Polenta, made from ground cornmeal, is a porridge that dates to ancient times and is known in England and the U.S. as cornmeal mush.

You can purchase precooked, ready-to-heat-and eat “solid polenta” in sausage-like tubes, plain and in flavors such as basil, garlic and sundried tomato.

Slices of polenta can be easily turned into hors d’oeuvres, first courses and sides. They provide a firm base for just about anything. Just pan fry or heat them in the microwave.

Think of polenta as:

• A base for poached eggs.
• An hors d’oeuvre, topped with a grilled shrimp, scallop, smoked salmon or salmon caviar.
• A first course, topped with sautéed mushrooms and fresh herbs.
• A side dish topped with tomato sauce and grated cheese.
• Melt cheese on them for a snack.

This organic polenta is available from
Amazon.com.

 
Polenta is fat free and gluten free; some brands are organic and kosher.

October is National Pasta Month; pasta is one of America’s favorite foods. Who invented it? The Chinese!

While Thomas Jefferson introduced pasta to the U.S. in 1787, upon his return from Europe where he served as minister to France, it was a baked macaroni and cheese dish. Red-sauced pasta dishes became popular a century later.

About five million Italians immigrated to the U.S. between 1880–1914, 80% from the impoverished regions of southern Italy and Sicily. Naturally, they brought their cuisine with them. Southern Italian pasta dishes have a preponderance of tomato-based sauces.

The quintessential Italian food originated in China, a country without tomatoes (i.e., no tomato sauce, and no cream sauces either).

But egg noodles, rice noodles and bean thread noodles were turned into a vast variety of dishes, including chow fun, dumplings, lo mein, mai fun, sesame noodles and wontons.

Noodles have been found in a 4,000-year-old excavation in western China. The first written account of noodles dates to between 25 C.E. and 220 C.E.

In the 10th century, all-night noodle shops appeared, allowing the noodle-hungry public constant access to tasty dishes.

 
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Finally, something: The programmable vodka message bottle.

Yes, your personal digitized message will travel around the body of the vodka bottle like a news tickertape.

Medea, a vodka from Holland, is the first spirit to combine 18th-century distillation techniques with 21st century technology (the message strip was invented by a New York-based nanotechnology pioneer).

A programming button on the side of the bottle allows for up to 6 LED messages in either pink or blue, each up to 255 characters (which seems very generous in the age of 140-character tweets).

You can program in anything. How about Happy Anniversary Angelina And Brad, Party On Dudes or I Love You Please Marry Me?

You can congratulate or propose via a
vodka bottle. Photo courtesy Medea Vodka.

Use the store locator to find a bottle near you. Medea vodka also can be purchased online at DrinkUpNY.com.

Bring the flavor of fall to breakfast with
pumpkin pancakes. Photo courtesy IHOP.

• Canned Pumpkin: Start with your favorite pancake batter recipe and simply add canned pumpkin pie mix (seasoned pumpkin purée).
• Water Temperature: When preparing dry pancake mix, it is essential that the water is chilled to less than 50°F. Use ice water from the fridge, or use ice cubes to bring down the temperature of tap water.
• Keep The Lumps. Lumps are good—small lumps of flour are what make pancakes tall and fluffy. Don’t over mix the pancake batter.
• Grill Temperature: Use a 350°F grill. Make sure that there are no hot or cold spots that can lead to uneven cooking.
• Cooking Time: Judge when a pancake is ready by its appearance. It should be golden with a light browning at the edges.

Find an IHOP restaurant near you at IHOP.com.

See our review of the best wholegrain pancake mixes, and get more pancake tips.

Cakelet or mini-cake pans have saved the day. Instead of baking a standard cake, we make cakelets.

In addition to looking oh-so-charming, these mini cakes create a sense of portion control. We can restrain ourselves to two or three cakelets at a time, saving calories, carbs and fat.

They’re also easy to make: Just pour cake batter into a pan. No frosting required; although you can serve optional whipped cream or dessert sauce.

This fall-themed baking pan from Williams-Sonoma creates acorn, pumpkin, pine cone and walnut cakelets.

Willliams-Sonoma also has a pumpkin and maple leaf whoopie pie pan.

Find more of our favorite cakes and cake recipes in our Cakes, Cookies & Pastry Section.

Bake cakelets for fall entertaining and
family fun. Pan exclusive at Williams-Sonoma.