My Shrimp and Grits

 Shrimp and grits is a staple meal in South Carolina, originating in Charleston.  If you go to an event, more than likely shrimp and grits is on the menu.  Almost every restaurant on the South Carolina coast worth it's salt has a version.  This is mine.

Shrimp and Grits for a Crowd. (serves 12)
Ingredients
For the sauce
8 links of andouille sausage diced
3 onions small dice
2 shallots small dice
3 cloves of garlic crushed and diced
1 cup of flour
4 cups of good chicken stock
1 cup of cream
1 tbsp. of dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste

For the shrimp
3 lbs of shrimp
coating of seasoning (I use emerils)

GRITS
Did you know that in 1976, South Carolina declared grits as the official state food?  For those of you that don't like or have never had grits, I am here to tell you it can be delish, IF done right.  Throw away the boxes of instant grits, quick grits, and all that yucky stuff.  Go for the REAL stone ground grits. 
(use the package instructions, but use 1/1 ratio of water and milk example If it calls for 4 cups water use 2 cups water 2 cups milk)

THE SAUCE
Saute the andouille sausage until the fat is rendered, then add the onions and shallots, saute for a couple of minutes unit translucent, add the garlic for 1 minute, then the flour for another minute.  Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil, the sauce should thicken a bit.  Then add the cream, salt, pepper, and thyme.  Bring to a simmer. Simmer until ready to serve. Adjust seasoning to taste  Or can be made the night before and reheated.

THE SHRIMP
Meanwhile, Season the shrimp, put on baking sheets, and pop in a 350 degree oven.  Bake until done.  Here you can either add to the sauce, or leave out for your guests to add as many shrimp as they want.  Your choice, delish either way!

THE GRITS
The way I get my grits to be super creamy is to use the 1/1 ratio of water and milk example If it calls for 4 cups water use 2 cups water 2 cups milk)  Something that adds a delishise touch is to cook a couple ears of corn and take the corn off the cob,  and add to the grits, really, really good.

I prepped everything the night before

These are the grits

This is what grits looks like when cooking.

There you have it.  Shrimp and grits.  Easy and good, and once you taste it you will see what all of the fuss is about.

Isn't the sterling beautiful??  Not mine, borrowed.

Do we ever grow out of tea parties?  I think not:)  When I was asked to help host a luncheon for a friend's very special birthday, I said "But of course!", not only to celebrate a milestone in a friend's life, but to have an opportunity to get all girley and bring out the "good stuff", get dressed up, make fun food, and have a cocktail at 10:30 in the morning (something I don't ever indulge in, thank you, especially on a Monday!!!)

I spent all  weekend preparing, cleaning, sewing (an opportunity to get those drapes up in the dining room!), preparing linens, ironing, all over frooffing of the house.  The the fun kind of preparing, not the drugery of everyday.  I HAD GUESTS!  This is my element, and I LOVE it!  To coin a new friend's word I was was all around Zhushing (even got a new dress for the occasion!) My husband says I am channeling Martha, I just might be, what is so wrong with that!

Anyway, on to the good stuff.

It all started with an invitation to set the color scheme...being a fan of navy and green I thought, what the heck? This is a design I did a while ago, and I thought it oh, appropo. 

Photos by moi.

Note to self remember to bring chair down from upstairs bottom right (luckily we had a noshow:)

Bring the party outside too, it didn't hurt that it was beautiful outside too.  The doors were opened and the conversation could flow freely, and every one was comfy and felt part of the party.  Just as I had imagined it when we added the porch off the dining room.

Notice the drapes in the background...funny how they have green and blue in them.  I told you I have been having a green and blue moment lately:)

We used little sterling peppers and salt cellars with the tiny spoons.  The tiny details.  Borrowed.  But who doesn't like to use a salt cellar??

We plated the salad before guests arrived, and it was already dressed...who wants to mess with dressing?

A little bit for everyone.  Having sliced lemons in the lemonade was another detail.  Having the mint although not used, made the drink tray really pretty.  We had regular water in glasses on the tables.

and coffee of course.! No pictures of the shrimp and grits or cake, I put my camera down and forgot to take pics.  Sorry:(

photo by moi.

t is party day.  Have much to do, but wanted to show you a sneak peak of the party.

Have a great day.

White roses, baby's breath, and polka dots...couldn't get more baby than that!

I have had a few friends become mothers in the past few months and wanted to do something special for them. I had not yet met the little ones, and thought it would be fun to Celebrate their births and the girls launch into mommy hood with a special luncheon. It just makes me so happy to see them with their little ones. I got my fill of baby hands and feet and hopefully it was a nice couple of hours for the new moms...it was so fun hearing them discuss all of the "new mommy" things....I felt so far removed...Do you know how many products have been invented since my last one was born 4 years ago????  There is something called the Nap Nanny, and they have special boogie wipes....although the old fashioned bulb thingy still does a great job!

I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it...from start to finish....I love setting the table and getting all of my fun stuff out. 

Here are the pics of the tablescape.  I used scraps of fabric and just ironed them under to make runners.  (pink AND blue).  A simple little flower arrangement of roses and baby's breath (of course.) And my collection of pink depression glass.  Oh, and I am such a dork I have to confess....there were only 4 moms but I had to set the table for 6 because 5 place settings didn't look right, 6 was symetrical and prettier:)

Mini quiches are easy to make, and I made a  couple different kinds....just in case of dietary constraints:) One with spinach and mushrooms, and the other with aspragus, onion, and bacon. TIP: Just saute the main ingredients and make the cream, milk, and cheese mixture separate....dispurse in the tins and then pour mixture over the top.

A small little gift on each place setting... they are vintage napkins that I embroidered on my machine with the babies names and dates of birth

On the menu were mini quiches (2 different kinds) made in tart molds, a fresh salad, fruit salad, and cheesecake for dessert. Oh, and each of us had a mimosa....it was a celebration afterall:)  Simple and fun.

On to the cheesecake....now when my 21 year old brother stopped by later that afternoon and said "Gretchen, seriously WHAT is that cake you made, it is the bomb!, it is the perfect mix of citrus and cheese!" I knew I had to share the recipe.

Meyer Lemons really do live up to the hype!

Meyer Lemon Cheesecake

Crust

• 1 1/2 cups graham crackers
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Filling

• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• 3 tablespoons sour cream 
• 1 tablespoons meyer lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh meyer lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Topping

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh meyer lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. *If you can't get Meyer lemons, mix equal parts fresh orange and fresh lemon juice to approximate their sweet fragrance and flavor.
2. Preheat oven to 325°; grease a 9-inch springform pan with 3-inch sides.
3. Crust: in a bowl, combine the cookie crumbs and butter; press into bottom of cheesecake pan and freeze.
4. Filling: in a large mixer bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar on med-high speed for 3 minutes.
5. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. 
6. Add in sour cream
7. Mix in zest, juice, and vanilla; pour over frozen crust.
8. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until the top is light brown and the center has a slight jiggle to it.
9. Cool on the counter for 10 minutes (do not turn the oven off); the cake will sink slightly.
10. Topping: in a small bowl, combine sour cream, sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla; pour mixture into the center of cooled cake and spread out to edges.
11.  Bake for 5 minutes more.
12. Cool on rack for 2 hours; cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours before serving.