C-c-cold!

[altivo]

Down in single digits of F already and it's only 1930. Woodstove started but hasn't heated up the brick hearth wall yet so not helping much.

Much food discussion on Twitter today among a group of mostly horses. Result? I promised to share a recipe for cheese grits. This is not healthy stuff, I make no such claim for it, though it's sort of vegetarian in the lacto-ovo (milk and eggs) mode. Serve in place of rice or potato with just about anything.

Cheese Grits (Fanny Flagg's recipe)

4 cups water
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup regular uncooked grits
1/2 cup butter or margarine (1/4 lb.)
6 oz. Velveeta(tm) or other processed cheese food
1 cup shredded cheddar (mild or sharp as desired), divided
3 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 350°F. Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan, add salt, and gradually stir in grits. (Don't dump them in all at once or you'll have lumps.) Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until very thick, stirring occasionally (10 to 15 minutes.) Add butter, processed cheese, and 1/2 cup shredded cheddar; stir until cheese melts. Remove from heat. Quickly stir 1/3 cup of hot mixture into eggs; add back to remaining hot grits, stirring constantly. Pour into a lightly greased 1 3/4 quart baking dish and bake for 55 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese and bake 5 more minutes. Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

[Fanny Flagg is, of course, the author of that quintessentially southern novel, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café.]

Comments

[kingodin.livejournal.com]

Was pretty cold down here as well, in the 30s.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

LOL! Right now that would feel warm enough for sunbathing.

[mondhasen.livejournal.com]

We had a seasonally mild day with temps in the 40's, but are due to see the 'polar express' by Friday.

Recipe looks yummy. I can't recall the last time I even had grits, though. You don't find grits on too many menus around here, oily hash-browns being that starch of choice.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

It's pretty good. Throw in some chopped scallions or diced sweet pepper for added interest.

[avon-deer.livejournal.com]

May I just point out for any of altivo's British readers that "grits" in this case refers to a kind of ground up corn. Sorry, Tivo; I just had images of loads of people complaining that: "It tastes a bit earthy" after emptying a cup of sand into the mix. :D

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Good point. Polenta would probably make a decent substitute. See Wikipedia for a description. Our corn grits are usually made from white maize, where polenta is usually yellow, but functionally the result should be very similar.

[avon-deer.livejournal.com]

One of the things that constantly amazes me whenever I visit the US is just how many things can be done with corn.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

And many of them are noxious.

Corn is (or was, before the ethanol madness) a very cheap ingredient here. The results haven't been entirely good. High fructose corn sweetener, for instance, is more and more being implicated as a factor in adult onset diabetes, but only after the entire food industry has used it as an adulterant in nearly every product you can buy and substituted it for all other forms of sugar in virtually every soft drink. The nation is saturated with the stuff, and avoiding it is a difficult discipline.

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

What are grits?

Is it wise to eat anything created by someone called Fanny?

[altivo.livejournal.com]

See response above for the Wikipedia reference. American grits are white maize that has been dried and cracked. Polenta is the Italian version, made from yellow corn, or at least it's close enough to work.

Fanny Flagg is an American author of the deep south, best known for the novel that was translated to film as Fried Green Tomatoes.

[shadow-stallion.livejournal.com]

Thanks Tivo. :)

[altivo.livejournal.com]

No problem. If you try it, let me know what you thought. I find them excessively tasty, as well as unhealthy, so I try not to make this recipe more than once or twice a year.

[shadow-stallion.livejournal.com]

Will do. I don't have any plans to make it anytime soon but wanted the recipe anyway. :)

I will let ya know how it turns out if and when we make it...I say if because I am pretty sure Kevin is not a grits type person. :P

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Heh. Don't tell Kevin what it is. Unless he hates cheese, he'll probably like it.