olderrose

How often do you need a centerpiece of hot pink, orange, yellow and lime green... Not often and luckily I had all those colors in my garden.

I purchased this tablecloth at the thrift store last winter because it was such nice cotton and planned to cut it up to replace my raggedy kitchen towels.  But when I was setting the table in the gazebo I drug it out.

We hadn't eaten out there for a year or so.  It gets harder and harder to get everything out and back to the house.  But it was the perfect weather.

I wanted to make polenta "stacks" so I got out my polenta maker.  A gift hand carried all the way from Italy several years ago by one of my dearest friends,  Cristina.  I had to get a special adapter to use it on our electrical system.

After I cooked the polenta I let it firm up in a loaf pan and cut it in slices.

Then just before dinner I sautéed the slices in butter and olive oil until they were crisp on the outside.  Then I put down one slice and spread it with a mix of pesto and ricotta cheese and topped that with another slice.  Then I topped that with a fresh corn relish with red peppers, cilantro, and sweet onion and finished it with a tomato on a skewer.  It was so festive and delicious
and perfect with barbecued ribs.