Recently, I was struck with a rare craving for a bowl of grits, boiled on the stove the way they do in diners below the Mason-Dixon line, with some butter and salt and pepper. Bargain-savvy as I am, I decided to buy the economy-sized tub of Quaker quick grits, rather than the smaller, less cost-effective box. Proud of myself for figuring out such a great deal, I trotted home with grits in tow and cooked myself a bowl.

I had eaten a bowl of grits for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and breakfast again when I realized that I was stuck with the rest of this huge tub, and that there was no way I could stomach any more of the mushy grains. I forgot, I hate grits!

I'm the type of guy who can't throw stuff away so I needed a way to spruce these grits. And who better to consult than my raised-in-the-South assistant, Emily. 

 "Emily... fix my grits?" I pleaded.

Emily scoffed at me, rolled her eyes and began to divulge. First, she explained that by themselves, grits are all texture and little flavor, they go with anything. After you boil them-in a non-stick pan, which will save you time when cleaning up-you can experiment with any number of added ingredients. Obviously, grits go well with other traditional Southern ingredients, like ham, turnip greens, fried catfish, gravy, and okra, they are a very versatile food. Cheese, butter, and maple syrup are commonly paired with grits, but Emily added that, "I have an aunt who eats them with brown sugar and bananas. My mom likes them with sour cream and jalapeno peppers. I prefer ketchup. And that's just for breakfast." I wince at the thought of these flavor combinations, although it makes sense that the stone-ground, plain-ish tasting cornmeal would compliment many different flavors, sort of like tofu or rice.

Another reason grits are appealing is how simple they are to prepare and spruce up. However, Emily says, "If you have time, there are a million recipes you can try." For example, a favorite in South Carolina is shrimp and grits, of which there are many variations. Sometimes fried shrimp are added to the cooked grits, along with any combination of butter, garlic, Creole seasoning, cayenne pepper, hot sauce, sausage, and/or bacon. It is also delicious with steamed or boiled shrimp, which go nicely with lighter flavors like scallions, parsley, and lemon. In either recipe, the grits should be cooked first, then the dry ingredients added when the grits have thickened. The shrimp should cook in a separate pan, as should the bacon or sausage, if you are using it, and then be stirred into the grits just before serving. If you like shrimp and grits, you can try experimenting with any other fish, fried or grilled or cooked however you like it, as most fish go just as well as shrimp with grits.

You can also think of grits as being similar to rice in Asian cooking, and stir-fry it with onions, peppers, mushrooms, or any other vegetables, chicken or pork, and soy sauce or sesame oil. The grits will absorb the flavors of the vegetables much like rice does. In the same vein, you can use grits as a replacement for rice in Cajun dishes like jambalaya. Cook Andouille sausage, crawfish, corn, onions, vegetables and seasoning cooking in one pot, and then spoon the mixture over cooked grits.

Emily's third suggestion was to make spoon bread, which is similar in texture to pudding and usually made with plain corn meal. Grits give the bread a stronger flavor of corn and a thicker, grainier texture. First cook the grits, then mix them in a pan with butter, eggs, water, salt, fresh corn kernels or frozen creamed corn, and milk, and bake for about forty minutes in a 400 degree oven, or until the bread is fairly solid and light brown on top. If you add brown sugar to this mixture, the result is similar to caramel pudding, and can be eaten for dessert.

"Most people think grits are just supposed to be eaten for breakfast on the side with eggs and bacon. But in a lot of households, they're a staple food, and they can be eaten for pretty much any meal. There are so many recipes, but the best thing to do is to experiment and add them into things you already like. If you want Mexican food, cook them with cheese and peppers and put them in a tortilla. If you want eggs, put them in an omelet. They're comforting and easy to make, but they don't have to be simple or unsophisticated."

Emily's last words of advice were to scold me for buying quick grits, which are, apparently, far inferior to real, fresh, stone-ground grits. These can be purchased at natural foods stores, gourmet grocery stores, and online. Although they take longer to cook-upwards of thirty minutes as opposed to the five minutes it takes to cook quick grits, but real grits have fifty times the flavor. "Why would you buy quick grits?" Emily asked, wagging her finger. "You might as well eat sawdust."

I went home that day with a reddened face and a slew of recipe ideas and suddenly, I didn't feel nauseous at the thought of the grits sitting in my pantry. I wasn't quite ready to eat them with sour cream and jalapeno peppers or fried catfish and ketchup, but I was no longer afraid... of my grits.