Shrimp and grits

I have discovered grits in the last few years.  I grew up "up north" and never even knew what grits were.  When I moved south as an adult, it reminded me of cream of wheat and looked bland and tasteless.  Thanks to my favorite show "Top Chef", I was encouraged to order the shrimp and grits on a menu. 

Thank goodness I did, because they are delicious.  So I finally made my own last week, and it was incredible. I had dinner on the table in less than 10 minutes, start to finish.  Incredible.

I had bought a bag of grits at the store months ago, and accidentally bought quick grits.  I know some of you purists would say that it doesn't count, but I don't know any better and it was nice that they cooked in 5 minutes.

I followed the directions on the grits bag, half milk/half broth and add a handful of grated cheese when it's cooked. 

The shrimp was easy, I cooked 6 pieces of bacon, then I removed and crumpled the bacon.  Into the grease in the pan I added a minced garlic clove and about 1/4 diced onion.  This cooked for a few minutes, then I threw in 3/4 lb jumbo shrimp (de-shelled/tail on).   After the shrimp cooked a few minutes and was almost done, I added about 1/8 C lemon juice and cooked that down a minute.  When the shrimp is done, add the bacon bits back into the pan and remove from heat.  You could hit this with some fresh herbs if you have any (parsley, chives...).

Serve the shrimp over the cheesy grits and I guarantee you'll love it!