Southern Comfort

And I am not talking about whiskey!

I had never tried grits until I moved to North Carolina. Let's face it, the name doesn't sound appealing, and on their own they aren't very pretty to look at. My first experience was with shrimp and grits and that's when I fell in love. Every so often I cook some grits for breakfast. So yummy with an egg. What would have made this breakfast over the top? I little crumbled bacon, but that's not something I keep on hand on a regular basis. A sprinkling of chopped green onion added a nice fresh flavor. Served in my favorite Ron Philbeck bowl, those grits are looking quite attractive.

Jeff and I ended our day with a drive into nearby Asheboro for early voting. It's great to get it done with no long lines. Early voting times coincided with the exhibition at the North Carolina Potters Conference. The gallery was jammed packed with people. In no time at all, nearly all of presenter Tony Clennell's pots were sold. Lot's of red dots on the other presenters work as well. I would have liked to attend the conference this year, but money is tight. Maybe next year.

The Command Center

This is where I have spent the last few days. On the sofa with a tray table nearby. I feel like such an invalid!

When we were moving to North Carolina we obviously had to get rid of stuff. Combining two households isn't easy and each of us had some difficulty letting go of some things. Jeff had a set of wood tray tables that I said to give away. He wanted to keep them. I never really had a use for tray tables, I think of them as "old school". Well let me tell you, this week I am loving these tray tables! I barely got off the sofa yesterday and my tray table kept everything I needed within reach of my "good arm".

I had a rough friday night. My shoulder hurt so bad that I was in tears most of the evening, the pain was constant. I couldn't sleep in bed, couldn't get comfortable... I paced around the house, holding my left arm, for what felt like forever. I finally got some relief after doubling up on naproxen. I fell asleep around 3am, sitting up on the sofa. In the morning the constant pain was gone, it only hurt when I moved my arm and it didn't bring tears to my eyes to do it. I still can't lift my arm on it's own, my right arm has to help it move. This morning I managed to make myself bacon, eggs, and grits... cracking an egg with my right hand proved a challenge! The yoke broke but it still tasted good and I didn't have to ask Jeff to make it for me. The next challenge for the day is an attempt to put clothes on.
Wish me luck!

Shrimp & Grits

YUM!

Can you believe that I have lived in the south for over three years and never had grits until last night? They never appealed to me because they look like cream of wheat (yuck). Since I do love shrimp I figured shrimp and grits, a southern favorite, would be a great introduction for me. Rhonda McCanless shared this recipe on facebook a few weeks ago. Her family loved it and I can see why, it is fantastic! I didn't stray too far from the recipe. I added a little less mushrooms (Jeff isn't a fan of them cooked) and probably more green onion. The time frame of cooking was right on... the shrimp was done to perfection. I had all the ingredients chopped, measured and ready to dump in at just the right time. The sauce and grits melded together beautifully. I savored every bite.

Here is a link to the recipe: Shrimp and Grits

Seagrove potter neighbors, Meredith Heywood and Tom Gray both filled me on FB about the deliciousness of yellow grits. Tom even told me about a mill, not far from here, where you can have them ground to your liking. I think it's time for a field trip.

Y'all have a happy Monday!