I learned to eat grits many years ago while visiting cousins in Georgia (US, not USSR). Unfortunately, at the time grits took forever to cook and were not readily available in Noo Yawk.

Well, recently I discovered that the Quaker Oats company makes Instant Grits! How cool is that?!?! I like to make them in the microwave with 1% lowfat milk, then add Take Control margarine and a little bit of honey. Wowie -- second best high-fiber, low-calorie winter snack in the universe!

(The first best high-fiber, low-calorie winter snack in the universe is Atolé, but more about that later.)

I :heart: Grits!!

Apropos of nothing in particular,
Tani

And what about the ever popular "ya'll'll"? The contracted, Southern, "you all will"?


I eat my grits with brown sugar.

Is there a singular form of grits, i.e., grit? Or is it already singular, and if so, then what is the plural form? These are the things that keep me awake at night. :bugout: . By and by, I love them prepared with milk also.

Howdy, scarmig and Castor! Glad to meet some fellow grits-kissers. Brown sugar sounds like a great idea, though I am dieting and must be careful to use it in moderation.

I think "grit" is something you find in your collard greens if you haven't washed them thoroughly. Of course, in that case it is a collective plural used in the singular form. Or something like that. You know, one of my acquaintances once speculated whether the singular of "suds" would be "a sud". Life is fraught with mysteries.

BTW, what is Red-Eye Gravy? I've heard it's good with grits, but I assume it doesn't come packaged and you have to make it. Interesting name!

Coming soon to this thread: the mind-blowing revelation of Atolé!! :shock:

Hi Tani

Red-eye gravy is made with coffee, hence the reference to staying awake overnight.

I prefer grits with butter, salt and pepper. I haven't had them with seafood.

Melissa

OK Please humour a poor iggerant Kiwi, but what ARE grits?

I've read about'm (y'know "Gone with the Wind" and stuff like that)


For that matter what's Atolé ?

:? :?

J

Grits start as corn, usually large kernel hominy, which is then soaked in some sort of chemical that essentially removes all the nutrition (sorry to tell you, Tani). It's just starch, and if ground fine, is not unlike farina. You get them a lot in the southern US.

Melissa

G'day Jean!

Here is the best definition of grits (or, more correctly, "hominy grits") that I've seen:

http://wri3ght.com/grits10.html

Yo Melissa!

Do you by any chance have a recipe for Red-Eye Gravy? Sounds like it would be fun to try for breakfast someday.

Everyone:

Very soon, I shall be initiating yawl into the mysteries of Atolé. But not quite yet. I enjoy keeping people on Taniterhooks.

:twisted:

er..........sounds great :shock: you actually eat that???? :shock:

Mind you it's gotta be better than marmite/vegemite :yuck:

J

er..........sounds great :shock: you actually eat that???? :shock:

Mind you it's gotta be better than marmite/vegemite :yuck:

J

Yeeup, grits is groovy! And -- lack of nutrition notwithstanding -- it shore gets things movin', if yawl ketch mah drift..... :mrgreen:

Um, as a matter of fact, I have tasted Vegemite -- sent away for it from one of those Aussie import catalogs. And I can safely say that, with the possible exception of kerosene, just about anything is better than that stuff. How do your fellow Antipodeans stand it? I guess all that :beer: must kill the taste. Or the tastebuds.

:?

Red-eye gravy is just drippings from whatever you've roasted, probably ham if you're making red-eye gravy, with some black coffee and sugar stirred in over a low flame. Use corn starch to thicken. Fat, caffeine and sugar sounds so good, but it's not for me.

Squid probably don't give enough fat for this recipe.

Melissa

Squid probably don't give enough fat for this recipe.


Homer: "Mmmmm, Squid Fat!"

er..........sounds great :shock: you actually eat that???? :shock:


just think of polenta as italain grits... personally i dont care for either

Um, as a matter of fact, I have tasted Vegemite -- sent away for it from one of those Aussie import catalogs. And I can safely say that, with the possible exception of kerosene, just about anything is better than that stuff. How do your fellow Antipodeans stand it? I guess all that :beer: must kill the taste. Or the tastebuds. :?

It's just that they're so incredibly TOUGH, particularly down here in the South. Y'know the sorta thing wrestling with crocs/moa's/messies (slot in your fav tough critter) all before a hearty brekky of speights and vegemite on galvo (toast being too namby pamby, you understand!).

No Lattes and Criossants down here!

J

....all before a hearty brekky of speights and vegemite on galvo (toast being too namby pamby, you understand!).


OK, I'll bite (pardon the expression): what's galvo? Is that anything like Anzac biscuits?

And what about the googs? Don't tell me the Kiwi chooks have gone on strike!

:o

Can't say I've tried any of the rest of it, but as a 3rd generation Texan, I'm certainly a big fan of grits. They are great in a cheesy grits casserole, but my favorite ('cause my dad used to make it for me when I was little), is eggs over easy, bacon, and grits. You crumble the bacon up, cut up the eggs, mix it all together, and eat it. Oh, throw a pat of butter on the grits before you mix, and don't forget to take your Zocor.

http://www.recipesource.com/main-dishes/breakfast/00/rec0071.html

Mmm!

Lub,
Shannen

OK, I'll bite (pardon the expression): what's galvo? Is that anything like Anzac biscuits?

And what about the googs? Don't tell me the Kiwi chooks have gone on strike!

:lol: :twisted: :twisted:

Galvanised Iron!!!!!!!!!!!! Most often used for building (Sheds, roofs etc!!).

How could I have forgotten the cackleberries! A couple of dozen of those tossed into the mix! And some snags and ya got it!



J

snags

:?:

COMING SOON TO A MESSAGE BOARD NEAR YOU:

"Atolé -- What It Is, Where to Get It, and How to Prepare It!"

The year I lived in Texas, my girlfriend convinced me to try grits. Personally I just can't see the attraction, it's like eating dirt with margarine. Of course, hummus tastes a lot like dirt and I like that. Go figure.

Jean wrote:
snags



:?:

Antipodean for snarlers, bangers....................sausages!!!


J

Tani,

Heh... My mother made a drink from her homeland called Atol de Elote(sp?). Its a sweet drink made from corn and is very popular in Guatemala. I used to drink it when I lived there.

Hominy kicks booty! I like CornNuts on occasion, and the Mexican dishes Posole and Menudo are made with hominy as well. Very interesting fruit.

Never had grits myself... more of a raw oatmeal mixed with yogurt fan myself.... along with...

SUSHI AND SAKE!!

John

John wins the prize! Here's the scoop on Atolé:

It is indeed a wonderful hot drink made from roasted blue corn meal, milk, sugar, and spices. I know it as a Native American recipe, but of course there is considerable crossover between Native American and Latin American cuisine.

I get my Roasted Blue Corn Meal for Atolé from a great online Native American food supplier called The Cooking Post:

http://www.cookingpost.com/
[Click on Tamaya Blue Corn, then on Roasted Blue Corn Meal]

Ingredients:

4 teaspoons Roasted Blue Corn Meal
2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup (8 oz.) milk [Tani the Dieter uses 1% lowfat milk]
Cinnamon
Allspice
Nutmeg

Place milk, sugar, Roasted Blue Corn Meal, dash of cinnamon and allspice (to taste) into small saucepan. Heat mixture slowly over low flame while stirring constantly, till it thickens slightly and begins to foam at edges -- do NOT boil! Remove from flame, stir again, and pour into cup. Top with a pinch of nutmeg. Serve with a spoon (to stir occasionally while drinking) and enjoy!

HINT: If you've got a frother or cappuccino maker, it's even better topped with frothy steamed milk.

And there ya have it....
:D

Hey Tani!


You RULE!

Thank you! I keep forgetting to ask my mother for her recipes (there are actually several flavors), and I would need to translate them from Spanish to English (the metric conversion is a pain though).

Thanks! Sushi and Atole!

John

Sounds interesting Tani, I wonder if you can get the blue corn meal in NZ?????? Must look into that!

J

Sounds interesting Tani, I wonder if you can get the blue corn meal in NZ?????? Must look into that!

J

Hiya Jean --

If you do, make sure it's roasted blue corn meal -- I have a feeling the drink wouldn't be too appetizing with the unroasted kind....

:mrgreen: