When I was a kid Momma Cash had a 'go-to' recipe when the cupboard was a little light on grub, grits.?ÿ She would make up a bunch of grits in the morning for breakfast.?ÿ I liked mine with butter and sorghum molasses.?ÿ It wasn't my favorite breakfast, but it did the job.?ÿ And if you had that for breakfast there was a good chance you would probably have "grit cakes" for supper.
Grit cakes were patties of cold grits browned up in bacon fat.?ÿ If it was supper it was served with ketchup.?ÿ If there was any left after than you would probably have grit cakes for breakfast.?ÿ I still liked sorghum molasses on my breakfast grit cakes.
So every once in a while I see these folks on the cable food shows wolfin' down all these catchy fusion-dishes.?ÿ One in particular that caught my eye was cheesy grits and shrimp.?ÿ I like Gulf shrimp, but the grits remind me too much of my childhood that was financed by a poor surveyor.?ÿ Let's just say I could take or leave 'em.?ÿ But just to be fair I whipped up a mess of grits and stirred in a couple of cups of fine Wisconsin sharp cheddar.?ÿ I sizzled the shrimp in a skillet with bacon pieces, scallions and parsley.?ÿ I deglazed the pan with a little Worcestershire and lemon juice.?ÿ The shrimp were served over a pile of hot golden yellow cheese grits.?ÿ There were a few scallions and bacon bits left over to garnish the dish.
My "raised up north" wife had never had grits, but she's big on Gulf shrimp.?ÿ Her eyes rolled into the back of her head after the first taste.?ÿ I was cheerfully surprised at what a decadent concoction this made.?ÿ I poked my gizzard way too full.
That was over the Memorial Day holiday.?ÿ I ran to the Piggly Wiggly yesterday to pick up a few things.?ÿ I came home with more shrimp and a big chunk of cheddar.?ÿ Here in a couple of yours I will be in heaven once again...
If you haven't tried them you should give it a try.?ÿ This time I think I'll replace the lemon juice with a little white wine and maybe throw in some cilantro. ??ÿ
?ÿ
Friday in the summer means my dinner plans involve me being here in about an hour.
http://www.stadiumgrillandtavern.com
The Suns are on the road; otherwise the evening would be capped off with a walk around the block to the oldest operating minor league stadium for some single A ball
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_Stadium_(Hagerstown)
Yesterday, I made this lovely feast:
All organic and lean ingredients and it was delicious. It is meatloaf with a garlic thyme gravy, served with roasted potato sticks and carrots. Simple is good.
...It is meatloaf with a garlic thyme gravy, served with roasted potato sticks and carrots. Simple is good.
You can't go wrong with meatloaf.?ÿ The worst I've ever had was still wonderful. ??ÿ ??ÿ
I always thought it a miracle when mom would take a couple of?ÿ sun perch or goggle eyes and even carp and turn into a basket full of fish cakes with the help of mashed potato, chopped onion, crushed crackers and egg and finish them off with a bit of lemon juice.
Shrimp & grits wants an jalapeno or two.
Supper tonite is beer battered haddock with fries & slaw down at the corner tavern with a local Weizenbier or three
That shrimp/cheese/bacon concoction on the post-stroke diet?
Wife and I usually hit the local Los Agaves on Friday or Saturday night for some kind of south of the border heat and margueritas. ?ÿ
?ÿ
This is the oldest standing baseball park in the USA. However it hasn't been used regularly since 1988.
?ÿ
Had grits with a little butter as part of a meal just three weeks ago. ?ÿPretty darned good in my book.
reading this thread is worse than going to the market when you're hungry. I'm available for dinner invites. ?ÿ ??ÿ
Carrots with thyme is a tasty combo . It just one of those unexplained things. Try it with sauteed carrots or braise some carrots with thyme and garlic.
?ÿ
That shrimp/cheese/bacon concoction on the post-stroke diet?
?ÿ
Not nearly..I'm not as diet restricted as one might imagine.?ÿ It's a once-in-while treat.
ps - I'd hate to be standing in line at the Pearly Gates with my stomach growlin' because I just had a dinner of kale and carrots...life is for livin' ?ÿ??ÿ
We just had a "clean out the fridge" meal of several leftovers.?ÿ What wasn't eaten (by us or the dogs) got pitched.?ÿ Now I get to start over with a clean fridge.?ÿ Roast beef, barbecue ribs, cole slaw, purple hull peas, baked beans, Yorkshire pudding, and mashed potatoes.
Andy
"So every once in a while I see these folks on the cable food shows wolfin' down all these catchy fusion-dishes."
I wish these fancy smanchy self proclaimed "Chef's and Chefettes" would leave us Southern hicks/crackers recipes alone. All they manage to do is screw everything up and make the dish taste like anything but what it is supposed to. I ain't ever heard of Northern Fried Chicken.
"life is for livin' ?ÿ
".....?ÿand fartin' and belching in elevators.?ÿ ??ÿ
Back to grits, I like cold grit cakes with local raw Orange Blossom Honey.?ÿ ??ÿ
"So every once in a while I see these folks on the cable food shows wolfin' down all these catchy fusion-dishes."
I wish these fancy smanchy self proclaimed "Chef's and Chefettes" would leave us Southern hicks/crackers recipes alone. All they manage to do is screw everything up and make the dish taste like anything but what it is supposed to. I ain't ever heard of Northern Fried Chicken.
"life is for livin' ?ÿ
Back to grits, I like cold grit cakes with local raw Orange Blossom Honey.?ÿ ??ÿ
I agree.?ÿ Some of my granny's best fried chicken included nothing but a cut-up chicken (that was peckin' the dirt earlier in the day), a skillet of hot grease, and a paper sack that contained flour, salt and pepper for dusting the bird.
I remember getting cold grit cakes in a few sack lunches when I was a kid.?ÿ A little honey really would have been nice.
"I wish these fancy smanchy self proclaimed "Chef's and Chefettes" would leave us Southern hicks/crackers recipes alone."
?ÿ
Red Drum on the Half-Shell; ?ÿOne Red Drum fillet (unscaled) sprinkled with Parmesan cheese, covered with Pace Picante sauce, place on grill, scale side down - or on tinfoil if it's too big to spatula, grill until cooked through and tender.?ÿ
?ÿ
Things like putting cheese in grits just doesn't make sense. There's nothing wrong with grits that you have to put cheese in there.
But then there's parts of the South that eat mullet.
When we visited St. Louis, we reached a point where we craved Mexican food. Mind you, we live on the West Coast where Mexican restaurants are plentiful and many are pretty authentic. Anyway, on the recommendation of several locals, we went to "the best Mexican restaurant in St. Louis" -- if that place was the best, I can't even imagine how horrible the worst one must have been. They apparently have no idea what Mexican food is supposed to be.?ÿ
Hailing from St. Louis I'll second that. There is some of the best BBQ, pizza and chili in the world there. They have no clue how to cook anything else from outside the state...
"But then there's parts of the South that eat mullet."
I'm not even sure Florida is considered "The South" anymore considering all the damn Northerners that moved here. However us Crackers eat lightly fried mullet fillets with cheese grits, smoked mullet lightly brushed with bbq sauce, and deep fried mullet roe. All of which are eaten with coleslaw, and tater salad.?ÿ?ÿ ??ÿ
