After a summer of travel, I have returned to menu planning. I am so much more organized when I do this and I always have ingredients on hand. I have also found that this tool aids in budgeting both time and money.
As planned in week #24, I did several repeats of meal “hits” that we enjoyed over the past months. I wanted to remake some of our favorites with revisions and then truly decide if I should keep these meals in a regular rotation. My menu plan included several recipes that I remembered as standouts.
Our favorite shrimp and grits recipe (also receiving a big thumbs up from my daughter and son in law on their visit last winter) was once again a big hit. The ‘Ole Buckeye and I had forgotten just how much we loved this dish and the fact that it is a cook once eat twice success.
Source: The following is a link to the original recipe that I used, however the image does not represent the recipe in any way.
Cheesy Shrimp And Grits Casserole Recipe – Food.com
Delightful addition to a beautiful brunch or perhaps a light supper with a salad. From Southern Living Bring 4 cups chicken broth and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil in a large saucepan; stir in grits. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Stir together grits, 3/4 cup Cheddar cheese, and Monterey Jack cheese.
A better image of the actual shrimp and grits casserole.
I made several changes to the recipe which apparently originated at Southern Living Magazine and I am totally excited about this new rendition. The first thing that I did was to prepare my own shrimp in the shell and peel them to add to the dish. I have read over and over again that preparing shrimp in the shell affords more flavor.
After thawing my shrimp I cooked the shrimp using my posted recipe.
The depth of flavor of the shrimp added a wonderful dimension to the original recipe. I will forever prepare shrimp this way regardless of how I use it.
I made minor changes to the shrimp and grits recipe as well, most of which were ingredient based. Although the modifications were minor, they made a distinct difference to the recipe. Originally I used Quaker Grits. This time I used Stone Ground White Grits from Trader Joe’s.
They are definitely better in corn flavor and loaded with texture, a definite game changer. I also used 2 cloves of minced garlic, pepper cheese, and Rotel* Tomatoes and Green Chilis, the original version.
I would easily serve this as a main dish for guests. When my daughter and son in law were here last winter, we had leftovers so I served it as an appetizer. My son in law had 3 helpings! It reheats extremely well (in the oven at a low temperature), never in the microwave. Best of all, it is a cook once, eat multiple times. The first serving is creamy and moist. An oven reheat changes the texture and it is dryer with a slightly crispy top, just as enjoyable. The ‘Ole Buckeye never complains about eating leftovers when it is this shrimp and grit recipe! In fact, we ended up having this for 4 enjoyable meals.
Definitely a keeper – a favorite!