Hey Ya'll!

This month's challenge was just that....a challenge. I only eat two kinds of seafood and I'm usually scared to cook it myself b/c I'm scared that I'll not do it right and end up ill. Anyway, I thought and I thunked and came up with Shrimp-N-Grits. I had to represent the south...yee haw!

I purchased 1 lb of shrimp, 1 lb of sausage, and the ingredients to make grits. I did not buy instant grits. If you've seen "my cousin vinny" you'd know that no self respecting southerner eats instants grits (like i'm a big grit eater, but whatevs).

My picture is my serving which is why there is just a tad. However, Matt's bowl was filled and he went in for seconds. Those TN boys like some food.

I started with the grits. They were cooked in chicken stock until tender, then I removed them from the heat and added 1/2 cup cream, salt, pepper, and a little butter. Not very figure friendly, but creamy and delish.

Next for the shrimp part of it....

I sauteed an onion and garlic for 2 minutes and eventually adding the sausage to it. I let that cook for a while until enough fat developed in the pan to make a roux. Next came the chicken stock and a bay leaf. I didn't buy hot sausage so I added some red pepper flakes for kicks. After the sausage was nearly cooked I threw in the shrimp and let that cook until pink (peeled/deveined of course). Once everything was cooked through I ladled the grits into a bowl and topped with the shrimp mixture.

Results: Matt says he would like this again. Me, well. I liked it, but don't know that I LOVED it. I will admit though....the grits were my favorite part b/c they were creamy. I think if I made them for breakfast I would use water instead of stock, and add some sweetener along with the milk. Anyway, the dish was filling and comforting on a cold night. I'm glad to say that I can mark this dish off of my "to try" list.

Until next time fellow doorknobs, keep those buns and ovens HOT!