We drove and drove—past two accidents, past construction cones funneling traffic into curvy pathways, past lines of cars containing commuters, nicely making room for others to go first, but impatiently waving for people to move it. Please!

When we finally arrived from the frenzy, we entered an entirely different world. This house was clean, quiet, and very, very organized. The pantry held baskets to organize those wayward bags of half-used beans and nuts, the cans of tomatoes and soups were neatly stacked, and the kids’ cheese doodles were corralled into snack sized ziplock bags. The fridge and freezer housed more ziplock bags, all containing portions for four, all neatly labeled with a black Sharpie. All eyes were on us as we investigated. The younger of the two kids piped up and said he’d almost filled the pantry with mac and cheese to limit our options.

We decided to move away from the traditional American plate of meat, starch, vegetable. We decided to take the yummy things we found in the fridge, pantry, and freezer and make a decidedly disorganized plate of Italian peasant food—soothing to the tummy and warming to the soul.

Nancy Horn opened DISH Café & Catering in 2002. Megan Gilman has been spicing up the DISH for three years.

If you’d like “Dishing Up Dinner” to ring your doorbell, contact Editor Chérie Turner at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it You could be next!

Polenta Rustica (Serves 6)

• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced

• 2 zucchini, sliced

• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

• 4 tablespoons butter

• 4 tablespoons olive oil

• ½ bag spinach

• 6 mini bell peppers, various colors

• 12 small vine-ripened tomatoes, halved

• 1 onion, chopped

• 8 strips bacon, diced

• 3 cups instant polenta

• 2 corn on the cob, kernels removed

• Vegetable broth

• Sea salt

To create this dish, you will be doing several things at once. You can do it!

First, preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the onions, tomatoes, zucchini, and peppers on a cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and season with sea salt. Roast veggies in the oven for about 20 minutes until the onions are tender and beginning to brown (this is caramelization!). Roast another 5 minutes until all veggies are browning. Turn the oven off and leave the pan in there to keep warm.

Second, in a small sauté pan over medium heat, cook the chopped bacon until crisp. Add the mushrooms, and sauté until browned. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

Third, bring 4½ cups veggie broth to a rolling boil in a medium saucepan. Add 1 teaspoon sea salt and whisk in the polenta, whisking constantly until the polenta is completely mixed into the water. Lower the heat to simmer and stir occasionally until polenta is smooth, thickened, and tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in 4 tablespoons butter. Stir in the corn off the cob.

To serve (yes!): Stir bacon, spinach and mushrooms into polenta, and pour onto serving platter. Top with roasted veggies and sprinkle with cheese.

Serves 6 generously!

Berry Berry Cobbler

• Whole milk

• 1 egg

• 2 cups low-fat Bisquick

• 1 cup chopped pecans

• 3 cups blueberries

• 3 cups strawberries, sliced

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• ½ teaspoon sea salt

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 3 tablespoons corn starch

• ½ cup sugar

• 4 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter an oven-proof dish (about 8x8, or an oval casserole). Grab a mixing bowl and add the berries, vanilla, sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon. Stir until all the berries are coated. Pour into the buttered dish. Rinse the mixing bowl and dry. Add the Bisquick and the egg. Stir, and add enough milk to make a sticky dough, about 1 cup. Add pecans. Crumble over top of the berries. Drizzle with melted butter. Bake for 40 minutes until berries are bubbly and top is browned. Serve warm!