Monday, February 10, 2014

Cream Cheese Grits for Secret Recipe Club

I love grits, which is a good thing considering I live in the south.   The first time I tried them, we were in Miami, heading to the Bahamas for a winter break.  We had time for breakfast before our flight and ordered our usual, Bacon and Eggs, not realizing that in the south Grits are what you get instead of hash browns, cottage fries, or home fries.   And we both liked the Grits, didn't miss the potatoes at all.

Fast forward a few years, and we are now living in the south and grits are everywhere.  I was introduced to Shrimp and Grits, a common way to serve it here, as well as Cheese Grits which are served with fried fish.  I've learned how to make Cheese Grits and even came up with my own spin on Shrimp and Grits when I made this awesome Cheesy Tomatillo Grits for Boat Club one month. 

So where am I going with this?  Well, it's time for the Secret Recipe Club reveal!!!!    I got Sarah's Kitchen  as my assignment, and started scrolling through her recipes to see what I wanted to make for my Secret Recipe Club reveal this month,  when I stopped at this one.  Cream Cheese Grits.   Honestly, she has a lot of fun recipes, but gee, when you spot 'the one', why keep going?  She also has a lot more recipes I want to try, later on.  But for now...

The Secret Recipe Club is a fun club.  We sign up for each month's "Reveal" and are assigned a blog to find and make a recipe from, and then reveal it at the same time on a set day.  We don't know who got our blog or which recipe they will pick to make and feature on our 'reveal' day.   I have fun seeing the tweaks some of my recipes have gotten, and have picked up a few tips along the way.  I've had so much fun doing this, and hope to continue it for a long time.    And I also now have such a large collection of 'must try' recipes from the different blogs that, well, I don't know how if I will ever make them all, but I can try.

I did cut down the recipe, and didn't make the Bacon Wrapped Shrimp to go with it, at least not this time.  There are only two of us, and we're trying to eat a little smarter lately.  But I gotta say, I will be making this again, and bringing it to one of the many potlucks we attend.  Or maybe I could make it for Tapas night, hmmm.   I think it will be a big hit.  For now, here is the recipe as I made it.  First though, a couple of notes about grits. I prefer the quick cooking kind, it only takes about 6 or 7 minutes.  Although the stone ground artisanal grits are great, and there is also the instant kind too, but I don't care for instant, anything. So... without further ado.

Cream Cheese Grits 

3/4 c. Grits  
1 1/2  cups whole milk
1/2 cup Half and Half (I had some that needed to be used, so I used it in this).
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup cream cheese. 
Salt and Pepper to taste.

Heat the milk and cream to almost boiling,  I had some heavy cream in the freezer so I used that  and it worked.    And yes, heavy cream does freeze, and quite well too. You can even make whipped cream from it.  Sorry, had to throw in a little hint there.  Now for the rest of the recipe how to's.

Whisk in the grits, turn the heat down and let simmer until cooked, stirring every minute or so. Continue to cook until the grits are done, this took me about 10 minutes.  If they start to get too stiff, add a couple tablespoons of milk, just enough to keep them from stiffening.  As soon as the grits are cooked, stir in the cream cheese, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
I thought this made a nice change from regular cheese grits,


and in fact I ate it with some turkey and green beans.
 An interesting change from mashed taters.  

And now for the rest of the recipes the Secret Recipe Club bloggers made, take a look at these:
Sidsel Munkholm - Author
Sidsel Munkholm - Author

Sid loves to cook, feed people and have fun in the kitchen. She shares her successes and the involuntary offerings she sometimes gives the kitchen goddess as well. And she's still looking for the mythical fairy to help her clean the kitchen after a marathon cooking session. Currently working on a cookbook showcasing the recipes from her Danish heritage.

28 comments:

  1. I'm not a huge fan of grits, but cream cheese and heavy cream make just about anything good!
    Have a wonderful Monday!

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    1. I totally agree, cream cheese and heavy cream can make almost anything taste good. And gotta add in the butter, and some bacon and... Oh oh, I think I have another idea for grits.
      Have a great day too.

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  2. I love grits - I bet the cream cheese made them over the top. I had fun with your blog this month. You have so many fantastic recipes.

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    1. The cream cheese was great, but that grind of fresh black pepper, it topped it very well. And thanks for the kind comments on my blog.

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  3. I'm a northern girl and love grits! Great SRC choice!

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    1. I'm from the north too, and still get funny looks when I pour syrup on top of my grits, but I like them like that. But I've found grits are so versatile, that you can do anything with them. Well, almost anything.

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  4. Replies
    1. I did, and will make them again,but next time, I'm going to share with more people.

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  5. I adore grits, but try to make them as healthy as possible. But this recipe is oh so tempting!

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    1. I usually do them healthy as well, but this recipe, would be good for an occasional treat or to share with a lot of people.

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  6. I have made grits before but never with cream cheese, yummy and I am sure you can use low fat if you are trying to watch calories. LOL

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    1. I totally think you can make with low fat cheese, but the heavy cream will get you. Just kidding. I want to try making this in a slightly lower fat fashion, later on. But it was sinfully rich this time.

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  7. I haven't had grits in so long, and these, with all the cream cheese, cream, half and half... I bet they were so rich and delicious. Awesome choice.

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    1. They were rich and so very good. Not something I will be making for everyday, but as a special treat, definitely.

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  8. I am not from the south but love grits. I have them whenever I can.

    I've been reading your blog and am curious What's boat club? We live on a lake and own a boat, so curious. :)

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    1. We have a couple of people who belong to the one of the local boat clubs. They are generous enough to host a monthly gathering at the clubhouse. We have a varied and eclectic group, some who own boats, some who don't, but who love to get together and socialize. And eat.
      I think grits are good food, and had no idea until I moved south the many and varied ways you can enjoy them.

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  9. I have lived in the south all my life and I have never eaten grits (is that bad of me)? haha. I am going to have to give these a try.

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    1. Not really, but grits are good food, and so versatile. I had no idea how many things you can do with them until recently.
      Go ahead and give these a try, they were very tasty.

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  10. What a great recipe! Thanks for sharing it with the SRC. I will definitely give that a try...it's like stirring in marscarpone into risotto I suspect. Fantastic recipe.

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    1. I think it is a lot like mascarpone into risotto. And I love risotto, just haven't really tried making it a whole lot. You just gave me an idea,. But this was very good. The Cream Cheese Grits that is.

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  11. I do love me some cheese grits! I'm thinking with cream cheese, it'd be even creamier. :)

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    1. I love cheese grits, but the cream cheese grits are over the top good.

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  12. What CJ said . If cheese grits are good, these sound awesome.

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    1. They are good, and now I'm wondering if adding some cream cheese to regular cheese grits might not be a good idea, hmmm.

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  13. These grits look so tasty. I love using cream cheese in recipes. I even use it in mac & cheese.

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    1. I do too, and add some to my mashed potatoes when I make them for company. Cream cheese is good food.

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