Ya'll It is Cold! -Cheesy Grits and Shrimp

Ya'll it has been cold around here!  Actually more than cold!!!  FREEZING!  Ya'll down South don't know how lucky you have it!  40 degrees...piece of cake for us in the middle of the country!  Although I think you have to go way down to South Florida to experience that?  A polar vortex has taken over the country!

I recently read an editorial in the Chicago Tribune called, "The Virtue of (winter) Suffering and Earning Our Upper Midwest Street Cred."

I have to quote something the author said, "Your sidewalk is impassable.  Your car won't start.  Your gutters bow under the weight of icicles.  You wake up in the nigh wondering if you remembered to let the faucets drip.  You suffer from high heating bills, inadequate gloves and bouts of shivering."  Quite the image, huh?  I bet you wish you were here?  Our area is calling ourselves Chiberia!  Who knew?  So the question the author poses is, "Why do I live here?"  Something I ask myself quite often during the winter months...I'll tell you what the author suggests in a moment...

But, when I am looking for a way to remind my of my "southern" roots so to speak, I think food!  How about some cheesy grits and shrimp.  Now that totally speaks the South!

Cheesy Grits and Shrimp

The key to making this dish is the grits, ya'll.

Ingredients:

2 cups heavy cream

2 cups whole milk

1 cup stone ground grits (not instant)

1/3 cup cream cheese

1/2 cup shredded cheddar

salt and pepper to taste

peeled, cooked, deveined shrimp

cooked bacon

chopped green onions

In a medium pot, bring cream and milk to a simmer over low heat.  Whisk in the grits and cook, stirring often for about 20 minutes (until the grits have absorbed the liquid).  Stir in the cheeses and season with salt and pepper.  Put the shrimp, bacon and chopped green onions on the top of the grits and serve.

Printable Cheesy Grits and Shrimp recipe

Cheesy Grits and Shrimp

Don't you just want to dig in???  The grits are so cheesy and smooth...combined with the shrimp and crunchy bacon...well, bless my heart...it is good!

So back to why I live here?  The answer IS the weather!  There is a part of me that loves the snow and cold...well, a teeny, tiny part of me but I do get just as excited as the kiddos over a possible snow day!  It is so cozy, more family bonding time and builds character!  "Acquiring all this character doesn't require death-defying feats of courage.  Just getting to work is enough to prove your steely perseverance beyond all doubt."  There is a commraderie in "suffering", I mean enjoying winter...we are all in it together!

See, still embracing winter!  Ya'll, it IS cold, but I will think warm thoughts and cook something from the South!  Besides, I heard we are getting a heat wave in a couple of days!  Breaking the 32 degree mark!
(It's only January...do you think I can make it until May?)

Celebrate the little things that make life sweet!

Christine

Joining a link parties at Skip to My Lou, Chef in Training, Stone Gable Blog, Inside Bru Crew Life, Lady Behind the Curtain and Wine and Glue