surferlove007

I grew up in Marietta, GA a small suburb in Atlanta and being from the deep south we had grits often times at breakfest every Sunday before going to Southern Baptist church.
I was curious what recipes, if any others besides cheese and butter have people tried involving grits before.
If you don't know what they are, you're most likely not from the south.
I live in Lubbock, TX now and not many people here are from the DS and look down on them, any thoughts?
Also, does anyone know a place to get regular, unsalted, green peanuts for a decent price per pound?
I've been dying for some boiled peanuts since my trip to Florida this summer.
Again, Texas does not have green peanuts, just salted. Any type of processed peanuts will not do, must be green.
Suggestions on both would be appreciated, where to locate and recipes.
Thanks!

shakran

Butter is, as you well know, the only REAL way to cook grits If you want a little difference, crumble some bacon up into 'em just before serving.


As for your peanuts, you're probably not gonna find them locally, but you can get 'em from here:

http://www.whitleyspeanut.com/rawpea...aign=winter+06

fatbob

so, er what are they?

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mixedmedia

Grits are ground hominy, otherwise known as dried corn.

I've only ever had them with sharp cheddar cheese, bacon, or plain butter.

mmmmm...I just had some this past weekend.

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PESSIMISM, n. A philosophy forced upon the convictions of the observer by the disheartening prevalence of the optimist with his scarecrow hope and his unsightly smile. - Ambrose Bierce

Sage

Oh ho! Not just dried corn, but corn that's been soaked in alkali water until the germ is removed. Then it's dried and ground up. Google to see where you can order grits from- I'm SURE there's somewhere that will mail-order!

I really like grits when they're done right, and I agree the only way I like mine is with butter and salt. I really, superiorly, extremely DETEST boiled peanuts... but good luck to you in finding some!

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fatbob

so do you make them into a pancake or something?
i'm thinking that if they are ground up then you use them kinda like flower is that right?

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mixedmedia

No, they are made into a porridge-like side dish. Usually served at breakfast, but I've had them with dinner, as well.

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Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats. - Diane Arbus
PESSIMISM, n. A philosophy forced upon the convictions of the observer by the disheartening prevalence of the optimist with his scarecrow hope and his unsightly smile. - Ambrose Bierce

Lasereth

Grits are a lot like rice. Pretty much the same consistency except much more ground and porridgey. They taste like corn sludge, which is better than it sounds. They're also pretty gross without butter or salt or something in them.

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maleficent

that's almost like the italian version of grits - otherwise known as polenta.. that is sometimes made into a cake and grilled..

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shalafi

my old roommate and I used to cook up some nice greasy bacon, sausage, and fried eggs and chop it all up in a bowl of buttered grits.

I have also heard people mention grits n gravy but I've never had it so I'm not sure what kind of gravy they use. Maybe sausage gravy like you would use on biscuits?

shakran

Redeye gravy. Made with ham.

But really, gravy on grits is a waste of calories. If you're gonna have gravy with a breakfast, you wanna make bacon gravy (cook the bacon, stir flour into what's left, then pour milk in to get the right consistency, salt to taste) and pour it over your biscuits

vanblah

This is making me really hungry. There's a place here in Memphis that does a crawfish and grits dish. Unfortunately, I don't have a recipe.

fatbob

yeah i love polenta - oh and just realised that i spelled flour 'flower'. doh.

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mixedmedia

Don't sweat it fatbob, you're talkin' to a bunch of backwards suth'rn folks anyhow. We never did cotton much to stuff like readin' and ritin'.

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Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats. - Diane Arbus
PESSIMISM, n. A philosophy forced upon the convictions of the observer by the disheartening prevalence of the optimist with his scarecrow hope and his unsightly smile. - Ambrose Bierce

pig

I love these Southern culinary threads.

Grits? Yes, I'll take mine with butter, salt and pepper. Add sausage (much better than bacon for grittage, in my opinion). Of course, there's the infamous shrimp and grits, which you can build to an etoufee if you like. i know, i know - some food network junkie is saying "but pigglet, an etouffee is over rice..." well, i'm not arguing. i'm just saying i almost had a 'when harry met sally" sally-in-the-diner moment with a grit-based shrimp etouffee a few months ago.

shakran speaks the word and the truth on the redeye gravy (i.e. country ham grease with coffee added to taste)...but this nonsense that any application of red-eye gravy could ever be a waste in any shape or form....well, personally, i just find that disgusting seriously, add some eggs over-easy, and this party is starting to cook.

for the green peanuts, look around at your local farmer's market. they might not carry them in the grocery store, but i'd think someone has got to be selling raw peanuts.

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mixedmedia

This thread has inspired me to cook breakfast for dinner tonight...complete with, you guessed it, GRITS! mmmmmmmmm, can't wait.

btw, ghoastgirl, I'm from Atlanta. My father and stepmother lived in Marietta for years...they make good grits there.

__________________
Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats. - Diane Arbus
PESSIMISM, n. A philosophy forced upon the convictions of the observer by the disheartening prevalence of the optimist with his scarecrow hope and his unsightly smile. - Ambrose Bierce

shakran

I'm just saying given the choice between eating grits with gravy (instead of their rightful butter) and eating biscuits with gravy (instead of that jelly/honey crap the rest of the country thinks is good), I'm goin' with the biscuits every time.

shalafi

You know I just realized I lived in St Marys GA (about as far south as you can get without hitting FL) for like 3 years and I don't know that I ever had a single grit the whole time I lived there. I did develop an appreciation for fried okra though.

pig

dude, shakran - what type of awful prison scenario is this i mean, what's with the choosing? i'm taking my grits, my biscuits, my country ham and fried eggs, and i'm dumping copious amounts of gravy over the whole thing, and i'm eating with an oversized spoon. its breakfast time, and i've got some work to do...

if i had to choose...i think i just might be right there with you. incidentally, i've come to like cream of wheat a bit more than grits these days. i know, blasphemy...and yet, i can't stomach the concept of cold-ass oat meal. blech!!!

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mixedmedia

I LOVE Cream of Wheat, with butter and brown sugar *drool.* My mommy used to make it for me.

Ain't no blasphemy. They're two entirely different bowls of delectable mush.

__________________
Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats. - Diane Arbus
PESSIMISM, n. A philosophy forced upon the convictions of the observer by the disheartening prevalence of the optimist with his scarecrow hope and his unsightly smile. - Ambrose Bierce

fatbob

mmm i want some grits.
anyone want to swap for some haggis?

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shakran

I'm already fat enough, dammit, quit trying to make me the size of a house

Actually the choice comes down to meats cooked with the breakfast. If I cook bacon it's gonna be bacon gravy, which doesn't really work on grits. And since biscuits and gravy is far superior to grits'n'gravy, bacon is on the menu when I make biscuits. Since bacon's been cooked, ham is out on biscuit day, so no redeye gravy.

You might be able to get someone from the deep south to swap actually. My great aunt was from Mississippi and always loved her pickled pigs feet, and thought scrambled eggs weren't complete unless you stirred in some squirrel brains. And then there were the chitlins. I am not making this up, but I wish I was .

pig

you know, i dated a chick once who did that to her cream of wheat. being from virginia beach, she seemed to suffer delusions that she was southern, but i mean really...don't you feel just a little bit bad for the brown sugar? you're talking about cinnamon toast, with Creamowheat substituted for the bread. It hurts me to know you do that. Sausage and butter. So good.

/secretly scared that i might like the brown sugar. i always assumed my lady friend was just a freak, or had suffered some localized brain trauma. i've heard of that for oatmeal, but the cream of wheat too?

shakran: we all have sacrifices and tradeoffs. what can i say - i love the sound of all this stuff.

so yeah, ghost: did you get resolution on your issues? i mean, we can always get into fried chicken and pulled pork barbeque, and then have the ensuing argument about sauce (vinnegar pepper, of course). or the whole sweet tea debate.

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mixedmedia

[QUOTE]Pardon me, but my family is about as mainline Southern protestant as you can get and we eat our Cream o Wheat with buttah and brown sugah, thank you very much. Hmph.

__________________
Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats. - Diane Arbus
PESSIMISM, n. A philosophy forced upon the convictions of the observer by the disheartening prevalence of the optimist with his scarecrow hope and his unsightly smile. - Ambrose Bierce

snowy

I'm from the Pacific Northwest and we always ate our Cream of Wheat with brown sugar. No butter, though. Just a dash of milk. Whole milk.

I might have to try this butter on Cream of Wheat business.

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pig

m^2,

hold up - i never dated you...did i?

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mixedmedia

I can say with absolute ironclad certainty...nope. Too bad, perhaps...

__________________
Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats. - Diane Arbus
PESSIMISM, n. A philosophy forced upon the convictions of the observer by the disheartening prevalence of the optimist with his scarecrow hope and his unsightly smile. - Ambrose Bierce

pig

perhaps??? perhaps???...that's just crazy talk.

regardless, to clarify: i wasn't saying my former flame wasn't Southern because she liked the brown sugar on the cream of wheat, but because she was from virginia beach. now, the fact that snowy is chiming in to the affirmative of your position may not necessarily strengthen its truthiness, but heck - we'd take snowy down here any day. god knows we need the good teachers...

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mixedmedia

Well, yes, maybe I was a little harsh.

Maybe the truthiness is not strengthened, but for sure the tastiness is.

__________________
Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats. - Diane Arbus
PESSIMISM, n. A philosophy forced upon the convictions of the observer by the disheartening prevalence of the optimist with his scarecrow hope and his unsightly smile. - Ambrose Bierce

pig

harsh? i wouldn't necessarily say that - i mean, if you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen, and so forth. 'lil pigglet was trying to make a jokey-joke, that's all i mean, after i keeded thee about the floridian southernality, well heck. its hard for me to imagine brown sugar on the cream of wheat - but that's mostly because when i hear grits/cream of wheat - my little taste buds start to generate thoughts of grease. is that healthy? why, of course not. but its just so damn good.

yeah, well y'all seem to have pretty good taste, so who am i to judge? i mean, tomato, to-mah-to. let's just agree that john bolton couldn't get the cream of wheat, regardless of acroutement, through the vestigal hair-gate that is his mustache, and that sausage is way better than sugar, and call it even?

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mixedmedia

Aw, shucks, sweet pigglet. I was just jokin', too. It's called banter...watch His Girl Friday or The Lady Eve and get back to me.





Oh man, you're too much...hair-gate

No, John Bolton looks to be more the type to have fried egg and hot dog sandwiches for breakfast.

And grease and sugar just ain't to be compared. It's like comparing, well, apples and oranges. Grease has its place...in my homemade collards and green beans. In red beans and rice. To grease the sides of my cast iron frying pan before baking corn bread in it. But never, ever will it touch my Cream of Wheat. So there.

__________________
Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats. - Diane Arbus
PESSIMISM, n. A philosophy forced upon the convictions of the observer by the disheartening prevalence of the optimist with his scarecrow hope and his unsightly smile. - Ambrose Bierce

pig

holy shit, homework? i mean, i kind of understand this whole banter thing...but new movies to watch?

oh, hold on? ah yes, i'm a movie whore. very well, i'll just imdb them, and see what we can't do about that. if these were books, what kind of books would they be? and, umm...you know, that tracks back to the issue of peanuts, becuase, umm...you could get peanuts while watching a movie. and such.

well, i call 'em like i see 'em. but i guess jabbing ole bolton might be some of cross-post thread jack get me in trouble with the mods type thing. maybe i'll traipse over there and chime in - but shit, what can you say?

drop those nasty-ass collards out, and now we're talking. i might argue grease is also effectively deployed in chili-cheeseburgers and what-have-thee, but the corn bread is making my mouth water. i mean, you just had to throw that in, didn't you? fie on you woman!!! as far as it not getting into the cream of wheat - i'm crying a little, on the inside, about the travesty of the situation. but i guess you can't win 'em all...

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snowy

Y'all are making me hungry.

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mixedmedia

Well, in books they would be categorized simply as humorous...but thanks to the magic of glamour era filmmakers such as Howard Hawks and Preston Sturges, respectively, they are called screwball comedies. These two especially rife with a thinly veiled banter representative of the battle of the sexes, intriguingly tinged with sexual teasing and innuendo - brilliant! And both sides wage very admirable campaigns. I recommend them both very highly. Ball of Fire and Sullivan's Travels are two other sterling examples in this vein of filmmaking.



Not much to say at this point. History happens fast these days.


Nasty-ass collards? Well, I never...

Well, yes, actually I have heard that before. But fuck ya'll. Collards rock!

__________________
Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats. - Diane Arbus
PESSIMISM, n. A philosophy forced upon the convictions of the observer by the disheartening prevalence of the optimist with his scarecrow hope and his unsightly smile. - Ambrose Bierce

pig

well indeed. i have nothing to say of anything approaching quasi-intellectual merit regarding your cinematography. i mean, color me an idiot on the whole thing. movie whore? ha, hardly. i'm just a two-bit tawdry hussy. crap...you have to actually know stuff? since i have nothing worth reading to say, i guess homework assignment it is. and yet, i still typed all this crap. at least if i'm going to be a jackass, i can be a brazen jackass. goddamn it, i'm so talented. and i love grits



of course you've heard it before. that's because they're fucking nasty. you're just crazy..but that ok, i still love ya

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shakran

Would you two like to be alone?

And you're wrong about collards. They're great. Cook 'em with a little bacon fat.

mixedmedia

Exactly. Thank you. You see, I have a little cup of bacon fat sitting on my stovetop right now (from my aforementioned breakfast dinner the night before last) which I intend to use this weekend in a big ole pot of steaming, delicious collard greens.

And, no, pigglet and I don't need to be alone. We like people to watch.

And I apologize profusely for helping take this thread so far off track. I will desist.

I LOVE boiled peanuts, too.

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Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats. - Diane Arbus
PESSIMISM, n. A philosophy forced upon the convictions of the observer by the disheartening prevalence of the optimist with his scarecrow hope and his unsightly smile. - Ambrose Bierce

Spanxxx

[QUOTE=mixedmedia]Butter and brown sugar here. All the way. Butter and sugar or splenda if they don't have the good stuff.

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pig

[QUOTE=Spanxxx]spenda? splenda??? ok, i protest. i'm locking the two of you away somewhere - perhaps a vat of creamowheat, brown sugar, splenda, and butter.

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maleficent

this has been one of the most entertaining threads in cooking...

and actually made grits good

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