Though I rationalize, think, mull, ponder that now is the only place to be, who I am at the core wants it to be Christmas every day of the year. I fantasize about living in the North Pole and working in Santa’s workshop. Wouldn’t that be the best job? Snow, hot chocolate by the fire, Christmas carols, mittens and boots – ah! Perchance to dream!
Earth to Stacy.
Today is the twelfth day of Christmas, so before I take down the tree and put away the decorations, I’m going to make a pot of Mama’s cheese grits to warm both my body and my soul. We always have it as a side dish for our Christmas feast, and today is the perfect day to have it one more time before I say goodbye to Christmas and hello to Mardi Gras.
Mama’s Cheese Grits
Yield: 6-8 servings
Ingredients:
6 cups water
1/2 cup quick grits
8 oz. grated cheese (your choice)
3 cloves minced garlic
salt to taste
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 cup milk
1 beaten egg
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring water to a boil and slowly add grits. (If you add it all at once, it will clump) Lower the heat to medium and simmer about 5 minutes until grits is thick and creamy. Sir occasionally.
Add the cheese (reserving about 1/2 cup for garnish), garlic, salt, and pepper.
Stir until the cheese is completely melted. Turn off the stove and remove from heat. Add the milk and beaten egg and stir until blended.
If you are not using a stove-to-oven casserole, pour the grits into a casserole dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
Cover dish and pop into the oven. Bake 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake an additional 15 minutes.
Maybe next year Mama will be here to enjoy them with me.
Enjoy the last day of Christmas, friends! ♥
These look delicious!
I once had grits in a roadside diner in Front Royal Va, made the old fashioned way – with a ton of lard.
Mmm…
Ah, yes – the old lard recipe. Try it with butter next time….even better than lard! ❤
I’ve heard of grits, but had to look up Google to see if I could find the Australian equivalent, which seems to be polenta. Do you have any idea if this is right Stacy? Apparently, we don’t have grits here! I’m curious as I would love to try your recipe.
It’s probably very impractical for you to live on the North Pole, but the good news is, Christmas will be back again this year! 🙂
Yes, I would say that polenta is the closet cousin that I can think of to grits. Grits are made of ground corn, so they’re almost like a corn gruel, though “gruel” has such an unpleasant connotation!
I guess I can hack it here in the Deep South until next Christmas. 🙂
Thank you Stacy, I’ll try the recipe with polenta and let you know what the family thinks. 🙂
Dearest Stacy,
Well, not only am I with you on those 12 days of Christmas but this Cheese Grit recipe from your Mama sounds so yummy. I certainly will adapt that to a healthy vegan cheese version and enjoy. Oh, in winter time we NEED to warm our soul… !
Hugs and thanks a lot.
Mariette
I never thought of a vegan version, but I wouldn’t mind trying that, Mariette! ❤