A little Southern Charm....

Sometime in high school, I began to adore grits. The textures and flavors are a wonderful home-cooked meal. In college, I settled on microwavable cheese grits, but the flat texture and lack of creaminess meant the meal was just a glorified version of ramen.
A relatively new restaurant on U Street, Creme makes some really, really good Shrimp and Grits. On my friend Dan's suggestion, we sat in the swanky restaurant, soaking up the ambiance and $10 glass of Shiraz. Note: Sometimes the house wine is not so much of a household price.

Last week, after A's panic attack in organic trendster hell, we found some yummy grits/ polenta meal.Of course, in the spirit of the new year and saving money, we jumped on the opportunity for making them at home last week.

Modified Neely's Shrimp and Grits.

• 4 cups veggie broth
• 1/2 half and half
• 1 cup grits
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 cup Romano Cheese
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 pounds uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes

Directions

1. In a heavy saucepan, simmer the veggie broth and half and half. Then, whisk in the grits and a pinch of salt. Stir constantly and return to a low simmer. Cook until thickened, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Stir in the butter and cheese.

2. Large saute pan over medium-heat. Melt butter and saute onion, garlic, and green bell pepper. Saute until tender and translucent, then add the shrimp and saute for about 2 minutes. Add white wine and diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.