Only From Scratch: Shrimp and Grits & A Weekend with Friends

For the past two years I've been blessed with the fact that my husband has gotten 4-day holiday weekends, for the most part, due to the nature of his work. This past Labor Day weekend was no exception, so we enjoyed four wonderful days together! To top it off, some of our very best friends cane for the weekend. My husband has a group of friends from his college days who get together every year, typically at the beach. This year, however, one couple in the group is living overseas, serving with the International Justice Mission. (I'd encourage you to check out the IJM website. The work they do is pretty amazing!). Since we knew they wouldn't be able to join us for a beach trip, we decided to gather in our home for a long weekend, instead. We had such a great time! It's always wonderful to catch up with friends, relax, laugh, and eat.

Saturday night we decided to hold off on dinner until all the kiddos (5 of them) were in bed. Once they were settled down, the ladies joined efforts to make some awesome Shrimp and Grits. If you're from the South, then I'm sure you've heard of this dish and have probably eaten it once or twice. If not, you MUST try it! Thanks to my sweet friend, Trish, I now have the recipe and can share it with you.

Shrimp and Grits

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*The amounts for this recipe serve 8 adults, with leftovers. Adjust amounts accordingly*

For the Shrimp:

Chop and dice two large onions and three cloves of garlic.

In a large stock pot, heat olive oil and butter. Add onions and garlic and saute until tender.

Add diced smoked sausage and cook for 5 more minutes.

Sprinkle flour on top of mixture in the pot.

Stir the flour until combined with other ingredients. Then, slowly add the chicken broth, about a cup at a time.

Add the bay leaves, and stir mixture until it thickens and boils. You want the consistency to be like that of gravy. If it's boiled and for awhile and doesn't seem to be thickening, you can add a cornstarch/water mixture to help it thicken. To do this, mix 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with just enough water to mix it together, and pour into the pot.

Once the mixture has thickened and boiled, add the shrimp. Let this boil for about 2-3 minutes until the shrimp are pink.

For the Grits:

In another large pot, combine chicken stock and half-and-half and bring to a boil.

Once it has boiled, stir in the grits. Cover and reduce heat to low, cooking for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and add butter and cheese.