Cuzin Peggy’s Jambalaya Grits

Let me be clear. I love grits. I can eat them for breakfast, dinner, or supper– which some people call dinner. They have the right to be wrong, bless their hearts. Why, even my beloved daughter grew up and fell into this misguided group. She calls supper, dinner, too! But I overlook it. You have to pick your battles, you know, and the girl is just precious. But, I was talking about grits…Today’s recipe comes from a relative I call Aunt Peggy, although she is really my cousin, which is a whole other story and we need to get cooking.

“Cuzin Peggy’s Jambalaya Grits”

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 stick of butter
Chopped onion, bell pepper, and celery
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 package smoked sausage sliced
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 cans of RoTel Tomatoes
5 cups milk
2 cups old fashioned grits
Green onions
1/2 pound cooked ham, cubed
1 pound sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
1 8oz. package cream cheese

I’ve already gotten us started by heating a bit of olive oil and butter in my big cast iron soup pot. I’ve been sauteing the trinity, chopped onions, celery, and bell pepper, along with some salt, cayenne, and black pepper.

Once the veggies are soft, we’ll chop the smoked sausage into bite size pieces and add it to the pot. Then we’ll add a can of Rotel tomatoes and a bit of chopped garlic.

Our next step will be to add five cups of milk and let it all come to boil before reducing the heat and stirring in two cups of uncooked old fashioned grits. We’ll let this cook a couple minutes and then we’ll add a half pound of diced ham and continue stirring occasionally until the grits are tender and creamy, about twenty minutes. Before we serve, we’ll stir in our green onions and one eight ounce package of cream cheese. Good googly, moogly. Once that’s melted, its game on, folks. Serve it for breakfast, dinner, or supper, by any other name, but do serve it! That’s Cuzin Peggy’s Jambalaya Grits, y’all and it’s good eating, from Aunt Peggy and the All Things Southern kitchen to yours~