Cooking with Beautifully Complex: Shrimp n' Grits

I have Mr. Mixologist to thank for exposing me to the low country delight that is Shrimp n' Grits.  He has made it for me on numerous occasions and when dining out, I always like to try it to see and taste the different variations of this dish.  At my birthday dinner, I ordered it and enjoyed it so much that I promised myself that I was going to try my hand at making it myself just to see how it would come out. There are several recipes online but I settled on one & then just tweaked it a little bit to my liking.

Shrimp n' Grits Recipe 

Chopped Bell Pepper

I made two slight changes to this recipe.

First, I added 1/2 cup of diced bell pepper because I saw this in
other recipes & I like the texture and taste.

Oh & some people call what I call green onions, "scallions". FYI

Chopped Green Onions

Fried Bacon ! 

I rarely eat regular bacon these days, but I wanted to stick to the recipe. 

I love my turkey bacon but I must say this pork was good ! LOL

Chopped Bacon 

Grits Cookin' 

A second change I made was......
Instead of 4 cups of water I cooked the grits with 1 cup of milk & 3 cups of water to make them just a little bit creamier.

Chopped Parsley 

Sauteed Shrimp & bell pepper

Now on to the shrimp .......
First I sauteed the bell pepper in the pan I cooked the bacon in. I poured out almost all of the bacon fat & just left a light film in the pan, then cooked the shrimp.

The rest of the veggies & bacon

Cheesy Grits ! 

Voila !

Excuse the presentation but I was hungry & an anxious to try it. LOL

The finished product 

The one thing I would do differently next time is to make a bit of gravy for the shrimp mixture. Mr. Mixologist knows how to make gravy, but I really don't. Mine always comes out tasting pasty. There are several recipes that add cream or milk to the shrimp mixture & next time, I may try one of those, but overall this was a good recipe and tasted pretty darn good.


Have you ever had Shrimp n' Grits ?

Have you tried any new recipes lately ?

Beautifully Complex 

Home from the Holidays

There is no place like home as Dorothy would say. Nothing like your own bed, your own sheets and your own space.  I spent Sunday recuperating from the whirlwind. It was a great trip. We put 2300 miles on that rental car company's Toyota in 10 days & when we turned it in yesterday morning, I know it needed an oil change bad !

Mr. Mixologist drives like a champ and he does not believe in wasting time getting somewhere. I initially wasn't so enthused about driving when we initially planned the trip, but he explained that he wanted the flexibility that comes with driving, and since we would have so much luggage & gifts it would have been cost prohibitive to fly. He also wanted to split the trip between Charleston & Atlanta so that I could spend time getting to know his brother and his wife & kids as well. He doesn't mind driving, in fact, he prefers it & since I don't have to do much more than play DJ, read, and ride, who am I to complain ? After all those people got stuck at the airport for days and days, I was reminded of the uncertainty that comes with flying.

  

We had a wonderful time in Charleston. It is a very beautiful city, rich in history. We toured the homes along the Battery which is right on the water. There is a nice park with great views.

  

The weather was perfect for the first few days we were there I definitely can't wait to come back when it is warmer and at a less hectic time than on a major holiday.

We did some last minute Christmas shopping in the Marketplace District and we got the hookup on some Pecan Brittle from this place, because the lady behind the counter was feeling the Christmas Spirit.

Of course, we can't go anywhere without stopping at a Cigar spot. Mr. Mixologist took me to a place he  always comes to whenever  he comes home, where they actually hand roll them in the store.  He was in pure heaven !  Those are tobacco leaves hanging from the ceiling.

One of the highlights for me was tasting the local fare of course. I had to get some fresh seafood and the Charleston Crab House did not disappoint.  The drinks were on point ! I had a Pomegranate Margarita that had me leaning & then we shared the most delicious Crab Dip I have ever tasted. My entree was grilled Mahi Mahi, Shrimp and Scallops. The Red Rice is a Low Country favorite and I must say it is very tasty. Different from the Dirty Rice I am accustomed to, but I truly enjoyed it. Mr. Mixologist's mom told me how to make it, as it is one of his favorites, so I will be trying that out soon, so I can get it down.

Christmas with my beau's family was great. His mom actually had a stocking on the fireplace for me too (green-my favorite color) with some lotion, a scented candle, some candy, and a manicure set. We opened gifts at his parents house before going to his Grandparents for the big dinner. I got some clothes, a neck massager,  a beautiful purse and........ .DRUMROLL ..... a Nook Color ! I was so happy. Mr. Mixologist looooved his engraved Humidor and of course I had to get him some sticks to go in it ! LOL I could tell he was surprised and appreciative.

After opening gifts we got dressed and headed over to Edisto Island, the  place where he spent summers as a child with his Grandparents. It is located off the coast.  We had to go over a bridge to get there, and surprisingly, there is no cell service at all on the Island ! When I called my nieces that morning, they were still sleeping so I didn't get to talk to them until very late Christmas day, after we got back to Charleston because Mr. Mixologist has a very large family and there were soooo many people he wanted me to meet that day.

It is always good to get to see the places, things you have only heard about and it gives you more perspective on a person when you see where they have come from. It was a wonderful day. Mr. Mixologist's family was very happy to have me there, they were very welcoming and they loved the goodies that I baked and brought for them ! The day after Christmas, I was sitting in the kitchen with him and his mom, when one of his Aunt's called. You know how you can hear someone who talks loud on the phone ? She was basically telling him, that the family verdict was in and she was calling to deliver the news to him that I am a Keeper and that he needs to make sure to not let me get away ! LOL The look on his face was priceless ! He was smiling, and blushing, and trying to play it cool and be respectful to her all at the same time.

I was a bit nervous about making a good impression  with the family & really just hoping to connect with them, and it turned out lovely. His little 7 yr old  niece did not want me to leave ! His dad even invited me to the family reunion in July, right in front of everyone ! LOL I really  hope to be there.  After five days in Charleston, we headed Northwest  to Atlanta to meet Mr. Mixologist's brother & his family.  I will blog about that in my next post. There is an unexpected "small world" story to tell as well.....so stay tuned.......until the next time.


Thoughts ? Comments? Questions ?

Beautifully Complex