Shrimp and Grits

Do you remember this past summer when you and Danielle and I went to New Orleans and we got dolled up and Danielle tried to finish Harry Potter but I kept screaming LUPIN DIES at her and then we were drunk but we went looking for this fantastic dish I had had before at some hole-in-the-wall on Bourbon but instead we stumbled into a restaurant where we wanted to bend the waiter over the table and Danielle ended up buying us a $300 meal?

That was a good night. For us, I mean. Maybe not for Danielle.

Oh, and a couple days later I discovered that I had bought several songs on my iPhone that I already had at home? 

Anyway, I really like shrimp and grits. Together. The dish in New Orleans (and no, I still can't remember the name of the restaurant) sounds disgusting - shrimp, cheese grits, spinach, remoulade sauce...all on top of a tower of fried green tomatoes - but IS THE BEST THING I HAVE EVER PUT IN MY MOUTH.

(this isn't making any sense, structurally, because I'm rocking out while I write this)

ANYWAY. So. A link to a recipe for shrimp and grits popped up on a blog and I had to make it - because 1. it's a healthier version of shrimp and grits (alas, no green tomatoes in mid-January, and no spinach because I didn't really think about it until just now).

Also, that link is just for shrimp. I will also share my trashy, Britney Spears cheese grits with you as well. You'll die.

Also? Also? This is the easiest thing in the entire world to make. And it goes fast. The only thing you probably won't have is shrimp, but fuck, we live in Louisiana - you shouldn't have trouble finding it. 

And...that recipe needs some major change. Let's start. 

Deep South Shrimp and Sausage

3/4  pound  peeled and deveined medium shrimp (I used one lb...I'm not about to tell the guy in the seafood dept. I want some pansy ass amount like 3/4 lb.)

1  teaspoon  Old Bay seasoning*

1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper

1  cup  refrigerated prechopped tricolor bell pepper (why they make chopping up some pepper sound so complicated, I'll never know)

1  (6.5-ounce) link smoked turkey sausage, cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices (I used 8 oz - half of a 16 oz package. And I cut mine into quarters because big pieces of sausage freak me out)

2  garlic cloves, minced

1/4  cup water (this is weird, but I did like half water/half half-and-half? I wanted a little bit of creamy...no reason to go full healthy, y'know?)

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add shrimp, seasoning, and black pepper, tossing to coat. Cook 3 minutes or until shrimp are done, stirring frequently. Remove from pan; keep warm.

Return pan to medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add bell pepper; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add sausage; cook 2 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring frequently. Add reserved shrimp mixture and garlic. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add 1/4 cup water; cook 30 seconds, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Remove from heat; let stand 2 minutes.

Um, that's it. I made the cheese grits first, by the way. They stay pretty warm, anyway. 

Trashy Cheese Grits

(I call these trashy because I use SLICED CHEESE, just like Britney's daddy)

(serves 2 very hungry people)

2 1/4 cups water

1/3 cup grits

 3 slices of American cheese (YEAH)

2 tbsp milk

1 tbsp butter

some salt

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp garlic powder

pepper!

Bring the water to a boil, then add your grits. Lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until they're good and thick. Add everything but the pepper, stir it all around until the butter and cheese are melted, then stir in your pepper. 

I just wrote all that while I was thinking shit shit shit she doesn't even like grits. Serve the shrimp over rice, ok? It's good. 

*What the fuck is this, right? I googled it and thought maybe it was like Tony's...someone said it was but I didn't want to take my chances so I bought a bottle. Use it. It's really good - but you will DEFINITELY need to add some Tony's, too. This shit needs to be spicier. If you taste the shrimp by itself, while the peppers are cooking, you'll be fooled into thinking it's spicy. No way. Trust me - it wears off when you put the shrimp back in the pan.