Since Kelly, Cliff and I are a blogging trio we sometimes blog at Kelly’s house and we sometimes blog at our house. I much prefer the KitchenAid® appliances at Kelly’s house. They are so much better than mine. I do not enjoy cooking on my old electric stove top and my dishwasher never seems to get the dishes clean. Why do I have to clean my dishes before putting them into my dishwasher?! When you dirty as many dishes as we do, it’s a problem. Although Kelly has the nicer appliances, the windows in her kitchen don’t allow for much natural light and Cliff needs natural light for better picture taking. So, we usually work at our house and I am constantly complaining about our inferior appliances. When we do work at Kelly’s, I realize how much more efficient and easier to use her KitchenAid® appliances are.
KitchenAid® challenged us to “TRADE PASTA FOR POLENTA“. I’ve only recently started eating polenta but I really love it. Much like lasagna, you can flavor it many ways. You could make a white sauce with chicken, a veggie sauce, a mushroom marsala sauce, a traditional sauce or even a Mexican version. The list goes on and on… My point is that polenta is very versatile. So for our challenge we made a lasagna, but instead of using lasagna noodles we layered cheesy polenta with a hearty red sauce loaded with vegetables, much like a ratatouille. We also threw in some goat cheese. The goat cheese really made the dish. I just love goat cheese and use it every chance I get! Lasagna is great because you can buy those no-boil noodles. You just make a sauce and layer the dry noodles with cheese and pop it in the oven. The only dirty dishes you end up with is the baking pan and the sauce pan. Makes for a quick meal with easy clean up. Polenta makes it a little messier. You have to use a few extra dishes. But this recipe is worth it. It is tasty and loaded with healthy vegetables. It is also a lighter alternative to an often heavy lasagna. Plus, if you have a KitchenAid® dishwasher like Kelly, you can just throw those dirty dishes in the dishwasher and not give them another thought. Kelly’s dishwasher features a ProScrub® Option which is an ideal solution for casserole dishes and other large platters (like our polenta lasagna recipe) that require concentrated cleaning of caramelized or baked-on messes.
BlogHer and KitchenAid® are holding a random drawing for a $200 Visa gift card.
See below for instructions. To enter leave us a comment answering the following question:
Do you wash your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher or do you put them straight into the dishwasher?
Sweepstakes Rules:
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You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
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For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winner will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 12/2/13 – 12/31/13.
Be sure to visit the KitchenAid® Brand Page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!
Now, about that polenta lasagna…
Here is what you’ll need
Add the milk to sauted onions and garlic
Slowly add the cornmeal
Add the cheese
Spread on a baking sheet
Use a cup to cut out circles
Saute the vegetables
Add the tomato sauce and paste
Mix the goat cheese with the thyme
Build your polenta lasagna
Throw the dirty dishes into your dishwasher
Clean up is done!
Enjoy your meal!
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 cup corn meal
- 1 quart milk
- 1/2 cup shredded fontina cheese
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- campaignIcon Shop
- 1 zucchini, diced
- 1 summer squash, diced
- 1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
- 1 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
- 1 6 ounce can of tomato paste
- salt
- pepper
- 4 ounces goat cheese
- 1 sprig of thyme
- Heat the olive oil in the medium, heavy bottomed pot over medium heat.
- Add the onion and garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the milk.
- Slowly stir in the corn meal.
- Cook on medium heat for 8-10 minutes; do not stir.
- It should be creamy and thick.
- Remove from heat and stir in the cheese.
- Line a 9 x13 baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Spread the polenta evenly over the baking sheet; refrigerate.
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large saute pan.
- Add the onion and garlic.
- Saute for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the other vegetables.
- Saute an additional 5 minutes.
- Add the tomato sauce, a pinch of salt, and pepper.
- Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.
- Stir together the goat cheese and the thyme leaves.
- Using a drinking glass cut 12 rounds of polenta about 2 inches in diameter.
- Layer the polenta, then a spoonful of goat cheese, a spoon ful of sauce, another polenta round, more sauce and top with a dollop of goat cheese.
- Serve immediately.
About Kara Smith
I always wash my dishes before putting them in the dishwasher!
I always wash them first!
I put them in as unless they are really dirty then I rinse first.
THanks
My old dishwasher requires that you basically wash the dishes before putting them in!
Great giveaway. Could really use it!
I don’t ‘wash’ but I do rinse.
Tweeted: https://twitter.com/jenron1/status/407632110350905344
depending on what was on them, i will usually at least give them a healthy rinse, maybe more if it has something stubborn stuck on
I wash my dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. Mine is kind of old, and I definitely don’t want any food sticking to my plates after they went through the wash!
I rinse my dishes before putting them in the dishwasher.
I always rinse them before putting them in the dishwasher and if extra dirty I give them a little scrub.
Twitter post https://twitter.com/happyschmoopies/status/407689646768795648
I always wash them before putting them in the dishwasher.
I Never wash or rinse before I load the dish washer…..why would I load the dishwasher if I’d already cleaned the dishes?! Life’s too short to wash the dishes twice
I am my dishwasher
I may be in college but I do my dishes like NO OTHER!! And I’m proud
I wash my dishes right after using them and put them right into the dishwasher. When the washer is full I run the load just to make sure it’s extra clean. Then like a good little girl I unload the dishwasher right after 
It’s cold in my apartment so I like the steam and heat when I open the dishwasher, it’s like a college-budget facial!
I rinse them, and if the dishes are going to sit for a while, I use a brush to get all the “debris” off the plates and bowls. Since there are just two of us, we don’t fill the dishwasher everyday, so I don’t run it everyday.
I always rinse first to prevent buildup!
I’m the primary dishwasher but if I do use a machine, the dishes are definitely washed first.
I don’t have a dishwasher!
I give my dishes a light rinse before putting them in the dishwasher.
I actually do not have a dishwasher so everything is washed by hand (mine usually)
Tweeted
https://twitter.com/mummytotwoboys1/status/408690996197597184
I wash my dishes off before putting them in the dishwasher, as I don’t think our dishwasher would handle food in it very well!
I rinse them first, but don’t scrub…unless there’s cheese involved.
I wash my dishes like a crazy person before I put them in the dishwasher. Basically they are already clean once they go in there and the high heat gets whatever I have missed. That’s the way I do it, wasteful maybe but it’s what I do. I don’t have a KitchenAid though, so …
I posted a tweet too: https://twitter.com/AnnaZed/status/408799575739469824
I do wash my dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. Mine is an older model and I don’t want food to blog the drain.
Love your polenta recipe.
amy [at] utry [dot] it
tweeted:
https://twitter.com/uTry_it/status/408868259090288640
amy [at] utry [dot] it
I always rinse a bit before putting them in.
https://twitter.com/OneFrugalGirl/status/408998224326709248
I only rinse prior to DW. This is a very timely giveaway! Fingers crossed.
Mine dishwasher is older, I soak any of the casserole dishes, or anything that may be stubborn to remove to loosen any gunk.. then rinse and place in the dishwasher.
I rinse them off before I put them in the dishwasher.
rinse but not scrub
I have a KA dishwasher, but I like to use the short setting, so I just scrape and give a light rinse.
Rinse off first
I rinse them,presoak pots
I always rinse by hand first.
I don’t totally wash the dishes but I can’t stand the idea of food gunk floating around them so I clear them and give a quick rinse then put in the dishwasher. My goal is to sterilize the dishes and utensils
Currently I am the dishwasher but when I did have one, I always rinsed well first,only washed if needed
I rinse my dishes before I put them in the dishwasher.
I always rinse the dishes first before putting them in the dishwasher.
https://twitter.com/tarastampley/status/409385221659054080
I don’t usually rinse them off
we might rinse them if needed but otherwise straight in; your polenta lasagna looks FABulous!; thanks for a chance to win! kmassman gmail
https://twitter.com/immortalb4/status/409407406779547648
I ALWAYS wash the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher! My husband fixes the industrial ones, and he says that dishwashers are more dish sanitizers than washers!
straight into dishwasher
I rinse my dishes before putting them in the dishwasher.
https://twitter.com/susan1215/status/409451611832868864
I always rinse my dishes well before putting in the dishwasher.
BTW, in reading the recipe item number 4 under the sauce says: campaignIcon Shop
what does that mean????
what a wonderful giveaway, and the lasagna recipe looks delicious
I tweeted about your giveaway
@khandra_
https://twitter.com/khandra_/status/409527988858806273
I rinse partially then put in dishwasher but not meticulously.
I rinse first
I always rinse them first!
Oh my, this looks delicious – will have to make this soon!
I rinse my dishes before putting them in the dishwasher but don’t really wash them.
I’ll do a quick rinse of there is extra sticky stuff!
chambanachik at gmail dot com
Totally pre wash. Occasionally the dog is the pre wash cycle, but it gets done nonetheless.
I do rinse my dishes before I out them into the dishwasher
https://twitter.com/ElenaIstomina/status/410137649513381888
I never rinse/wash dishes prior to placing in the dishwasher.It is a waste of time and water!
I have a dishwasher but have never used it! I don’t have faith that they’ll get clean enough.
tweet–https://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/410165014436143104
I put my dishes straight into the dishwasher.
I do “prewash” before loading the dishwasher. My husband thinks i’m crazy but if I have really caked on stuff, I do that
I tweeted! https://twitter.com/HipFoodieMom1/status/410388412378939392
I at least rinse off sauces and scrub away hardened foods on top of the dishes (without using soap) before putting them in the dishwasher
Here’s my tweet: https://twitter.com/lilysheng/status/410460927117361152 thank you so much for the giveaway!
I rinse the dishes, but I don’t worry about getting every crumb off.
tweet
https://twitter.com/kellydsaver/status/410941320421601280
Dishwasher? What’s a dishwasher? Oh… you mean hubby. He usually just puts things in the sink and washes them all at once :+)
I will lightly rinse plates and utensils with hard water to loosen up food particles. If I don’t have time to do that, I’ll set the dishwasher to the pots/pans wash cycle.
Unfortunately, I have to wash my dishes before putting them in the dishwasher.
Unfortunately I always need to wash my dishes first.
Dont use my dishwasher except for storage.
I put EVERYTHING directly in the dishwasher.
I retweeted your tweet: https://twitter.com/livelovepasta/status/411242365303521280
I only wash the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher if there’s stuff that’s really stuck on.
I rinse my dishes first.
Thanks for the chance to win!
wildorchid985 at gmail dot com
tweet–https://twitter.com/WildOrchid985/status/411681845827227648
We always wash them before putting them in the dishwasher.
-https://twitter.com/tcarolinep/status/411696509819031552
I don’t have a dishwasher. I wash all my dishes by hand.
Tweet
https://twitter.com/didyouyarnthat/status/411919734775762944
wash them first
i rinse but don’t “wash” my dishes.
I always wash before placing dishes in a dishwasher!
Well…..I do rinse them really well; too many times ick gets baked on otherwise. I’ve never had a dishwasher where you DIDN’T have to (and we’ve had some nice ones…).
Anyway, thank you for this giveaway!! It comes at the perfect time of year!!
OF COURSE I tweeted about the promotion! I’d love an extra chance to win!!
https://twitter.com/robindance/status/412644564172673024
Many, many thanks :).
i wash them first when i did have a dishwasher
https://twitter.com/purplelover04/status/413032128234807296
I know that I am not supposed to but, yes, I wash dishes first…
I never put my dishes in the dishwasher before washing them off first. Food can get in the drain and smell and clog things up.
I rinse the dishes, but don’t necessarily wash them.
I rinse dishes before putting them in the dishwasher, but nope – I do not wash them before putting them in!!
Tweeted!
https://twitter.com/AshleyOutland/status/413365653894991873
@AshleyOutland
I just rinse and put them in the dishwasher!
tweeted https://twitter.com/pittsy82/status/413744267438600192
I can’t help myself–I always rinse first.
I tweeted at
https://twitter.com/fernglade77/status/413921944971386882
I have to admit, I rinse them well before putting them in the dishwasher. I do not need to, but it is habit.
jslbrown_03 at yahoo dot com
my tweet https://twitter.com/LuLu_Brown24/status/413999819300945920
jslbrown_03 at yahoo dot com
I don’t have a dishwasher, so yes, I totally have to wash them first. (I did come from a rinse-before-dishwasher family though.)
“Do you wash your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher or do you put them straight into the dishwasher?”
I don’t have a dishwasher!!! So I wash them all by hand.
I don’t have a dishwasher because I see no point if I have to wash the dishes before putting them in and it would take up to much space in a small kitchen.
Polenta lasagna sounds yummy!
Thanks for this giveaway! I’m such a stinker for washing dirty dishes ASAP. I love our dishwasher, but grew up washing dishes by hand, as we used them. My mom always ran a hot sink full of soapy water so it was ready to go. To this day, I do the exact same thing. Plus, the washing and hot water kind of remind me of her when I was a kid: ) That’s a nice memory to remember when you’re doing a sink full of dirty dishes:) I love this recipe by the way. I’ve never made anything like this, so what great inspiration I now have!
Happy Holidays and thanks again!
I also tweeted the giveaway here–> https://twitter.com/TheSoulfulSpoon/status/414250812664451072
I wash my dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. Thank you for the wonderful giveaway!
lola_violets_2010{at}yahoo{dot}com
I tweeted:
https://twitter.com/lolaviolets2010/status/414285562871160832
lola_violets_2010{at}yahoo{dot}com
Yes! Most of the time I wash them with a soapy wand before putting them in.
https://twitter.com/kj20082006/status/414633602266439681
I dont pre wash dishes
We don’t have a dishwasher, but they are always rinsed before hand washing.
https://twitter.com/myfolly/status/414664560495575040
I always rinse my dishes with really hot water before I put them in the dishwasher! My husband thinks I’m a bit OCD sometimes! Thank for the fun giveaway! Love KitchenAid & just found your blog and love it also!
I always rinse first!
It depends – I don’t rinse a glass that just had iced tea in it or a cereal bowl, but I rinse pots and pans and any dishes that had goopy foods on them.
I wash them… which seems like a funny concept to wash them twice.
But I figure that the dishwasher sanitizes them.
I never used to wash them, but once we moved our dishwasher just isn’t getting it done so now I tend to rinse them off… I also end up just washing them by hand at that point a lot!
I always rinse before putting dishes in the dishwasher!
I rinse my dishes because that’s how it was done when we started with dishwashers a long time ago. If I get a new dishwasher, I won’t have to do that! The one I have now I got in 1994 so it’s almost 20 years old.
Tweeted: https://twitter.com/orchidlady01/status/415339876586749953
i have to if I want them clean.
Dishwasher? What dishwasher? …
When I HAD a dishwasher (or when I load the dishwasher at other peoples’ houses), I would always at least rinse the dishes before I put them in and get any chunks off.
I don’t have a dishwasher, not sure what I would do. I’d probably just rinse them before I put them in.
i rinse them off if they are really dirty but most of them i just put in the dishwasher
i posted a tweet:
https://twitter.com/bellows22/status/416418726679183360
i posted a tweet:
https://twitter.com/bellows22/status/416418726679183360
I rinse them off and then put in dishwasher.
I scrape and rinse my dishes before putting them in the dishwasher.
Tweet
https://twitter.com/clc408/status/416898808035827712
I rinse the dishes first before putting them into the dishwasher
I shared the promotion on Twitter: https://twitter.com/chic8bit/status/417047055886860288
I rinse them before putting in dishwasher
Mine pretty much go right to the dishwasher unless the dish had something like oatmeal – those ones really need a rinsing and maybe a soaking!
tweeted: https://twitter.com/KerryBishop/status/417119637084459008
pop ‘em strait in!
https://twitter.com/channynn/status/417309593723994113
I don’t wash the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher, but I do scrape them very well. But I hand-wash anything with baked-on food or anything that looks like a general dishwasher cycle won’t do the job.
I tweeted about your Polenta Lasagna and giveaway:
https://twitter.com/NotherAnneOther/status/417371871458643969
I always do a quick rinse in the sink before loading into the dishwasher even if there is barely any food on the plate/bowl/dish and if I had something like raw chicken or raw egg on/in the plate/bowl/dish I do a quick rinse w/ dish soap also first. I don’t run the dishwasher daily so I don’t like the idea of a plate, for example w/ raw chicken juice just sitting in the rack for a few days.
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/HuggingItOut/status/417441541615919104
I wash mine before putting them in the dishwasher, it always has seemed redundant but I feel better doing it.
tweet:
https://twitter.com/cancer_free_me/status/417518715740377088
I only rinse when someone is watching! LOL
coriwestphal at msn dot com
Tweet: https://twitter.com/coriwestphal/status/417709554336428032
coriwestphal at msn dot com
It depends on how dirty the plates/dishes are. Some go straight in, some get rinsed off first, none get out right washed though. If I wash them by hand, they are put away after, not run thru the dishwasher again. LOL
I tweeted here: https://twitter.com/MsTofuFairy/status/417727211786215425
I rinse my dishes first.
I don’t rinse my dishes before putting them in the dish washer. If they have stuck on foods, I do soak them before running the dishwasher.
http://twitter.com/mendyd/status/417795698630086657
I usually put everything right into the dishwasher
tweet https://twitter.com/hburmeister/status/417855948238381056
I wash them before i put them in
https://twitter.com/aes529/status/418064185860173826
I have to rinse them off before.
https://twitter.com/itzia/status/418070319564218368
I wash my dishes before putting them in the dishwasher.
https://twitter.com/thomasmurphy40/status/418132441539563521
It depends on what was cooked, but I mostly just put them in the dishwasher with no rinsing
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
https://twitter.com/ChelleB36/status/418156618488901634
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
I’m a rinse them off before I put them in my OLD dishwasher.
Thanks for the contest.
https://twitter.com/slehan/status/418173952654311424
I rinse the dishes before putting them into the dishwasher.
https://twitter.com/electricstar/status/418205363302055936
they go straight in!
https://twitter.com/scg00387/status/418235492094590976