Saturday, August 8, 2020

A Little Levity

 

I'm republishing this at the request of a dear friend.  Unfortunately, I can't take credit for having authored this piece, but would certainly do so if I knew!

I hope you enjoy!



What ARE Grits?


Nobody really knows. Some folks believe grits are grown on bushes and are harvested by midgets by shaking the bushes after spreading sheets around them.


Many people feel that grits are made from ground-up bits of white corn. These are obviously lies spread by communists and terrorists. Nothing as good as grits can be made from corn.


The most recent research suggests that the mysterious manna that God rained down upon the Israelites during their time in the Sinai Desert was most likely grits. Critics disagree, stating that there is no record of biscuits, butter, salt and red eye gravy raining down from the sky, and that God would not punish his people by forcing them to eat grits without these key ingredients.


Grits are formed deep underground under intense heat and pressure. It takes over 1,000 years to form a single grit. Most of the world's grit mines are in South Carolina, and are guarded day and night by armed guards and pit bull dogs. Harvesting the grit is a dangerous occupation, and many grit miners lose their lives each year so that grits can continue to be served morning after morning for breakfast -- not that having grits for lunch or supper is out of the question.


Yankees have attempted to create synthetic grits. They call it Cream of Wheat. As far as we can tell, the key ingredients of Cream of Wheat are Elmer's Glue and shredded Styrofoam. These synthetic grits have also been shown to cause nausea.


As we mentioned earlier, the first known mention of grits was by the ancient Israelites in the Sinai Desert. After that, grits were not heard from for another 1,000 years. Experts feel that grits were used during this time only during secret religious ceremonies, and were kept from the public due to their rarity. The next mention of grits was found amidst the ruins of the ancient city of Pompeii in a woman's personal diary. That woman's name was Herculaneum Jemimaneus. (Aunt Jemima to her friends.)


The 10 Commandments of Grits

Thou shalt not put syrup on thy grits.

Thou shalt not eat thy grits with a spoon or knife.

Thou shalt not eat Cream of Wheat and call it grits, for this is blasphemy.

Thou shalt no covet thy neighbor's grits.

Thou shalt use only salt, butter and red-eye gravy as toppings for thy grits.

Thou shalt not eat Instant Grits.

Thou shalt not put ketchup on thy grits.

Thou shalt not put margarine on thy grits.

Thou shalt not eat toast why thy grits -- only biscuits made from scratch.

Thou shalt eat grits on the Sabbath for this is manna from Heaven.


How to Cook Grits

For one serving: Boil 1.5 c. of water with salt and a little butter. (Use milk and they are creamier!)  Add 5 Tbsp. of grits. Reduce to a simmer and allow the grits to soak up all the water. When a pencil stuck into the grits stands alone, it is done. That's all!


Now, begin eating your grits. Always use a fork, never a spoon. Your grits should be thick enough so they do not run through the tines of the fork.

The correct beverage to serve with grits is black coffee.  DO NOT use cream or, heaven forbid, skim milk. Your grits should never be eaten in a bowl because Yankees will think it's Cream of Wheat.


Ways to Eat Leftover Grits

Spread them in the bottom of a casserole dish. Cover and place in the refrigerator overnight. The grits will congeal into a gelatinous mass.  Next morning, slice the grits into squares and fry in 1/2" of cooking oil and butter until they turn a golden brown.


Let's eat!



Have a happy Sunday ... stay safe!

Hugs, Myra

32 comments:

  1. This was great, loved it! While reading the first half I kept thinking it sounded like politics these days LOL! Now I really want some grits too. Enjoy the rest of the weekend :)

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    1. Have you ever enjoyed 'loaded' grits -- with sausage and cheese? Yummmm!

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  2. In my long and varied history, I have never yet discovered exactly what grits are - -and have absolutely no desire to encounter them (of course I'm not from the South).

    Anything that requires biscuits, butter, salt, and gravy to be enjoyed will never touch my tongue (perhaps I'd change my mind if whiskey were added....)

    Strangely enough, I love cream of wheat and cream of rice - - with milk and sugar.

    Perhaps there's hope for me yet.....

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    1. My first comment magically disappeared. I had to reconstruct it from my faulty memory.

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    2. Oh Jon, say it ain't so! Thanks for making me chuckle.

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  3. I love me some grits but grew up in Ohio eating mush! LOL... with syrup! Now, give me shrimp and grits or lots of butter. Yum!

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    1. I remember my dad eating mush w/ syrup, too! That and something called scrapple.

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  4. I'm smiling of course since I was raised on grits 'n eggs and having the red eye gravy wa always plus. I have NEVER read of the use of left over grits, mostly because we never had any left over I guess.
    Nice, enjoyed the visit.
    Love from Indiana (methinks)
    Sherry, jack & JJ (back on the road)

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    1. Grits and sunny-side up eggs -- yup! Not sure I've ever tasted red eye gravy. Something else for the 'to-do' list. Safe travels!

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  5. Learned a lot of interesting facts about grits. Only had them a handful of times in my life. They were okay, nothing to write home about.

    Betty

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    1. I'm guessing that's what they call an 'acquired taste'? *smile*

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  6. I love grits! Butter. Cheese. Plain with salt.

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    1. ... and Conecuh sausage! Thanks for weighing in, Sandie!

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  7. Never had grit. Possibly because not readily available in the UK. It sounds like porridge made from oats in the UK. Porridge can be eaten sweet, (with sugar, jam, honey etc), or with salt.

    God bless.

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    1. Hmmmm... would you like me to send you some?

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    2. How very kind and generous, Mevely. I've searched the Internet and Amazon came to the rescue:

      https://www.amazon.co.uk/Charleston-Favorites-Stone-Ground-Grits/dp/B007HRNIUS/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=grits&qid=1597007521&sr=8-5

      https://www.amazon.co.uk/Quaker-Instant-Butter-Flavoured-Sachet/dp/B00AGY9DWQ/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=grits&qid=1597007473&sr=8-6

      I will now check next time we're at the supermarket.

      Many thanx for your kindness. God bless.

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  8. Now I'm super hungry! I live in Connecticut, so finding good grits at a restaurant won't happen. I've never made them, but I think I could figure it out. :)
    Jan
    Laughter and Consistency

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    Replies
    1. Oh, I hope you'll let us know if you do -- and what you think!

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  9. This was just too funny, Myra! Yes, I love me some down-home Southern grits.
    Blessings!

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    1. I think Southern cooking is the BEST! Blessings, Martha!

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  10. I saw the nurse that lived in Georgia and Florida know that grits is singular not plural and it should say grits is not grits are. Haha just saying! That said I love love love grits singular or plural and I love it cold and fried in the frying pan. I just had grits with egg and cheese for breakfast this morning. When I was a child we thought it was a treat when mother didn't cook grits and cooked Cream of Wheat and I loved it and we ate it just like we used to Chris but daddy didn't like it as much as grit so we had grits most of the time but I accidentally bought Cream of Wheat instead of grits and I just couldn't eat it.

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    1. I don't recall ever having Cream of Wheat. My parents always made me eat Malto-Meal -- which wasn't horrible if you sprinkled enough brown sugar over the top. :)

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  11. Oh my that's too funny! Now I'm going to have to google to see what grits are made of. Only a true southerner could appreciate this. I do love grits but never had any until I took a trip south and then discovered every meal came with a side of them on the plate. They are not just a breakfast food. I'll have to put some on my shopping list. they are good.

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    1. To tell the truth, I've only ever made the Instant variety single servings. Tom's not fond of it, but I like to add cheese and sometimes bits of sausage.

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  12. Delightful!!!!!

    Being from Up North, I have never eaten real Grits! ~sigh~

    This post was on Aug. 8th. What are you doing now, please...???????

    "Beside a babbling brook" blog
    'Miss BB'🐝🐝

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  13. OHHHHHH!!!!!

    Where was my head??????

    Last post here, was yesterday!

    Why did I think that Aug. 8th, was long ago????

    What a way to introduce myself!

    ~sigh~

    I'm not always this rattle~brained.

    Sorrrryyyyy...

    "Beside a babbling brook" blog
    'Miss BB'🐝🐝

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    1. Well, I'm glad to know I'm not the only one. Coupled with retirement, this season of uncertainty has me totally confused what day it is.

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  14. You lose me on grits. They tried to get me to like them when we lived in the south, but nope. Now the fried grits, I might be able to tolerate because that's sounding a lot like cornmeal mush...but I'm gonna butter and syrup it!

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    1. You got a deal! BTW, do you know of something called breakfast scrapple? My dad loved it, but no-one I know has ever heard of it.

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  15. Your reference to Cream of Wheat brought back warm memories. Our family were native Californians. Somehow that doesn't seem Yankee to me, what do you think?

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    1. Ha!, good point. I don't recall ever having had Cream of Wheat. Instead, my parents made me eat Malt-O-Meal. :(

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Thanks so much for taking time to visit. Your comments mean the world to me!