Just read a post about Collards - how about grits?

[old mark]

I have tried them many times, just can't work up enthusiasm for them.
Please help a poor Yankee - tell me how you like to fix grits.

mark

[Road Scholar]

1. Grits are nothing more than coarse ground corn. Cooked in water

with just a pinch of salt added to increase the taste. Usually served with eggs and ham or sausage for breakfast. Ever heard of red-eye gravey? It's just the dripppin's from cooking country ham with a little water (or coffee) added. Spoon that or a pat of butter on your grits. Most folks like gravy or butter with their grits. You can even get instant grits now. You can cook them in the micro in a jiffy.
A lot of Yankees say they're slimy, but they aren't. They've shuddered at the thought of grits, every since the war of Northern aggression. lol :toast:

[sasquatch]

9. "since the war of Northern aggression"

:P

[Road Scholar]

12. Can you ever believe those Yankees?? They are telling everybody

that they won!!!111!!!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[blondeatlast]

2. I simply love grits. Twenty minutes to cook, served with a bit of salt

and a pat of butter.

Between this post and seeing "My Cousin Vinny" last night, I'm hungering for some. Must pay a trip to the grocers today. Ooooh, that sounds good--I'll have breakfast for dinner tonight.

[Road Scholar]

5. We have breakfast for dinner sometimes too, just for the heck of it.

We might go ahead and make a really big mess in the kitchen and include pancakes. Just for the heck of that too.:toast:

[harmonicon]

3. man, I love me some grits

I didn't have them until I was in my 20s. I don't know how I lived so long without them.

[jpak]

4. I love me some grits, 'n collards, 'n boiled p'nuts, 'n fried okra, 'n hominy...et al.

yum

:thumbsup:

[blondeatlast]

11. I love me some pickled okra. My gramma made some kisk-ass stuff, oh, yes! nt

[Arkansas Granny]

6. I like grits with butter, salt and pepper served with sausage and eggs for breakfast.

[HopeHoops]

7. I love butter & pepper, but for kids, try butter and a SMALL amount of MAPLE syrup (real stuff).

[old mark]

8. I'm gettin' hungry now, I have to try them again.....thanks. nt

[ScreamingMeemie]

10. Low country shrimp and grits is one of my favorites!

Mix the grits with cheese, cook diced up bacon and mix with shrimp and garlic. Layer over the top, then mix in to eat! Yummy!

[dgibby]

23. AMEN!

Shrimp and grits with tasso gravy, too. FYI, there's a place in Charleston called Gullah Gormet. Their web site is: gullahgormet.com. They have great stuff, shrimp and grits, shecrab soup, etc. You might want to check them out. I give their mixes as Christmas gifts. Yum!

[Redstone]

13. You gotta heave a bunch of cheese in there. And remember, if you're down South, the word

has two syllables: It's pronounced "gree-yuts."

Redstone

[Lyric]

14. We put butter, shredded cheddar, and crumbled bacon into ours.

Yum. :9

:hi:

[Haole Girl]

15. Grits!

Thanks for reminding me! Grits always help when I'm sick. :hi:

I make slow grits (they are better than instant). Make sure they are not too runny (even I don't like runny grits). Then, while they are hot, I put a little butter on them... yummy. :9

[JitterbugPerfume]

16. Grits with cheddar cheese

Grits with fried eggs and bacon for breakfast, Grits with milk and sugar --I love me some grit!

[ashling]

17. Yes,Yes, Yes,Yes!

I put sugar on them too. When I went to school in MS people called that sacriligious, but I love em with a little sugar and mixed with a soft fried egg. mmm mmmm!

[laylah]

18. cheesy grits...

the ONLY way...well, maybe not. Grits and red-eye gravy is pretty spectacular also.

[unsavedtrash]

19. with butter, salt, and pepper. Cheese grits are great too.

Just remember to stir while cooking so no lumps.

[trotsky]

20. Southerners will look at you REAL funny, but...

you can go sweet with grits too. Stir in some jam or jelly.

[MajorChode]

21. Sacrilege!

[Road Scholar]

24. I have friends in VA who sprinkle sugar and pour milk over like

cerial. They tell me that they thought everybody did that.:toast: :shrug: :shrug: :shrug:
I'll take mine with sausage and eggs please.

[MajorChode]

22. Here is the low down on Grits

Most people who have tried grits got them from the local Denny's or some other greasy spoon restaurant that doesn't know the first thing about grits and naturally the experience was bad.

However, grits are actually very easy to make and so long as you follow a few simple rules, they are pretty much fool proof and you'll start to see why they have been a staple of the deep south for the past several hundred years.

1) Grits can either be derived from yellow corn or from hominy(which is corn that has been processed). Personally I prefer grits made from yellow corn, but to each his own. Both are traditional in the south.

2) Someone else said that grits are simply coarse ground cornmeal, while this is true it is not exactly accurate. Grits should be made from corn that is ground to a SPECIFIC size. Either too coarse or too fine and you won't get good grits. Either look for grits in the store or buy polenta. Polenta is actually an Italian dish made with a different recipe, but the cornmeal is the same.

3) The basic recipe for grits is 4 parts liquid to 1 part grits. While you certainly can use just water as your liquid, I prefer half water and half whole milk. For every cup of grits, you add 1 tsp of salt. (Polenta usually uses stock or broth as the liquid which is the major difference).

4) Where most people fail when they make grits is they overstir the grits and they overcook them. This turns them mushy and rubbery, which is what you get at Denny's. Another common problem is they undercook them and they taste gritty.

5) I cook grits in an oven safe pot. First bring the liquid and salt to a simmer, and slowly whisk in the grits. By the time the grits are completely added, you should have a pretty good boil. Cover and put in a 350 degree oven. Stir every 10 minutes, but only enough to prevent lumps.

6) After 25 minutes check the grits for doneness by taste. If they taste gritty, cook them for another 5 minutes and taste them again. Keep going until they are done.

7) When done, add 2 Tbs of butter for each cup of grits, and stir until melted.

8) Put the leftovers in a loaf pan and refrigerate covered. The next day slice up the loaf into 1" slices and brown each side in a skillet filled with bacon drippings. Just like momma used to make. Of course, poppa usually died from congestive heart failure so moderation is the key to this step. You can also just heat up the next day sliced grits in the oven or microwave and serve with a grilled pork chop on top.