Addicted to grits

Nobody in Missouri I know eats grits.  I'm sure there are people in the state who like grits, but I don't know them.  My son, born and raised in Missouri and now living in Georgia, sometimes eats grits with sugar, I think.  But that's what Cream of Wheat is for, right?  

I never had any desire to try hominy grits until I read "The Best Cook in the World".  It's in the local library, and I read the book some time back.  When I remember some recipe in the book I want to try it, I just check out the e-book on my iPad for as long as it takes to make the recipe, then return it.  The author's mother said anybody who eats instant grits is a Philistine, so I made sure to get the old-fashioned kind.  I ended up following the recipe on the box of grits instead of hers, because she used 2 1/2 cups of water and 1 1/2 cup of grits.  The box says 1/4 cup grits to 1 cup of water, and believe me, that makes it plenty thick.  She added a tiny amount of milk to it, but it would still have been too dry and thick.  Here's the recipe as she gives it:

2 1/2 cups water, more or less
1 1/2 cups yellow grits
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup whole milk
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup salted butter
1/4 cup American cheese shredded or torn into small pieces  

The lady and her author son thought grits were really tasty, but the first successful grits I made were exactly what I expected... not all that great, tasteless; I had just used the directions on the box; I should add that I didn't add cheese.  I wanted to tasted grits plain first.  Going back to the book, I noticed she put cayenne pepper in the grits when they were done.  I use cayenne pepper in a lot of things, so that sounded good to me.  I added that to my tasteless bowl of grits, and some garlic powder.  That was better, and a teaspoon or so of butter really helped, along with added salt.  I sort of liked it.  Now, I did all this early in the morning, while Cliff was still in bed.  When he was up, I fixed him something for breakfast and asked if he'd like to try my grits.  He wasn't impressed, but said with the garlic and cayenne pepper added, it seemed like it should be eaten with some other meal besides breakfast; he thought he might like them then, with a meal.  

This cook mentioned in a later chapter of the book that Velveeta cheese worked better in grits than American Cheese, and after cooking grits two or three times, I tried that, and that's how I've made them ever since.  It's a shame, really, because as good as Velveeta tastes, it's not real cheese, but a "cheese product".  I used to buy it only around Thanksgiving and Christmas when I make hot hamburger dip to take to gatherings.  Now Velveeta seems to have become a staple in my house.  Oh, and Cliff has some with a meal occasionally and likes it fine.  As for me, I mostly just eat it for breakfast.  When I woke Cliff up this morning crawling in bed with him, he informed me he smelled my garlic breath.  I make four servings at once and heat some up in the microwave when I want a bowl; I always put a pat of butter on top when it comes out.  

There is one recipe in the book I truly want to try, but haven't gotten around to it:  Butter Rolls.  First you mix up some biscuits.  You roll the dough into balls "no bigger than half-dollars" and flatten them slightly with your hands.  Lay them on waxed paper and sprinkle with cinnamon, and cover with another sheet of paper (to keep them from drying out).  Then you pour sweetened condensed milk into a bowl, stir milk in with it, and add sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon to that.  Cube a whole stick of butter and "let it go swimming in the milk mixture".  Pour the liquid into a 1-quart baking dish or pan, about 8 X 8 inches, and gently drop the biscuits one by one into the liquid.  Press each one down in the liquid, then let it bob back up.  Don't crowd them... leave an inch or so of space between them.  10 minutes before it's done you flip them over and continue cooking.  

This doesn't give you the exact recipe, I'm not trying to do that:  But there is something in her describing this dish that just makes me think it would be a taste of heaven.  But wait, there's more!  She also makes this dish with canned biscuits divided into quarters, although she says this is the only thing canned biscuits are good for.  And, believe it or not, she says this is better than the original recipe.  I'll be making this eventually.  I just HAVE to.  

I'm sharing a page from the book, so you will perhaps get a feel of the lady's old-timey, southern way of talking.  I've read the book and I've listened to the audio book and enjoyed both.

I don't know that this entry will be of interest to any of you, but it's what I wanted to write about today.  Feel free to give me your opinion of grits, good or bad.  If I remember to do it, I'll let you know how those gooey biscuits turn out.  I like making biscuits, so I may use home-made ones for my first effort, but I have no idea when that will be.

Stay safe, stay happy, and eat well.