This is a great entree salad. The pumpkin is super hearty and the polenta adds a nice creaminess. I found this recipe on Epicurious. I did change some of what they did. First, there is so much instant polenta around I didn’t bother with the cornmeal bit, and I actually just used the pre-made polenta already in a roll and sliced it and fried it which cuts down on a lot of the time. I also didn’t have any pomegranate juice or sherry vinegar, but I did pick up some pomegranate seeds at Trader Joe’s this week so that added a great sweetness. For the dressing, I just used my own balsamic vinaigrette. The candied pumpkin seeds are great, and you can only make them if you’re using a pumpkin rather than a butternut squash. While the seeds were great, I do prefer butternut squash roasted rather than pumpkin. This recipe, I feel, is a nice suggestion and can be changed a lot of ways.

Endless Summer Taco Truck, Brooklyn

So, if you’re following this blog closely, you’ll realize I haven’t made one dish this week - the roasted portobellos with taleggio. Sometimes, life happens, and you end up at the burrito truck in Williamsburg or eating fried clams while celebrating a friend’s birthday in Coney Island. No need to worry - I’ll be making the roasted ’shrooms today for lunch - luckily I saved and procrastinated on a dish that won’t rot in the fridge.

I was trying to think about what I wanted to make this week, and I don’t necessarily want to have a “theme” every week, but some sort of guideline helps me sift through the books, magazines, and cravings I seem to be having the more I do this cooking thing. So this week I’m turning to the publication that made me ditch my vegetarian lifestyle with their 50th anniversary issue - Bon Appétit. Out of all the magazines I get in my little mailbox - and I’ve somehow subscribed to more than I thought - I get so excited about this one, and really pour over each issue cover to cover. I usually don’t skip the long articles like I do with some other magazines like New York magazine - do we need to talk about Obama’s marriage for 6 small typed pages, front and back? OK, I used recipes from issues from 2006-this months. I also wanted to use summer issues so I could try to find recipes that were relevant to what’s at the farmer’s market. I also find a lot of the Bon Appétit recipes challenging, and pricey. So I have my shopping list, but depending on the price of things - I don’t know how much a small game hen is - I might substitute some ingredients. I’ll splurge another time. I’ll also be able to link the recipes (well some) easily so you can download them from Epicurious. Here we go:

Monday - Rory’s Ribs with Grilled Corn, Cantaloupe, and Fresh Herb Salad - Johnathan has been BUGGING me for ribs - so I caved…ok, I lied about this link - this was a cover recipe and there’s no archive online…. - July 2007

Tuesday - Sweet Pea and Artichoke Lasagna - June 2007

Wednesday - Whole Roasted Game Hens with Grits and Wild Mushroom Sauce - I may be subbing some skin-on chicken breast and thighs depending on prices and another one that is not online - oy - September 2006

Thursday - Handmade Pasta with Pancetta, Cherry Tomatoes, and Herbs - September 2006

Friday - Edamame Ravioli with Browned Butter-Mushroom Sauce - July 2007

*Dessert at some point - Coconut-Mint Cream Cake - I saw this in this month’s issue and HAVE to try it!