Civil War Started 150 years ago today........

[Sarah in SC]

Grits made with half-and-half, salt, butter, and cheese are wonderful! But then again, what isn't? A common brunch food here is a grits casserole with these items. Stone ground grits are worth the trouble, as they taste much better than the instant sort.

[Purron]

How 'bout shrimp and grits Sarah? Love it. Popular in SC, yes? Oh, and agree about the instant grits.

[Sarah in SC]

Oh, yes--I don't make it often, but I like mine with red-eye gravy. Fresh shrimp from the docks and stone ground grits with a big ladleful of gravy is not for the calorie conscious!

[martyb]

I love grits. I grew up eating them. There are several ways to eat them. You can just salt & pepper them, add butter/margerine to taste. Or...you can fry up some eggs & then cut them up & mix them in with your buttered grits. I LOVE to add fresh tomatoes, diced, in with them too. I should say that the basic ingredients are the salt, pepper & butter, and any other ingredients are added along with those things.

Besides the tomatoes, I've been known to throw in some cheese, but that's best if you add it in while the grits are still in the pot, just before removing them from the stove. Take the lid off, add desired amount of American, cheddar, whatever, replace the cover for a minute till the cheese melts, then stir & serve.

I've been known to put some ketchup on them too...as well as throw in a couple spoonfuls of jelly. Yeah, I know that sound weird, but it gives areal contrast of flavors, which I like! I don't mean jell AND ketchup, I'm talking about either or.

Grits is just one of those things that invites creativity. I've eaten them for most of my 53 years, and still eat them on a very regular basis. mmmmmm.....Grits, the breakfast of champions! lol

[WhoDaresWins]

I live in Pittsburgh and I love grits, too. I first had them served with black-eyed peas and the famous Smithfield ham on a long ago New Year's Day when I lived in Tidewater, VA.
And the famous Charleston shrimp and grits...yummy.
A good friend recently retired and moved home to Dothan, Alabama. She made good cheese grits.
Grits must have lots of butter. It is the law.

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhoDaresWins Grits must have lots of butter. It is the law.

That's because they are so BLAH without it!

[Rustic23]

Recipes: Pensacola Celebrity Chefs

One of the best Grits and Shrimp dishes I have ever had. I have fixed this also. Only thing is you can't find anything but instant grits around here. So you have to modify the recipe a little.

[Sarah in SC]

Rustic, this is something I can probably remedy...pssst, PM me with your address and I'll send you some real stone ground ones from a mill in SC. I have a friend who sends me way too much!

Ooh, and your recipe is very la-di-da--mushrooms, spinach, and gouda cheese!

Mine doesn't really have a recipe. You just cook the grits with half-and-half for part of the water, then make a roux (W2R can tell you how) and add some coffee to it with a lot of extra bacon grease (and don't forget the country ham diced up), then cook the shrimp in it a couple of minutes. Pour over grits, eat, then take a great big midday nap.

[Rustic23]

Thanks for the offer, however, we are making a trip to DC this summer and may be able to get some. I did find it amazing that I could not find them in Texas. I will most likely have to look at one of the smaller markets.

[HFWR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rustic23 Thanks for the offer, however, we are making a trip to DC this summer and may be able to get some. I did find it amazing that I could not find them in Texas. I will most likely have to look at one of the smaller markets.

I'd bet a super Walmart has them.

[Purron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by W2R That's because they are so BLAH without it!

Baby, baby, baby. Think tofu - a bland food that is wonderful in asian dishes. Rice - a bland food that is fantastic in lots of cuisines. Dang girl - do I have to drive down to NO and personally serve you some southern style grits? Trust me, I'll bring the eggs, bacon, cheese, shrimp, butter and gravy to make it worth your while.

[Dawg52]

I visited my nephew on the AL coast not long ago and he has a restaurant that serves primarily bbq, but does offer other items. One of his side items the day I visited was fried grit cakes. I admit it's not something I would want everyday, but not bad. You know a southern boy will try most anything fried.

[Rustic23]

Nope, Super Walmart did not have them. Lots of quick, but no regular old fashion grits. From what we have seen, while Walmart has low prices, it does not have a large selection. example, pancake mix. They will have their brand, and maybe a couple of others, but not as many brands as say Krogers.

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rustic23 Nope, Super Walmart did not have them. Lots of quick, but no regular old fashion grits. From what we have seen, while Walmart has low prices, it does not have a large selection. example, pancake mix. They will have their brand, and maybe a couple of others, but not as many brands as say Krogers.

Why not just order them off of Amazon? Expensive, but you can have them delivered right to your door.

[explanade]

Interview with an author of what sounds like a fascinating book on the subject:

Adam Goodheart: Looking At The Civil War 150 Years Later : NPR


Then this terrific letter from a former slave, replying to his former master, who had asked the slave to return.

http://us.history.wisc.edu/hist102/p...son_letter.pdf

[Sarah in SC]

Speaking of fried grits cakes (everything is good when fried), anyone ever made bollos, I think they are called, or black eyed pea fritters? I ate them in Key West a long time ago, and have tinkered with recipes over the years with less than satisfactory results.

Explanade, our local paper did a huge series on the war that I think included some of that fellow's research. Thanks; I'll check him out.

[nafddur1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FinanceDude Don let dem Yanks fool ya, de wish de had weather like we does.

Actually, most of us (yanks) are quite happy to live in higher cost of living places to be AWAY from stifling heat and all those hurricanes, oil spills, tornadoes, etc. The current and rising body count from the latest batch of storms down there is unbelievable.

[JakeBrake]

My mother made fried grit cakes frequently. She would make a pot of grits, pour it on a cookie sheet, let it cool and solidify, and then cut into squares and fry in a iron skillet with bacon grease. She lived to age 91.

Personally, I prefer yellow grits made from yellow hominy. Piggly-Wiggly is the only grocery store I know of that stocks yellow grits. DW limits my grits to one breakfast a week.

[Purron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JakeBrake My mother made fried grit cakes frequently. She would make a pot of grits, pour it on a cookie sheet, let it cool and solidify, and then cut into squares and fry in a iron skillet with bacon grease. She lived to age 91. Personally, I prefer yellow grits made from yellow hominy. Piggly-Wiggly is the only grocery store I know of that stocks yellow grits. DW limits my grits to one breakfast a week.

I'll have to look for the yellow grits. Oh, DH and I also limit grits to one breakfast a week. Tasty, but carbs galore. We're both working on losing some weight.

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Purron I'll have to look for the yellow grits.

Down south: look for the yellow grits
Up north: look out for the yellow snow

Got it!