My mother cooked polenta on the stovetop. She'd make some of it plain, pour into a buttered bread pan and put it in the fridge overnight. Next morning it got sliced, fried in butter and served with syrup for breakfast in the morning. That was fried mush. The rest of it had a bit of garlic and chopped onion, poured onto a platter and served with marinara sauce, Italian sausage and peppers.
I make mine with onions, garlic, fresh Parmesan, mozzarella, a bit of parsley and bake it in the oven, serve it with marinara and, of course, the sausage and peppers.