I ate until I was sick... Sick with noms!

Here is a recipe that I ate. Not only did I eat it, but it was the first thing I've ever eaten that I genuinely wish that my stomach were larger so that I could consume more. If I could spread it on my face in order to enjoy the flavor longer, I would. That's sounds silly. It is. Silly delicious. This, dear readers, is Spicy Shrimp with Andouille Sausage and Grits.

The recipe is simple enough - shrimp and grits. Spicy shrimp. Andouille sausage. Spicy. Little sweet. Creamy. You can substitute to add what you want. You will bath in it, if only to get more in your body. I was introduced to this recipe when my sister-in-law brought her then-boyfriend home to meet the family, and they cooked for us. I had grits for the first time. I pretty much had a brief phase where I wanted grits with EVERYTHING. I got over it, but have since been converted and will enjoy grits frequently. The boyfriend has recently become her husband, and we're all pretty okay with this :-) (Just kidding - he's a great guy and can make amazing food, so he can stay).

After I first had this, I dreamed about it. I craved it. I searched for the recipe and couldn't find it. I never actually thought to ask my mother-in-law if she had the printed recipe (how simply obvious would THAT be??). She did have it - and I stole it and made it as soon as I physically could. And I left in my path a storm of destruction in the kitchen... this is NOT a one-pot meal. This is not a two-pot meal... I chopped vegetables, cooked sauces, sides, and main dishes, and left a wrecked kitchen so bad that the husband threatened not to clean it. But he did. After he licked his plate clean.

It starts as any good sauce does - with wine. The first step is to start the finishing sauce. You take some green sauce (the jalapeno Tobasco version is what I used), white wine, shallot, lemon juice and rice vinegar and put it in a pot (the little one) and simmer until it reduces. Add cream. HEAVY, freaking, CREAM. Don't skip. Every last one of your taste buds will thank you. And then you just let that sit in a jacuzzi of nom (yes, that's a technical "simmer" term) while you finish everything else.

The next step is the grits, which can take about an hour. (Oh, sorry, along with not being a one-pot meal, this is also NOT a 30-minute meal.) Take some cream, water, milk, and butter to a boil and add some grits. Simmer and stir frequently - mine took just under an hour.

Next comes the "spicy shrimp and andouille" part of the meal - the bulk of it. Take some sliced sausage, bell peppers, onion and garlic. Saute until just soft.

Add tomatoes and seasoning and let it meld - I like my tomatoes broken down a little more, so I let this go separately from the shrimp for about 10 minutes, then I added the shrimp for another 5-6 until opaque. Season. Just look:

YUM-VILLE. Population: me. To serve, put some grits into a bowl.

Tops the grits with the sausage and shrimp nom mixure. Top with the spicy creamy sauce.

When you eat, try to remember to breath between bites. And then use this as bribery for someone to clean the kitchen after you...

I got the main recipe from Epicurious and I only changed the cook time on the tomatoes.