The Nudge is traveling, the whole east coast is covered in snow and I have a kitchen full of groceries, a handful of recipes and absolutely no where to go.
On Monday I made coffee rubbed pork in my slow cooker, St. Louis ribs in the oven, a container of no knead dough to make 4 loaves of bread, stuffed portabellos from Ottolenghi's Plenty and a batch of ham meatballs.
On Tuesday, I baked. I choose a spice cake and a Maple Apple Breakfast Bread.
With 7" of snow and a mere 10°, baking is the perfect chore on my agenda. Soon as the sun rolls over the house I will do some shoveling, so for now I am off to gather my ingredients. I will surprise The Nudge with all my efforts when he finally arrives safe and sound from his trip to Vermont (during a snowstorm no less!).
After all that baking, it was time to figure out what I wanted for dinner. I thought a hot bowl of lentils and kielbasa over cheesy baked grits would hit the spot, especially with a slice of buttered homemade baked boule on the side.
I missed The Nudge but I like that I can eat what I want and when he's away that always includes cheesy grits, plus, I was just informed they are extending their trip one extra day because of the storm, so I can bake all day Wednesday and Thursday.
Cheesy baked grits are so easy to make, everyone should make these at least once a week.
Many people have a meatloaf day, a spaghetti day, vegetarian day, pizza day and roast chicken day.
If I did have planned days, it would look like this.....
Polenta/grits day, soup day, pasta day, vegetable day, salad day and bean day.
If The Nudge planned the menu.....
Steak day, hot dog day, meatball day, meatloaf day, chicken cutlet day, pastrami day and veal day.
I try to add his to mine and he is making progress. He's been asking for salads.....lol
Mix all the ingredients into a broil-proof oven casserole you will be eating out of, and right before serving, stir in the cheese and throw it under the broiler for a few minutes. These are so good. Now, for a family larger than one, this recipe is made of ratios, so 2x for two, 4x for four, etc.
Top with any leftover stews or roasted vegetables that are sitting in the fridge or make this dish.
If you have any leftover grits, you can make these croutons.
Cheesy Baked Grits
serves 1
* 1/4 cup stone ground grits (works the same with polenta)
* 1 cup water
* 1/4 cup cream
* 1 teaspoon honey
* 1 teaspoon salt
* Lots of ground pepper
* 1 tablespoon butter
* 1/4 cup Parmesan, Cheddar or Jack cheese, grated
1. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes, covered. Uncover, stir and adjust the texture with more water if needed.
The consistency at this point should be like farina or cream of wheat. Remember, the cheese and resting with thicken the grits to the perfect consistency. Place the butter and the cheese on top and stir to combine.
2. Rest at least 15 minutes. It will stay lava hot for almost 20 minutes.
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