My Dog is a Creep

Murphy and I have been spending a lot of time together.  A lot.  Of time.  Other than the fact that he is extremely lazy, I have also noticed that he is a creep.  Some might call him a stalker.  

He creeps on me while I'm brushing my teeth...

And while I'm blowdrying my hair.

While I'm eating lunch...

And while I'm blogging!

He creeps on me when I'm in my car...

And when I'm watching TV.

When I'm in the kitchen cooking dinner...

He EVEN creeps on other dogs in our yard!

Sometimes I have to leave the house just to get away from his unwavering stare. 

In other news, last night I almost burned the house down.  Well, not really.  But it did get pretty smoky while I was cooking dinner!  Oops.

Grilled Sausages and Polenta

1 pound sweet Italian sausage

1 tube prepared polenta sliced into 1/2 inch rounds, or 1/2 cup quick-cooking polenta (recipe follows)

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp dried rosemary

1 garlic clove, minced

Salt and pepper

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

1 bag baby arugula

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

1. Whisk oil, vinegar, rosemary, and garlic together in small bowl.  Season with salt and pepper.  
2. Place polenta rounds in another small bowl and cover with 3 tbsp dressing.  
3. Grill sausages over medium-high heat, turning frequently, until brown on all sides and cooked through, about 7-9 minutes.  
4. Grill polenta until charred and heated through, about 3 minutes on each side.  
5. When polenta is done grilling, transfer to plate or serving platter and drizzle with 2 tbsp dressing.  
6. Combine arugula, tomatoes, red onions, and remaining dressing in a large bowl.  

Ok, so the dressing, sausage, and polenta all tasted amazing.  However, the polenta did not quite grill the way I hoped.  They kind of fell apart on my grill pan, I think due to the grease leftover from the cooking the sausages.  Sometimes, the grill pan just doesn't do the job of a real grill.  Still, it was a delicious meal!

I could not find a tube of precooked polenta in the grocery store, nor have I ever been able to find one, so I had to resort to making my own (if anyone has ever seen these in the grocery store, let me know!  I'm starting to doubt their existence...).  

1. Bring 1 1/2 cups water to boil in a small saucepan.
2. Season with 1 tsp salt.
3. Slowly stir in 1/2 cup polenta.  Continue stirring about 3 minutes or until it reaches a smooth consistency and all water is absorbed.
4. Stir in about 1/2 tsp black pepper and 1 tsp olive oil.
5. Transfer to 8x8 glass baking pan and spread in a thin, even layer.  Allow to cool for about 5 minutes, then refrigerate for 1-2 hours. 
6. Using a glass, cut out circles from polenta sheet.  

This sounds like a lot of work, but polenta is pretty much the easiest thing to make (Besides maybe oatmeal).  And it's awesome!  I love the taste alone, but there are so many different ways to make polenta that I never get bored with it.  Nom Nom Nom.  

Umm yah.  I need to work on my grill marks.  Or get a real grill...