Today is a buy-nothing day for me, and another day of cooking out of my pantry. I'm thinking dinner will be a chili of some sort -- so I can dip into my freezer stash of dried beans (heh, some of it *still* leftover from Y2K, thankyouverymuch!). Also on the menu I think, will be cornmeal polenta (I grind my own in my decade-old Vitamix, from corn I bulk-purchase and freeze). I make a point of cooking up a big batch of polenta from time to time, seasoning it according to whim and what I have on hand. Once cooked, I chill it in loaf pans, then slice it, toasting the slices a bit in the oven before serving to crisp them up. Crispy polenta slices are delicious served with any tomato-y thing (sauce, chili, salsa) as well as other spreads, like home-made pesto. And the leftover slices freeze beautifully for a handy side dish another day. I find polenta relatively simple to prepare (I can even make it in my pressure cooker), nutritious, filling, and CHEAP.....