My mother used to make what I now know to be…polenta.  There wasn’t a very large Italian population in South Dakota, probably still isn’t.  So, we just didn’t know about things like polenta.  So, unknowingly she made polenta, or cornmeal “mush”.  We always used yellow cornmeal, never white.  I think most of the time you’ll see white cornmeal in the South.  We had our grits served either in a bowl, doused with heavy cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar on top.  Think yellow, cream of wheat.  Or she poured the grits into a greased loaf pan and chilled it until completely firm.  She would cut the “loaf” into about 3/4-inch thick slices, dusted the slices with flour and fried them in bacon fat until brown and crispy.  We fried as much as we could in bacon fat (or lard–“Horrors!”).  Why?  Because bacon fat makes pretty much everything taste better.  Flavor, baby, flavor!!!  It’s always all about flavor.  She would often serve the “slabs” with pan-fried kielbasa or homemade sausage.  And always with eggs fried/basted with bacon fat…are you seeing a pattern here?  This wasn’t always our breakfast, but usually for supper.  On the farm, dinner was around noon and that was the biggest meal of the day.  Supper was the evening meal.  So, on with it!—

Place the milk, water and salt in a large, heavy-bottomed pot, over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Once the mixture boils, very slowly pour in the cornmeal while whisking constantly. Once all of the cornmeal has been incorporated, whisk for about 30 additional seconds.  Decrease the heat to low; cover.  Whisk frequently, every 3 to 4 minutes, to prevent grits from sticking or forming lumps.  Make sure to get corners of pot when whisking.  Keep the cover on as much as possible and cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until mixture is creamy and the cornmeal is tender.

Remove from the heat, add the pepper, lemon juice and butter, whisking until combined. Once the butter is melted, add the cheese gradually, whisking as you go, until the cheese is completely incorporated…okay, so clearly I didn’t do that, and just to let you know, it works.  I’m a bad influence and clearly I will be getting a large piece of coal in my stocking for leading you astray!  When mother made her grits, she didn’t add cheese.  I don’t know why no cheese.  I guess she simply didn’t think about adding it, but I do.   She sometimes added fried onions, though.  Our cheddar-type cheese was Colby.  I must say, I still do enjoy it from time to time.  We didn’t have all the food options then, that we do now.  I love this as a base for a protein, as here, with Sensational Seared Scallops.  When you’re making grits to slice, use the lesser amount of water, as you want the finished product to be very firm.  Enjoy!

This is the recipe I use to make Scrapple.  I use 1 cup whole milk, and 2 3/4 cups water and omit the cheese.  Otherwise, the recipe is the same.  I have been know to sub in bacon fat for the butter, though…just mentioning it….