Mmmm, Gritz! And Stuff!

                           I've always liked grits--with butter, for heaven's sake, not sugar-- for breakfast or with fried fish, but the popularity of shrimp and grits moved them into a pantheon of sorts. I flat love these grits.                                                

The grits--not instant and preferably stone-ground--are cooked in salted water (or if you're feeling opulent, a mix of water and half and half.) When they're getting thick, add butter and grated cheese (whatever you fancy, from Cheddar to Gruyere. I used what the store calls Mexican Mix-part yellow, part white.)
Now for the stuff that goes on top. I sauteed onions and red bell pepper in olive oil then, when they were almost done, threw in some leftover sauteed mushrooms from the previous night's pasta and some (previously frozen) shrimp. (The key to cooking with shrimp is to add them at the very end. It only takes a minute or so for the shrimp to curl up and turn pink. Now they're done, succulent and delicious, and over-cooking them turns them dry and tough and makes the angels weep.)Meanwhile, John was grilling some Conecuh sausage (the BEST) which would be cut up and added into the mélange of goodness.A salad on the side--spinach, mango, red pepper, gorgonzola, toasted pecans, and vinaigrette--and, yum, it's a meal!The weird format of the photos is because I was using my phone and didn't realize the setting had changed. By the time I did, the food was gone.