Georgia on My Mind

Since Georgia is my home state, I took hours looking through recipes deciding on what to make.  I wanted something that was a reflection of our state and had so many to choose from.  I thought about doing dips and snacks like Vidalia Onion Pie, Boiled Peanuts, Pimento Cheese, and Georgia Caviar.  Then I thought about doing a traditional Low Country Boil or BBQ.  I finally decided on a St. Simons Island staple!

How can I do a recipe blog and leave out the one dish that might be most important to my husband?  I decided on Shrimp and Grits followed by a Homemade Peach Ice Cream for dessert.

Shrimp and Grits:

This is just one of many recipes every southern girl needs to have in here recipe file!  We are lucky to live in a place where we can get fresh shrimp year round - that's what makes this dish so wonderful!

First gather your ingredients:

2 slices of bacon

1 link of Andouille sausage

1 cup frozen corn kernels - thawed

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups half-and-half

1/3 heavy cream

1 cup yellow cornmeal

2 tablespoons butter - softened

3/4 cup chedar jack cheese - shredded

2 green onions - diced

1 small onion - diced

1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning

1 lb. shrimp

For the Grits:

Put the bacon in a large skillet. 

Add the sausage and cook until crisp,

Drain on a paper plate.

Remove most of the grease from the pan leaving about 1 tablespoon.  Add the cup of corn kernels. 

Cook for 5-10 minutes, until the kernels are golden and the liquid cooks off. 

In a large sauce pan, add the chicken broth,

Half and Half,

and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Once boiling, add corn kernels.

Whisk in cornmeal,

Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes.  Whisk mixture every few minutes to keep from burning.  When grits are ready and thickened, add butter,

Shredded cheese,

Whisk well until blended and simmer on LOW!

For the Shrimp:

Add butter to a cast iron skillet and melt over a medium-high heat. 

Toss in the onion,

Green onions.

Cook until tender.  Add the shrimp,

Cajun seasoning.

We used REX seasonings - YUM!

Stir to coat shrimp,

Add bacon,

Heavy Cream,

Stir well and let sauce begin to thicken for 2 or 3 minutes - DO NOT OVERCOOK! 

For Serving:

Ladle a cup of the grits into a shallow bowl.  Top with shrimp mixture. Garnish with green onion.

Homemade Peach Ice Cream:

2 peaches - skin removed in bite sized pieces

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup milk - the recipes calls for whole milk but we used 2%

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Before beginning, prepare the peaches.

In a mixing bowl add the heavy cream,

Milk,

Sugar,

Vanilla,

And stir until combined.

Fold in the peaches.

Put freezer bowl out in the machine.

Pour mix into freezer bowl.

Turn the machine on,

Let mix for 20-25 minutes until mixture thickens.

We used a Cuisinart Ice Cream Machine but the same recipe can be used in a traditional Ice Cream Churn. 

Put a scoop (or two) in  bowl and enjoy a Summertime favorite!  Ours should be ready soon...here is a preview!