I was a "TRUE" China woman but now I'm a HALF BAKED Quay Po

Two weeks ago, I told my Quay Lo, I wanted to try making grits. I remembered he made grits for me many years ago and I did not like it.  That was because I was a “TRUE” China woman back then and did not like anything "cheesy".  Over the years, I am slowly but surely transformed into a half-baked Quay Po, who now eats all kinds of cheese including blue cheese (but not Parmesan). I wanted to give this dish a second chance.  So, my Quay Lo handed me my late Mother-in-law’s grits recipe. He told me that she made grits on Thanksgiving as a side dish and their family loved it.  

Before I headed off to the kitchen to cook grits, my Quay Lo asked me if I knew what grits were.  I thought I was so smart to tell him that it is coarsely ground rice.  I was wrong, he said grits are coarsely ground corn.  "Oh I see!" said the blind man. LOL!

This recipe is superb because the flavors of each ingredient compliment each other so well.  This is a perfect one dish weekend meal because there is not much preparation, and that means less cleaning up and dishes to wash. I love it!

Roasted Garlic Cheese Grits Casserole

Largely adapted from my Mother in law’s recipe with modification

Ingredients:

3 C chicken stock

1 small head roasted garlic, chopped

¾ C Quick Grits

2 C shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided 1 ½ cup and ½ cup

¾ C Carnation evaporated  milk

1/3 C melted butter

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

6 to 12 drops of Tabasco sauce
1 tbs Worstershire sauce

¼ tsp ground black pepper

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 2-quart baking dish and set aside.  Roast a head of garlic and chopped, set aside. Bring chicken stock to boil in a medium saucepan, slowly stir in grits. Cover pan, reduce heat to low and let it cook, stirring occasionally for 5 to 6 mins.  Add 1 ½ cup cheese, evaporated milk and butter to saucepan and stir until cheese are melted.  Add eggs , Tabasco sauce, roasted chopped garlic and ground black pepper and stir well. Turn off heat and pour over cooked grits and mix well.  Pour mixture into the prepared baking dish and spring with the remaining ½ cup cheese.  Bake for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.’’

Note: I served it with bacon, eggs, cut lettuce and cherry tomatoes with toasted bread and butter on the side.