Use polenta leftovers for

Some people say it's just preparation and the base is the same ground corn / corn meal, some people say for grits you need (more coarsely) ground hominy (which is corn that has been soaked in lye or lime).

Polenta can be found loose and really solid: grits are generally loose.

Corn type may also differ, as may the dish's 'typical cultural trappings' (fat cheddar and bacon vs. leaner stuff)

You can use them to flavor other foods. I've seen cakes and other sweets made with hop flowers. You will probably want a low alpha-acid variety(alpha acid makes the bitter flavor), but both could be interesting.

To use, you could dry the flowers and mill to a fine powder. This can then be incorporated directly into food. I think they could be used similarly to how matcha powder is incorporated into recipes once ground.

You can also use the 'sludge' left over from brewing (mix of hop flowers and yeast and barley bits) as an ingredient in bread, which gives a very interesting flavor. Hops alone would probably add a similar flavor.