Legends of a Redneck Foodie...Recipes that Make You Say YUM!

This week my husband and I received an unexpected gift from our southern homeland...shrimp. Ever since moving to the Midwest, one of the things I've missed most has been fresh, reasonably affordable seafood. I can't deny that Arkansas is a landlocked state, but it's still within a day's drive of the gulf...Missouri, not so much. To celebrate this unexpected ambrosia, we revisited a southern classic that I have been working to perfect for some time now: shrimp and grits. My mom happens to be known for her world famous cheese grits. Unfortunately, the type of cheese that made her recipe so unforgettable has been discontinued by the Kraft company (tsk, tsk). I've been working on something comparable, and this week, I came darn close.


Southern Cheese Grits:
Preheat over to 350 F
Prepare 3/4 cup of instant grits as directed on the package

When the grits are cooked, remove the sauce pan from the heat and add:
2/3 lbs of Velveeta Cheese cubed
Note: This is 1/3 of a normal 2 lbs block, and the kind made with 2% milk works fine to help with calories
1 Tbs unsalted butter or margarine
3 Tbs sour cream (light works fine here too)
4-5 dashes of Tabasco Sauce (or to taste...)
Salt and black pepper to taste

Stir the ingredients until they are thoroughly blended, and then, transfer the mixture to a square baking dish. Add a light sprinkling of paprika across the top for color and bake until the top has a thin skin across the surface and a light crush around the edges. Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool until reasonably firm. It should have the consistency of pudding not soup. Don't try to dish it up too early! This service 4 people for a meal (breakfast or dinner) or 6-8 as an appetizer.

Southern Barbecue Shrimp:
In a large saute pan, heat:
4 Tbs unsalted butter
4 Tbs canola oil

When the above are melted and hot, add:
2 Tbs mince garlic
2 canned green chilies, chopped
2 Tbs dried rosemary (thoroughly chopped/pulverized - whole leaves ruin the texture)
1 Tbs dried thyme
1 Tbs dried oregano
4 leaves fresh Thai basil, chopped
1 Tbs ground paprika
1/4 Tbs ground Cayenne pepper
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 lemon - squeeze the juice out over the pan and then thinly slice one half and add the slices

Cook the above ingredients until they are well combined and then add:
1 lbs of shrimp deveined but shells on (the larger and fresher, the better)
Cook until all shrimp are pink through and then remove from heat

This recipe is a modified version of one by Cheryl Smith posted to foodnetwork.com. Thanks, Cheryl, for getting us started!

We like to combine these two dishes for a dinner, but it can get a bit rich.  I recommend a good vegetable and some plain bread to balance it out.  They are also great the way my friend Beth served them for her wedding reception: a dollop of grits in the bottom of a martini glass and a couple of shrimp perched on the side...gorgeous appetizer!

Hope ya'll enjoy this Southern classic. More recipes, book reviews, travel blogs, and reflections on life are on their way. In the mean time, I want to see your best recipes. Show-me what ya got!

Legends of a Redneck Foodie Part I

I'm here to confess what many of my friends and family have long suspected...I am, in fact, a redneck foodie. What is that exactly? Well, I'm pretty sure redneck isn't a word that needs much explanation. I'll only say that coming from me, it's an affectionate term for those (myself included) who lack a certain "citified" facade while possessing a few charmingly rough edges. On the other hand, a foodie is defined by the urban dictionary as "a person who spends a keen amount of attention and energy knowing the ingredients of food, the proper preparation of food, and finds great enjoyment in top-notch ingredients and exemplary preparation." I'll be the first to admit I'm not a food expert, not by a long shot. I guess that makes me more of a foodie-in-training, but lets not split hairs. I live and eat by two rules: I know what I like and life's too short to eat anything else.

So how does it work, this redneck foodie thing? Truthfully, it's a bit of a ramshackle mishap that occurs when you combine loves for southern cuisine, camp food, smoked food, fried food, food you have killed yourself, and a touch of international flare.  Of course you can't forget about the other key ingredients: watching too many cooking shows, growing your own ingredients, and having a big appetite for life. The result is an oddly perfect combination of new and old. Dishes that frequently surprise and often concern, but in the end, hit the spot.

I'm starting this new blog series because I love food. I also think that foodies are on the rise in this country, and I'm betting there are more than a few of us with a tinge between our shoulder blades. I'm hoping these blogs will spur conversation, a few confessions, or best yet, some new recipes and tips for my collection.

To kick things off with a laugh, my husband and I have put together ten criteria to help identify a redneck foodie (maybe even the one sitting in your chair).  You might be a redneck foodie if....
10. You fully appreciate the fact that nothing (and I mean nothing) cooks great food like cast iron
9. Your favorite seasoning after salt and pepper is camp fire smoke
8. You've ever had to tell your vet that your dog got sick because it ate a [insert odd wildlife species here] off your plate
7. Your grandmother and the Iron Chefs hold equal positions of influence on your culinary style
6. Your most closely guarded family secret is a biscuit recipe
5. You have trail cam photos of the food in your freezer
4. You have side by side shrines to Paula Deen and Johnny Cash
3. You've ever collected shotgun pellets on the napkin beside your dinner plate
2. You agree that vegetables (and everything else for that matter) are better fried
1. Your idea of food safety is killing it and eating it on the same day