Tuesday

Polenta and vegetable bake (recipe in the comments)
Salad greens with herbs in a creamy garlic and gin (!) dressing

Hot tea
Conversation hearts (Thanks to my stepmom!)
______________________________________________________________
I copied this recipe out of an Eating Well cookbook I got from the library when we still lived in Ann Arbor, but we have never gotten around to making it. This is one of my favorite sorts of recipes. First, it's a casserole so you prep the dish and then while it bakes you have time to clean up a bit and set the table. Second, I love tomato-y, cheesy, vegetable-y dishes like this. I would typically think of pasta, not prepared polenta, but the twist was really excellent and very easy. I was especially happy not to have another dirty pot! We both loved this. It's not heavy at all, but also seems richly satisfying. I love the blend of flavors and the general vegetable-y-ness of it. The salad dressing was all Michael, but was also a home run! Truly an excellent first homemade meal after vacation!

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Eggplant, zucchini, basil, polenta, shredding mozzarella (unless you buy it shredded like I did :)
Time: 25 minutes to prep + 15-20 to bake
Make ahead: I think this would save fine.

Reaction
J: "This manages to be light and rich - woah!"
M: "It's like polenta lasagne!"