My grandma makes the best cornmeal porridge ever!  I remember the days when I thought that my porridge was “all that” until my grandma migrated to the USA, which was shortly after my son D’Angelo was born. The first time she prepared and placed a bowl of  porridge before me, I was in total awe.  I immediately developed an obsession with the texture and taste. I had never tasted anything so d’lusciously wonderful. Well…in reality I  had.  After all, I was raised by my grandma, but being separated from her for so many years and adapting to a SAD (Standard American Diet), her porridge somehow had been inadvertently erased from my memory.  I had forgotten the delicate taste and the smooth, mellow texture of her porridge. How could I? A sophisticated palate is a terrible thing to waste!

Since then, I have been trained by my grandma, on how to achieve excellent results, when preparing porridge. I can honestly say that I have earned an official title as a pro.

To date, my grandma continues to prepare porridges. She holds on steadily to her independence. Even thought it takes her what seems like forever to complete a task, I simply let her be.

There is always fine cornmeal in my pantry, but I hadn’t realized that I had completely ran out. But guess what? A foodie like me alway have a backup plan: COURSE CORNMEAL. Yes, I use course cornmeal for polenta, aka “tun cornmeal” and cornmeal puddings, and cornbread recipes. So, when my grandma offered me another bowl of her amazing porridge, I quickly accepted, and once again was totally intrigued by the texture. I hadn’t the slightest idea that she had used the course cornmeal but I’m so enjoying every  spoonful.

I’m not at all crazy. I do have a mind of my own, which usually resorts to thinking outside the box. I was determined to jazz up this cornmeal porridge, so I took inventory of my pantry and decided that I could make a few modifications here or there and rev it up some. Even though it was already flavored with cinnamon, I grabbed the bottle of saigon cinnamon and dusted a little over the top. I then reached for some hemp seeds and cranberries and added them for more flavor and texture.  To complete my breakfast I cut up a few slices of banana and added it to my bowl.

I really enjoyed it….pure divinity!