shrimp and grits

I apologize for being behind  in posting to my daily blog. However, life just gets in the way sometimes. It's not for a lack of cooking, that's been going on. 

Ending tonight are Whole Foods weekly specials. I was able to take advantage of them. There were three great items that got my attention for purchase; they were the BELL & EVANS Air-Chilled Whole Chickens, which are regularly $3.29/lb. on sale for $1.99/lb. and U.S.A. Boneless Beef Sirloin Steaks at $8.99/lb. for a savings of $5/lb. In reviewing the Whole Foods app this afternoon, I noticed that they no longer had on sale the USA wild caught shrimp at $8.99/lb. However, I did purchase some last week when the sale began as I had a craving for cheesy grits. 

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Yes, cheesy grits. Many years ago, my in-laws rented a house on the Outer Banks and had a family reunion. At the time all of our children were young. My niece from Georgia  loved her grits in the morning. I made fun of her, but not anymore. About five years ago, my husband and I made our first trip to Charleston, South Carolina. One morning while walking down King Street, we stopped at Bull Street Gourmet and Market. My husband ordered Shrimp & Grits  with Tasso ham, Creole sauce and scallions. The dish was fabulous. I returned from Charleston and set out to find a recipe for this wonderful dish. 

My search leads to the Williams and Sonoma where I located their recipe for Shrimp and Grits. The recipe received good reviews, so I gave it a try and have been making it ever since. I think I make the recipe more for the cheesy grits as they have both cheddar and Parmesan cheese mixed in. It's not a difficult recipe to make. We mail order our grits from Geechie Boy Mill on Edisto Island, South Carolina. We unusually purchase two, two pound bags for $6.95 each, plus shipping.

About a year ago, my daughter's in-laws took a small vacation in Charleston. Her mother-in-law brought me back a book called Signature Tastes of Charleston, Favorite Recipes from our Local Restaurants. The book contains recipes from some of our favorite places such as 82 Queen Street,  Husk (Cornbread - Wood Burning Oven Version it contains bacon and bacon fat....so good!) and Magnolias to name a few.