Chew on This | Shrimp and Grits

It had been super chilly and rainy here the last week.

But, today.

Today it is so gorgeous!  Bright blue sky.  The grass is green again.  And the trees are becoming so colorful.  Yeah Fall!

And with Fall present and accounted for, I am so in the mood for comfy and cozy.  

I'm in the mood for this.  

Shrimp and grits.

It is both comfy and cozy.

It is also delicious.

You start off with some good looking shrimp.

Peel, devein and take off the tails.  Or have the fish monger do this for you.

Sprinkle with salt, pepper and crushed garlic.  Coat with some good olive oil as well.  Yum.

Toss to coat shrimp evenly.

Place shrimp on a baking sheet, covered with foil.  Roast shrimp at 375 degrees F until shrimp is light pink.

Into the oven it goes.  To roast.
I know!  So awesome and easy.

Ina Garten (The Barefoot Contessa) taught me this lovely trick.  
Not personally.  That would have been totally cool, but alas, it was her cook book. 

She uses this technique for shrimp cocktail.  That's also awesome.

Now grits.

Have you had them?  I'm surprised to find that a lot of people haven't tried grits.

If you haven't, try them.  They're creamy and dreamy.

These are my favorite.

Grits, water, milk, salt, pepper and some butter.  Stir, stir, stir.

Look how creamy!  

Oh.  And a little more butter.  Why not?

Shrimp is done!

Put it all together.  Uh huh!  Delicious!

Here I added some green onion and pancetta for looks.  Well, not for looks.  

I added it because it made this warm, lovely dish....lovelier.  

The Boy went wild for this.  

He became a shrimp lover this summer.  Big time.  

So happy to have someone in the house to share this with.  The Sprite and my husband are not fond of shrimp.  Too bad for them.

Though now, I must really share.  

Cares

Here's the recipe:

Shrimp and Grits

Shrimp:

2 lbs. raw shrimp - peeled, deveined, tails removed

1 T crushed garlic

salt and pepper to taste

1-2 T Olive oil

Grits:

1 cup grits

3 cups water

1 cup milk

2 T butter

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Prepare shrimp by placing in a bowl and adding garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil.  Toss to coat.  Set aside.

On the stove top add water, milk, grits, salt, pepper and butter to a pot.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Reduce heat to a simmer.  Cover and continue cooking for about 5 minutes.  Stir occasionally.

Place shrimp on a prepared baking sheet (foil covered and sprayed lightly with cooking spray).  Spread the shrimp out into one layer on sheet.  Place in oven for 8-10 minutes or until shrimp is just pink.

Spoon grits into bowl and place warm shrimp on top.  

Season with salt and pepper if needed.  Garnish with green pepper and cooked pancetta.