Sunday morning grits

We're not the kind of people who get up bright and early on the weekend to seize the day. Weekend mornings are for sleeping in and lazing about, making our way through a pot of coffee. The last thing we want to do is break this rare idle with a trip to the store. So brunch is cobbled together from whatever we have lying around. If Matt's cooking, it's usually breakfast tacos. My favorite breakfast, though, is a hot bowl of cheesy, buttery grits with bacon.

If you think grits come from an envelope, you've never had the privilege of eating grits in the South. They must be coarse ground. They are not even remotely instant. They are a meal unto themselves. Anson Mills is a great brand, but Amazon has some good options as well. Every time I visit my dear friend in Charleston, I make sure to come home with a bag of grits from the farm store. I prefer white, but yellow grits are also available. How to best cook grits is something on which nearly every Southern home cook has an opinion, but I usually just follow the water-to-grain proportions on the bag (it may vary, depending on the grind), add some salt to the water, and simmer until thick and creamy. Some insist you should stir the grits constantly while they simmer and absorb the water, for something like 30 or 40 minutes, or even longer. This is a fine idea, and likely results in supremely creamy grits, but really, the grits taste just fine with an occasional stir to keep from sticking and about 15-20 minutes at a medium-low simmer for the water to absorb. Blasphemous, I know. I will say that a cast iron pot is a must, if you have it. With a thin metal saucepan, your grits are more likely to stick and the water will dry up too fast. Stir in a chunk of butter when they finish cooking and you have some amazing grits.

Buttery grits are a fine side on their own, but to make a truly filling breakfast, I always add bacon, cheese, and green onions. If you don't have green onions lying around, I recommend you start. You seldom need the whole bunch for whatever dish you are making, but put them in a tall glass in your kitchen window with a little water in the bottom and they'll last for weeks (and keep growing). Enjoy.