and Easy Polenta

3
1/2 cups water, divided

1
teaspoon salt

1
1/4 cup fine yellow corn meal

1
tablespoon butter

Butter
a 9x5-inch loaf pan or a 7x11 baking dish.  Set aside.

Combine
2 1/2 cups water and salt in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Mix
cornmeal with remaining water in a small bowl.  Add corn meal mixture
slowly to boiling water, stirring constantly.  Reduce heat to low; cook,
stirring constantly for 5 minutes or until mixture has thickened.  Add
butter and stir until melted.

Pour
cornmeal mixture into prepared pan and refrigerate for about 1 hour or until
set (mine didn't take an hour).  Remove from pan and cut into 1/2-inch
slices (loaf pan) or squares (baking dish).  Fry slices in a lightly
greased skillet over medium-high heat for 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until
golden brown.

Place
pan-fried polenta on a plate, top with slow cooked beef and tomato sauce. 
Garnish with Parmesan.  Sooo delicious!



*My sister Stephanie made this for me when I went visit her in Hawaii last winter.