Grits

There's a new look in town.  I've been postponing updating the outdated side bar for a few years because Blogger changed the template editor and it meant that I had to redo everything.

However the time has come because many of the links I had on the side bar have moved on, were out of date, dead or missing in action.

So, out with the old 8-year old look and in with the new look, in stages.  The only thing constant is change and, well, that's what's going to happen this month.

Meanwhile ...

Grits.

Love them or hate them there is no middle ground.  Nobody on the planet says "Grits are OK!"

No, they either say, "I hate grits!"

Or

They say, "I love grits!"

Seriously, if you say you neither love them nor hate them but will eat them then you are a LIAR!  That's my rule and I'm sticking with it.

Now, all you grits cookers out there know that cooking the perfect grits is a challenge.  You have to get the water just right, the grits just right, the butter and salt just right and anything you might add to the grits, like cheese, jalapeños, bichon friese  or other roadkill has to be just right.

Say no more.

So, imagine my surprise when I was at my local kitchen supply store and came across a Grit Pot.

Yes, a Grit Pot!  Designed especially for cooking grits to perfection no matter what the accouterment.  I was electric, ecstatic and otherwise charged.

I bought it in a flash, took it home and proceeded to make a batch of grits.

Let's see, two cups of water, salt, butter and one-half cup of grits.  Bring the water to a boil, done, toss in the grits, done, return to the boil, done, reduce the heat, done, cover and wait 5 minutes, done and turn off heat.  Serve when ready.

With great anticipation I removed the lid and looked down upon the bestest pot o' grits these old eyes have ever seen.  Bubblingly creamy and glistening with gritness there was not a single grit stuck to the pot nor dried out.  It was grit perfection, the perfect grit just like the box said.

I laid out bowls on the table, butter, grated cheese, honey and hot sauce for those with particular taste in grits and called the troops.

Well, need I say that the response was overwhelming!  Wonderful grits!  Astounding grits!  Best grits ever!  Astounding!  Awesome!  That and more and a few marriage proposals.  Awkward.  The Great Grits Experiment was a resounding success.  Yea, me!

Several days later I announced that I was going to do Coq au Vin for dinner which requires a large pot. I thought about using my stovetop Dutch oven but decided instead to use my new grits pot which was slightly larger and had a better fitting lid.  I sautéed the chicken with bacon and shallots, dumped in a bottle of Bordeaux and let the mixture stew for two hours.  Meanwhile I prepared the mushrooms and pearl onions, vegetables, dessert and other stuff for my splendid dinner.  One final adjustment of seasonings only reinforced my personal self-promotion image of perfection and the aromas emanating from the kitchen were driving the troops mad with hunger and desire.

Setting the table, I brought the pot of Coq au Vin over and set in the middle for serving.  The troops arrived and everybody was in great anticipation.  It smelled great.

With a flourish I whipped off the top of the pot with a "Ta da!" to the oohs and aaahs expected only to hear confusion and someone aloud asking, "Is this a joke?"

Looking down into the pot expecting a lovely Coq au Vin, what stared back at me was a pot of -

grits.

Yes, grits.  Coq au Gone.  Vamoosed.  Vanished.

Grits.

Nice grits.  Lovely grits.  Perfectly cooked grits.  But, not Coq au Vin.  Or spaghetti sauce the next time I cooked in that pot.  Nor beef stew, or pork 'n' peppers, or onion soup or anything else I've ever tried to cook in that pot.  Yes, I can put in the ingredients and, yes, I can season it and watch it and all goes well and good until I bring it to the table to serve at which time it's -

grits.

Nice grits.  Lovely grits.  Perfectly cooked grits.  But, not what I intended.

Like the instructions said, this is the perfect pot for cooking grits.  And that's what you're going to get!

Bon Appetit!