Gullah Gourmet Shrimp 'n Grits

Once upon a trip to Charleston,

this bag caught my eye. Besides, one just can't go to South Carolina and not have some Shrimp 'n Grits. Did you notice it's capitalized? It's THAT important.

I thought this little bag of southern bliss with the directions printed right on the bag would be something easy enough

for the boys to make at home. By boys, I mean adults who are children at heart, but definitely old enough to cook for themselves.

Riiiiiight!!!

 Well, we've had this bag for about 12 days now, and everyone wants to know 

"What's for dinner?"

I think this is the first time I've made yellow stone ground grits.

Apparently, it's what they are famous for in Charleston, because they are everywhere you turn. Baked grits, fried grits, cheesy grits, kissmygrits.

The instructions say to cook them until they are creamy. Once they were boiling, I turned them down to simmer with a lid for about 30 minutes. They tend to stick, so stir them often.

You can't have Shrimp 'n Grits without gravy. There was a mix of powdery goodness included in the bag with the grits. Just add water. I can handle this so far!

Time to add the shrimp. Make sure it's not the frozen pre-cooked kind because you'll want the shrimp to absorb the taste of the butter while they cook. The easiest way is the Jay Setser way...go to Food City and tell the cute girl at the seafood counter that you'd like a pound of veins-pulled-out-tail-chopped-off shrimp(s). We have this conversation about pleurals without s's. Like bricks and brick houses. Blocks and block walls. Maybe it should be called Grit 'n Shrimps.

 Call it whatever you like, I call it buttery goodness.

Add the shrimp to the gravy...

Assemble the best dish you've ever made in 30 minutes:

Grits topped with gravy and shrimp, with a side of toaster oven frozen garlic bread. I guarantee you, if you're a fan of S&G's, this is the best meal you'll ever eat that starts as a bag mix. 

Even the visitor, who wasn't going to eat any, because he was headed for Cracker Barrel with his lady, tried "just a bite" then went back for "just another bite or two." 

This was day one with my new camera, and I realize I have a lot of work to do on presentation. Mostly, though, I have to get the right lens for the close up work (or figure out how to use the one I have). 

You can order Gullah Gourmet here while you compare my amateur photos with the beautiful one that the company paid someone big bucks to put on the website. I will say, the website used different prep directions than the back of the bag, but it's all good. I wouldn't want to make them look bad by having better food photos than they do.

p.s. pass the gravy!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is by far the best recipe I've tried for Chicken Tortilla Soup. It's not low fat, but if you substitute low fat cheese and milk, it will be. If you are looking for low carb, use about 1/4 cup of the mesa flour instead of 1 cup. I took some out before adding the flour, to make a lower carb version, and it was equally as good, just not as thick.

1 medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic or 1 tsp (or TBSP if you are in love with garlic like I am)
2 cups frozen corn
Jalapeno pepper, diced (I used the ones that are in a jar and just chopped it up a little more, about 8 slices)
salt - pepper to taste
2 TBSP oil for frying (I used coconut because it's the latest craze)
4 (15 oz) cans chicken broth
15 oz can diced tomatoes (petite are best)
10 oz rotel (original)
1 pack taco seasoning
10 small corn tortillas or 1 cup mesa flour (I've done it both ways, and it's less work with the flour; also, use less than a cup to start with, you might not want it as thick)
1  to 1 1/2 pounds of cooked chicken tenders (I diced them up and cooked them with salt, pepper and garlic in some oil)
1 cup milk
12 oz Mexican blend cheese

Saute onion, garlic, jalapeno and corn in oil, with salt and pepper
Add chicken broth, bring to boil. Add tomatoes, Rotel, taco seasoning and cooked chicken.
Add tortillas (cut into strips) or slowly add mesa flour, whisking in a little at a time)
Boil for 20 minutes until tortillas are dissolved. Reduce heat. Add 8 oz cheese, simmer 10 minutes. Add milk. Simmer 10 more minutes. Stir often or will stick.
Serve with chips and more cheese.