Posted on 07/10/2003 2:59:26 PM PDT by stainlessbanner
I couldn't believe what I was seeing and hearing. My husband Keith and our friend Keith had that longing look on their faces. I could see the drool dripping from their mouths and hear the desire in their voices.
If I didn't know better, I would have thought they were talking about Halle Berry or a classic Porsche. A stranger never would have guessed they were waxing poetic about a Southern delicacy: grits.
"My mother-in-law sent me eight boxes of Quaker Old Fashioned Grits from North Carolina," our friend says.
"Ohhh, man! You're kidding," my husband says as he licks his lips. "You can't find those here. I refuse to eat quick or instant grits."
"Why?" I ask. "Grits are grits."
They levitated from their seats, looking at me as if I were from Mars.
"It's not about the quickness of food," my husband says through gritted teeth, "it's about the taste. We know a fake pot of grits when we taste it."
Grits connoisseurs. Who knew?
I like grits. Old-fashioned, quick or instant -- all taste great to me. Like my father, I eat grits with butter, cheddar cheese and sugar.
"Noooooo!" both Keiths scream. "Never put sugar in your grits!"
"That's for Cream of Wheat," our friend says. Or oatmeal, my husband says with disdain. He hates oatmeal.
It appears I have a lot to learn about grits. Both men try to school me.
"With grits," my husband says, "consistency is key."
Our friend agrees. "Grits should not be runny," he says. "They should be stiff like mashed potatoes."
"They don't have to be stiff like mashed potatoes," my husband adds, "but they should not be runny."
So how do you cook grits to get that perfect consistency? It depends on which Keith you ask.
"Fill half a small pot with water," my husband says. "Add salt and about two pats of margarine before the water boils. As soon as the water starts to boil, turn the heat down to low and add 5 tablespoons of grits."
To avoid lumpy grits, stir them constantly, and never cover the pot.
"You have to stay with the pot," for about 25 minutes, my husband says. "You'll know the grits are done when they start to go bloop . . . bloop . . . bloop . . . bloop. Let them bloop for another three minutes. Then turn the fire off."
Finally, my husband says, "put in a small handful of shredded mild cheddar cheese, but don't mix the cheese in. Just let it melt down."
The grits are ready to be served with scrambled eggs and bacon. "Eggs must be scrambled, no sunny side up or poached and no runny yolks," my husband says. "You can cook your bacon first, but don't cook your eggs until your grits are done."
Our friend Keith has a different method for cooking perfect grits. He says to put cold water in the pot and add the grits before bringing the water to a boil.
"Stir the grits to remove the lumps, then heat the water," our friend says. "Once the water comes to a boil, cover the pot, so no air escapes. The key is to stir them."
About 30 minutes later, the grits are ready to serve with ham, a pat of butter, two eggs and a biscuit.
"Grits should be served on a plate," our friend adds, "not in a bowl!"
My husband agrees with the plate rule, but can't fathom eating grits with liver or corned beef hash the way our friend likes them.
"In Florida, you have permission to have grits and fish, as long as it's fried catfish fillets," my husband says. "You can't have bones in your grits."
Now all I want to know is: When do we eat?
I'm from the NE, but that's REAL FOOD, not this "grits" garbage which is warmed up baby food.
Okra tastes great if you cook it properly.
Buy frozen cut okra from the supermarket.
Thaw it in a tupperware bowl in the microwave for 2 - 3 minutes.
Dump 1/2 cup of flour into the bowl with salt, pepper and paprika.
If you like spicy food add some Old Bay seafood seasoning
Put the lid on the bowl, and shake it to coat all the slices.
Fry it for about 10 minutes in a nonstick pan with a few tablespoons of oil.
Slice into 4X4 squares (optimally, 1/4 inch thick), and fry in bacon grease.
Considered a breakfast (or supper, or dinner) entree in the south.
Especially in my house.
Halle Berry or Grits? What to do! Hmmmmmmm.
Waitress arrives to take order.
Wife: Two eggs scrambled, bacon, biscuits, grits.
FYP: I'll have two eggs, toast, bacon, and lemme try one of those grits.
Grits *are* hominy grits. Are there some other kind?
Yum Yum!!
Your comment is misleading; beauty is subjectibve but only within limits, like food is. You can like hamburgers and I like tofu BUT we both agree that objectively glue and wood chips tastes like shite right? Well the same goes for beauty. Cross-cultural studies of beauty determine that there are certain general standards of beauty based on deep genetic and physiological reasons.
And Halle certainly does not meet any definition of a standard of beauty; too short, not enough hair, relatively ordinary though nice features, too small, wrong hip to waist ratio and myriad other reasons.
And are you telling me that, one day she makes that ridiculous speech about blacks in movies at the oscars, and suddenly she gets the part in the Bond flick?? That's a coincidence!? A little naieve aren't we? That whole thing was a Hollywood-sponsored quota system to promote black women as attractive.
I have found that to be true, at least until the gumbo is gone. I make mine VERY VERY hot. Nothing works better to get a woman drinking cold beer until she is silly enough to spend quality time with me.
;-)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.