Shrimp and grits

I worked at the Speedway yesterday. It was cold and a bit frustrating. It feels weird to be out of my element. I feel comfortable talking to scientists, even when I'm not totally familiar with the subject, but chasing around NASCAR drivers that I don't recognize on site? Different story.

I did get to have a conversation with Richard Petty, which cracked me up. Details will not be forthcoming, but suffice it to say my new favorite phrase is "yeah, whatever."

So arriving at my truck in the parking lot, I realize I have a flat tire. Unbelievable after a long, cold day. Seriously wishing I could call over one of these pit crews. Grabbed the spare and promptly sliced my finger wide open. I was bleeding all over the place! A couple came up to help and incredibly this 62-year-old woman made short work of my jack and my tire while I stood there! I kept asking her to let me do it and she wasn't moving.

Came home tired and hungry. Didn't want to cook but knew the shrimp I had in the fridge needed to be cooked.

I've always wanted to try shrimp and grits, I'd heard about it from several people, but I was not terribly enthused over frying cold grits. So last night I decided just to try my own version. It was awesome!

First I started the grits cooking, four cups water, one cup grits and a half teaspoon salt.

Then I melted 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium heat, added two tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, a sprinkling of basil, cumin, thyme, garlic and onion powders, white pepper and crushed red pepper. Blended with a spatula and slowly stirred in a pint of whipping cream. When it started to bubble, I added a pound of shelled shrimp and covered and left on lower medium setting.

When grits were done I stirred in thyme, white pepper and about a cup of cheese. I used a blend of white and yellow sharp cheddar.

When shrimp turned pink, I took the skillet off the stove.

Top a serving of shrimp with a serving of the sauce and a few grits and voila!