Do you take the photos of yourself on a bike WHILE biking!? If so, that’s T-A-L-E-N-T!! 🙂

I like to whip stuff up as I go since sometimes I don’t have all the necessary ingredients. No disasters have happened yet….

Awww…what a cute cow 🙂

I love polenta! I always make it from the box, but I’m always intrigued by those tubes. I’ll have to try that next time!

I’m all about flying by the seat of my pants in terms of recipes. 🙂 I hate following recipes.

I love polenta, but I’ve never seen it in a tube. Where do you get that??

I rarely follow recipes, even while baking (that has lead to a few smoky, crumbly, and otherwise unappetizing results).

In my extensive experience with the bovine species…cows (adult females) are mostly friendly/curious/nosy unless she thinks her baby is in danger. Then watch out! Bulls (adult males) should ALWAYS be considered dangerous…don’t mess around with them – I’ve heard stories about people being mauled or even killed by bulls.

Did you get that close to that pretty brown cow, or did you zoom in from afar? 🙂

I love to just whip up dinner sometimes. I can’t say I can do the same with baking. If I had more time/energy/money to actually cook (and maybe people to cook for?) I might be in the kitchen more trying stuff out. I sometimes do recipes… but mostly just as inspiration.

Polenta is actually really easy to make you don’t have to buy it premade. All you need is boiling water and a whisk.

HOOOOOOOOW NOOOOOOOOOOW BROOOOOOOOOOWN COOOOOOOOW!!!

i feel pretty comfortable doing either one…but baking i MUST have a recipe! otherwise it’s a major screw-up!

I actually just posted on the recipe question today. I always modify the crap out of recipes. And then this happens: http://brunettewalksintoabar.wordpress.com/2010/03/04/chocolate-banana-cupcakes-with-chocolate-cream-cheese-frosting/

Basically, a very sweet and happy ending 🙂

This is my first comment. Your posts always get me charged up. I am headed out for my first run in 18 years. And you are a part of that, thanks for being an inspirations.

I don’t know if I’ve ever followed a recipe exactly, except for baking. Everything else I usually just throw some yummy stuff into a pot and hope it tastes good (it usually does). I have a friend though, she can’t do ANYTHING without a specific recipe. She HATES literally all fruits and veggies (as in she has to “choke down” strawberries and blueberries and such), I was at a loss until I learned why. She buys them canned, and if the can doesn’t specifically say “add seasoning” or, “add butter and salt” she wont. She dumps it in a bowl, microwaves it, and eats it totally plain. Which is yummy with some veggies, but not all, at least not to me (and her, apparently). I’ve made it my personal mission to get her to try a new veggie every time she eats over.

im more the one who likes to follow the recipe, but i will branch off from it to add in things to taste. my manfriend on the other hand, will go completely from scratch, no recipe. i guess we balance each other out?
(or fight in the kitchen?! not really, it’s one of our favorite things to do together, cooking.)

I pretty much have to follow a recipe or else I get nervous, ha ha. But I have had a few that I threw together that turned out okay.

The polenta sounds good, I have seen it at the store but haven’t purchased any yet.

I HAVE to follow recipes. I am not good at creating things on my own. I have tried numerous times to make things and they usually do not work out. I don’t have that skill of “it just needs this” and being able to improvise.

I have never heard of polenta before. I’m going to have to Blackle it and figure out what it is!

I definitely use a recipe when baking – it’s like a science! However, with cooking, one of the best parts is being creative and making things up!

Your polenta pie looks delicious! I’ll have to give this a try soon. I love polenta but don’t make it nearly enough.

I only use recipes if there’s a specific recipe I want to try, otherwise I just make stuff up as I go along. I follow recipes for baking, but sometimes I alter those a bit too.

I tried your polenta pie recipe last night and it was a huge hit! I added shredded carrots, black olives and roasted garlic cloves but followed your recipe for all else. I have never used polenta so I had to stick to your script. I too found it a tad soft and wondered if I had missed a step. I made lunch today for my husband with flatbread and included your polenta pie along with spinach leaves, bean sprouts and spicy brown mustard. I’m awaiting a call from my husband raving over his polenta pie wrap. These types of recipes are so helpful for me because they provide great options to get more protein and fiber rich meals for my husband who runs marathons. I love the food photos and scenic bike pic is inspiring… I rarely bike ride much due to the sun and heat here in South Florida but will try harder to get a ride in later in the day. ;o) Thanks again for the polenta pie photos and send my moos to the brown cow!