A TEXAS BREAKFAST

Ree's pal Jen Hatmaker, an author and podcaster, has a new cookbook loaded with great ideas. Here are three of her favorite ways to start the day.

- JEN HATMAKER

Jen Hatmaker likes to say that her children basically got pureed tamales in their bottles. The much adored author and podcaster, who lives in Buda, TX, raised her five kids on classic Lone Star foods. She became a breakfast person once they were in school. "It was hard to wrangle everyone for dinner-someone was at practice, someone was at a friend's house-so I decided to cook them breakfast," she says. "We'd have great conversations at the start of the day and hash life out." That explains why she devoted a whole chapter to the meal in her first cookbook, Feed These People ($30). "I love Ree, she's my good friend, but even she would agree that Texas breakfasts are better than Oklahoma breakfasts!" says Jen, laughing. Spicy foods at 8 a.m. may scare some people at first, she says, "but you pull up your pants, you take a big spoonful and you never go l back!"

Jalapeño Polenta and Chorizo Bowls

Prep time: 30 min

Total time: 30 min

Serves: 6 to 8

1 Heat the milk in a saucepan over medium heat (get it hot but don't let it boil). Whisk in the cornmeal 1/3 cup at a time. Add a good bit of salt and pepper. Whisk. And whisk. And whisk until the polenta turns thick and fabulous, about 10 minutes.

2 Meanwhile, in a skillet on the next burner over, brown your chorizo (just like cooking ground beef)-this takes 6 to 8 minutes, and I always drain it before serving, because chorizo has tons of very, very delicious fat that renders off. Chorizo is life. I'm so sad for anyone who doesn't know what chorizo is. It's everything you've ever wanted, is what it is.