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May 19, 2021. Sunny Spring Day. Scrumptious AND Easy Shrimp & Grits,
Jump to RecipeHaving lived here in the southern part of the US for over a dozen years now, I have really grown to love delicious classic Southern cooking. The food tends to be unapologetically authentic and sometimes full of ingredients that are not for the calorie conscious. Butter? Yes, gobs, please! Bacon? Of course! Cream? Lashing of it! And recipes and dishes that are just loaded with fabulous flavor! I think of it as comfort food at its best!
The first time I tasted this dish was wayy back when I was a student at UVA in Charlottesville, Virginia. A friend took me to a local place and I have been hooked ever since. There are many variations on this recipe, but ultimately the composition is similar – cook some awesome, delicious shrimp (large prawns) in some tasty sauce (bacon fat, butter combo anyone?) and then lavish it on top of a perfectly cooked creamy grits (boiled ground maize porridge). The spice and seasoning might differ slightly, but generally this is how it’s made.
This make-at-home version is pretty straightforward and takes LESS than an hour from start to finish. Overall, I start by making the grits since it takes the longest to cook; then onto cooking the shrimp; and finally plating and putting the 2 delish components together to make a dreamy dish! I think shrimp and grits are good eats for anytime of the day – breakfast, lunch, dinner or even for a hearty snack. Haha. Just saying.
Without further delay, let’s get cooking!
You’ll need a medium size saucepan to cook the grits, a whisk to combine the liquids for the grits and a large sauté pan to cook the shrimp.
Creamy Grits
2 cups milk, full fat – don’t use skim or low fat milk
2 cups chicken stock – use homemade if you have it handy!
pinch of salt to taste
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
3/4 cup yellow corn grits – I used Bob’s Red Mill
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Buttery Shrimp
3 to 4 slices bacon, thick cut, cooked and chopped into small pieces
1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined – use the biggest and freshest ones available to you
salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
cayenne pepper to taste – optional
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup chicken or seafood stock
1 Tbsp flour – to thicken the sauce
2 stalks scallions, sliced thinly
Since this dish comes together quickly, gather all the ingredients before starting to cook. You don’t want to be scrambling to find an ingredient when putting this together. We’ll start by preparing the shrimp. Place peeled and deveined shrimp in colander and gently rinse with cold water. Pat dry with paper towels and generously season with salt and pepper (and cayenne, if using).
Note: I used frozen Jumbo Shrimp that I thawed in the fridge overnight. It has tails on, but deveined and peeled, which makes prepping a breeze.
In a medium sized saucepan, combine and heat on medium 2 cups of chicken stock with 2 cups of milk, 2 tablespoons of butter and salt. When the liquid starts to boil, stir in the grits and whisk to combine thoroughly. Then, lower the heat, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. Whisk occasionally to prevent sticking. The grits are fully cooked when creamy.
Note: there is a whole range of corn grits (and style) to choose from but I like the taste of this type of coarse ground golden corn.
As the grits are cooking, let’s prepare the bacon. In a large sauté fry pan (cool and unheated), place the 3 to 4 strips of bacon. Put about 1 tablespoon of water over the bacon and turn on the heat to medium and gently let the bacon cook until crispy, turning once to make sure both sides are browned and crispy. Then, remove cooked bacon from pan and set aside to cool. Drain all the bacon grease from pan.
Note: There will be some bits of bacon stuck to the bottom of the pan. It’s okay to leave it in the pan and it’ll add a delish flavor to the shrimp and sauce!
Add about 1 tablespoon of bacon grease back to the pan. On medium-high heat, cook the prepared shrimp and stir the shrimp in the heated bacon grease until they start to turn pink, about 2 to 3 minutes. As the shrimp start to turn pink, add in 2 tablespoon of butter and 1/2 cup of stock until the sauce starts to bubble. To thicken the sauce, add in 1 tablespoon of all purpose flour and stir into the liquid until it is well incorporated, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
Note: Do NOT overcook the shrimp! It’ll get rubbery and chewy if overdone. A properly cooked shrimp usually looks pink and should be tender and moist.
Check on the grits. When the grits are cooked, stir in 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese until well blended. Next, scoop the cheesy creamy grits into bowls.
Top grits with the shrimp and ladle some of the bacon buttery sauce over the entire thing. Finally, top the shrimp and grits with chopped bacon bits and garnish with thinly sliced scallions. Optional, add a sprinkle of cayenne for a bit of heat. Your scrumptious quick and easy shrimp and grits are ready!
This dish is best served hot, eaten immediately, accompanied by a crunchy green salad, maybe with something pickled and tart, and to sop up all the deliciousness, some southern cornbread or maybe some light, pouffy popovers would do the trick. Happy Eating!
Feeling adventurous and want to try something fun for brunch? Please check out my Giant Spicy Potato Nest & Eggs recipe!
I was reading up on some of the most iconic and famous dishes that are typically associated with Southern US cooking. This Southern Living magazine article listed 25, some of which I have yet to try!
https://www.southernliving.com/dish/famous-southern-food-recipes
I love jambalaya, chicken and dumpling, po’boys, and banana pudding! I’m intrigued by Burgoo, a Kentucky version of Brunswick Stew, and Chess Pie, which uses cornmeal and vinegar(!). Not sure about Congealed Salad, which looks a bit intimidating and wobbly! Haha! As always, my bucket list of things to try and make continues to grow.
*If you love this recipe, please share, rate and drop me a comment on the box below. Appreciate your feedback and support!
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February 4, 2021. Late in the evening. Spicy Marinated Korean Cucumber – Oi Muchim (오이무침).
Jump to RecipeI had a sudden craving for crunchy pickles and decided to make this Korean cucumber dish late at night. This delicious, crunchy, and spicy dish is usually served as a side dish or banchan (반찬) at a Korean restaurant.
If you have been to a Korean restaurant, you have probably seen the delightful, small, colorful dishes that are usually served at the beginning of a meal. I always think banchan is like Spanish tapas or Chinese dim-sum. Little morsels of deliciousness, designed to pique your interest and leave you hankering for more!
Typically this is eaten with rice. I like to eat this unadorned, or a tad bit nontraditional – with small pieces of freshly made tortilla or using thin slices of homemade bread to sop up all the delicious sauce…
Anyway, Oi Muchim is a straightforward recipe that requires just a handful of ingredients, the key being cucumbers. I used English cucumbers which have less seeds than regular cucumbers. Gochugaru (Korean coarse red pepper flakes) is the “special ingredient” for this recipe – it’s the same key ingredient used in making the popular Korean staple kimchi. The recipe requires no cooking and can be whipped up in under an hour.
The process is simple. We slice the cucumbers, season with salt, sugar and gochugaru. Then we allow the mixture to rest/marinate and extract the cucumber juice. When ready, we toss the seasoned cucumber slices in a delicious mixture of sesame oil, rice vinegar, and garlic. And that’s it! Let’s get cracking!
Items listed roughly in the order of use:
2 English Cucumbers
1½ tsp kosher salt
1 to 1½ tsp sugar
1 Tbsp. gochugaru, coarse Korean chilli pepper
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
2 Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar
3 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. fish sauce (or soy sauce, if vegetarian)
1½ Tbsp. toasted white sesame seeds
2 stalks green onions (scallions), sliced thinly (optional)
You will also need 2 mixing bowls, a pair of disposable gloves, a colander, and parchment paper.
Let’s start by preparing the cucumbers. Wash, clean and dry the cucumbers. Then, peel and discard some of the skin, trim the ends and cut into ½ inch thick rounds.
Place cucumber slices in a large bowl. Next, add salt, sugar and gochugaru to cucumber and mix well. Then, using disposable gloves, combine and gently massage the seasoning into all of the cucumber slices until well coated, about 2 minutes.
When done, transfer cucumber to a colander, and set the colander inside the used bowl to allow the juices to drain. Then, cut a piece of parchment paper large enough to cover the surface of the cucumbers and place the parchment paper on top of the cucumbers. To remove the excess cucumber juice, set a weight (such as a heavy pan, canned goods, cast iron skillet, bowl filled with water, etc.) on top to press down. Set aside and and let it rest for at least 30 minutes (up to an hour). This resting time will allow the salt, sugar and gochugaru to season the cucumber, as well as draw out the vegetable’s juices.
As the cucumber slices are marinating, in a separate bowl, whisk together the rice vinegar, minced garlic, sesame oil, fish sauce (or soy sauce) until well combined. (Do not use the the toasted sesame seeds yet.)
When the cucumbers have rested long enough, remove the weight, and discard parchment paper. Using clean gloved hands, squeeze cucumber slices one last time to remove any excess liquid. Then, transfer to bowl with the prepared dressing. Toss cucumber in the dressing until well coated. When done, add sesame seeds (and chopped scallions, if using) and mix thoroughly. Finally, divide oi muchim into desired portions, and serve immediately.
Keep unused portion in airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
I was reading up about Korean banchan and came across this short guide that seems handy for folks new to the cuisine => https://www.tripzilla.com/beginners-guide-banchan/93724
And this one is about the 10 most popular Korean Side dishes => https://www.tasteatlas.com/most-popular-side-dishes-in-korea
Recipe lightly adapted from Sunny Lee’s recipe on Serious Eats.
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November 11, 2020. Rainy and warm. Easy Peanut Butter Treats.
Jump to RecipeToday we are whipping up Peanut Butter Dog Treats made with love! I have 2 adorable rescue pugs that are my faithful companions. They love to stay in the kitchen whenever I am baking. Sometimes, they are actively being underfoot (waiting for me to spill or drop something?) and other times they just loll around snoozing peacefully in their doggie bed, contented to be nearby.
One of the things I realized soon after adopting them 4 years ago is that it is hard to find delicious, small and healthy-ish doggy treats for them. One, because pugs respond well to treats, and two, pugs tend to be on the chunky side, thus their treats need to be small for the frequency in which they are expected to be dispensed. Lol!
Anyway, I was tinkering around with a cookie recipe over the summer and thought, now if I just make this smaller and take out anything that is superfluous (to canines) I might just create a yummy treat for my little four legged friends. This Easy Peanut Butter Treats for Dogs is the outcome – I’ve made tweaks to it and this is version #5.
These Peanut Butter Treats for Dogs treats are super easy to make, uses only 5 pantry ingredients and bakes up in under an hour!
2 cups (240g) All Purpose flour
1 cup (115g) Whole wheat flour
2 large eggs
¼ cup (60g) Regular peanut butter only! Please do NOT use peanut butter that uses sugar substitutes- they are harmful to canines!
½ cup (125g) Unsweetened applesauce
You will also need a rolling pin and parchment lined baking sheet to make this recipe.
Preheat oven 350°F (175°C). Gather all ingredients.
Sift the flour together. Mix in eggs, peanut butter and applesauce until fully combined to form a dough.
Roll out dough using a rolling pin on lightly floured surface till approx. ¼ inch (½ cm) thick. Use cookie cutter to press out shapes.
Put on parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 18-20 minutes till treats are dry and golden. Transfer to cooling rack.
Once cooled, give Fido a treat! Store the rest of the peanut butter dog treats in an air tight container.
Note: Number of treats depends on the size of your cookie cutter. For the ones I used, the recipe yielded approximately 8 dozen. I wanted to make small treats for my small dogs. If you want to make larger treats, simply use larger cookie cutters.
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October 17, 2020. Sunny and cool. Quick & Easy Tomato Carrot Soup. When my daughter was young and playing softball, we enjoyed stopping by the local Panera Bread to eat a lovely bowl of hot tomato soup after practice. It was always creamy, thick and …
