Tom-ay-to, to-mah-to...po-tay-to, po-tah-to...polenta, grits...

This is Bassano- I just had to put this picture in because I love it and I miss it

Happy Sunday!

Tom-ay-to, to-mah-to...po-tay-to, po-tah-to...polenta, grits...


A rose by any other name....is still DELICIOUS!


When we moved to "THE South" from NY, we expected that we'd feel a bit out of place, a bit disconnected, and a bit lost. I can honestly say that those feelings lasted about 6 hours. That's about the time it took for our new southern neighbors to show up at the door bearing gifts of food and words of welcome


I thought they were all Italians in disguise!


This is where we came from

Our small town downtown

In the beautiful NY Hudson Valley

just 55 minutes from "The City"

This is where we are now

Ummm...my son picked that one- it's his favorite place in the world

This is home now

I got this off the internet- I couldn't say it better myself!:



Chapel Hill NC was named for the New Hope Chapel, which stood upon a hill in what is now the center of the 21 square miles of Chapel Hill NC real estate. Town lots were auctioned in 1793 when work began on the first building of the university. Many of those original lots are now in the Chapel Hill Historic District.
Today, Chapel Hill is anything but a typical southern town. In fact, some say it's really not southern at all, with so many residents coming from other parts of the country and around the world. The population of just over 50,000 is diverse, consisting of professors, students, business people and retirees from all over the world. Some describe Chapel Hill as having the best of small town living in a unique cosmopolitan environment. 


       Okay, so I wouldn't exactly call it cosmopolitan, but it's a wonderful, vibrant, diverse town where you'll meet people from all over the country and the world due to the magnet of having 2 major Universities and teaching hospitals (UNC and Duke) in such close proximity
       The people here are warm and friendly, kind and gracious, and unfailingly polite.

       
       Honestly, I about fell over the first time a checker in the supermarket asked if I had found everything I needed and did I need help to my car- looking at the bag of chips and six pack of beer that I had run in to buy for Ray and the the movers (the beer was for the movers- they deserved it after dealing with my neuroticism), I couldn't decide if I was dreaming or if she was insulting me by insinuating I was too old to handle it!


      Four years later I'm still looking for a tutorial on how to raise your boys to say yes, ma'am and no sir. Mine just collapse in giggles every time I even suggest it.


Now when it comes to food- let me tell you! These Southern cooks are a force to be reckoned with. They're also a force that your thighs will have to reckon with, but since I'm a trainer I'll just look at it as job security.


The first time we saw grits on a menu my kids thought it was hilarious. All they ever knew of grits was hearing the word on TV and they had no idea that it was an actual food.  Well, surprise surprise! Being the adventurous one in the family, I ordered cheese grits. 

Then I died and went to heaven! Mmmm, it's polenta!

 Who knew?

So, by request of the dozen of you who emailed me after our last Foodie Friday post, I'm giving you several versions of Shrimp and Grits as done by yours truly. 

This first one is unconventional, to say the least and any true Southerner who sees this recipe will probably want to run me out of town.

As we all know, I'M unconventional, so there!


This breaks all the rules you've ever heard about not mixing seafood with cheese. 
I'm a rule- breaker. What can I tell you. 
Not only is there cheese, but there are THREE cheeses- and not one of them is vaguely reminiscent of southern cooking and only one is Italian. All I can say is try it. 
This is  my version of my friend Kim's version, of the 1993 Come On In! Recipes from the Junior League of Jackson, Mississippi version of Shrimp and Feta. The original recipe called for 1/2 pound of spaghetti, but mine uses grits. I've served this for several brunches and ALWAYS get asked for the recipe. A friend who owned a local B & B served it and pronounced it a guest favorite. 
The Junior League of Jackson would be pleased (I hope) to know that we've turned this into a multi-national dish: Greek feta, Swiss cheese, Italian mozzarella, Southern grits, and Mexican salsa- what more could you ask for?!

Pattie's Multi-National Shrimp and Grits Casserole
based on a recipe from the 1993 Come On In! Recipes from the Junior League of Jackson, Mississippi

2 large eggs

1 cup evaporatd milk

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

8 oz. of crumbled Feta cheese

about 6 oz. of grated Swiss or Gruyere cheese

1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped fine

1/2 cup julienned fresh basil

4 cloves of garlic, put through a press and minced finely

2 1/2 cups quick (NOT instant) grits, cooked as directed with 4 cups of water and 4 cups vegetable broth- don't forget to season with salt- stir in 4 tablespoons butter when done

16-20 oz. of medium or mild (your preference) chunky salsa. Drain in a fine sieve colander well first! You don't want it watery.

24 oz. medium, uncooked, peeled shrimp

8 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a large  casserole dish with PAM.

In a medium bowl, whisk eggs with milk, yogurt, Feta, Gruyere, parsley, basil, and garlic. Spread half of grits in casserole and top with salsa (enough to cover-remember, it should be drained). Top with half of shrimp. Spread remaining grits over shrimp and pour on egg mixture, evenly distributing the cheeses. Top with remaining shrimp and cover with the mozzarella (you might use a little less mozzarella) Depending on your oven, bake for 30-40 minutes till just starting to brown a bit and seems to be fully set. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving. 

I will follow up with a more traditional Southern Shrimp and Grits, along with some other new southern favorites. Carolina Barbecue! Mmmm, MMM!

Also, as many of you know, I hold several different jobs. I am a trainer/nutritionist part of the time, a wife and mom all of the time, and a decorator/ stager part of the time. Where does all this time come from?!! Okay, that's another post. 

You'll be seeing some other projects in the near future, including a minor redo of a certain 16 year old's room (NO, Allie- we are NOT painting it dark purple OR royal blue!), the planting of a small vegetable garden, and some other minor tweaks to our home. Also, with Spring approaching, we'll be bringing the camera along as we trek to the local Farmer's Markets, Raleigh Flea Market (LOVE that place!) and other local places of interest.

That would be places that interest ME of course :)

       Of course you're still going to get tons of traditional- and maybe not so traditional- Italian cooking. Because that's who I AM. Please let us know what YOU would like to see.

As Always,

Buon Alimento, Buon Amici,

Pattie and Allie