Shrimp and Grits

This was my first time making Shrimp and Grits but definitely not my last. Chad and I married a few recipes together and added a few things here and there to suit our taste. I'm not trying to brag but I must say the results were pretty amazing :) We both cleaned our plates.

Shrimp & Grits

- Start by cooking 4-6 strips of bacon in a pan until crisp. Set aside bacon and reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon grease/drippings.

- In the same pan that you cooked the bacon in, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the reserve bacon drippings over medium heat.

- Dice 1 small onion and 1 red bell pepper and add to the hot pan. Cook until tender

- Add 1-2 pounds of large raw peeled and deveined shrimp to the pan. Salt and pepper the shrimp once in the pan.

- Add 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, 3 tablespoons of white wine, and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.

- Cook shrimp mixture 3-5 minutes or until shrimp turn pink and curl up. Please don't over cook because I think there is nothing worse than tough chewy shrimp.

- In the meantime start making your grits.

- 1 cup of instant grits (just follow the directions on the box)

- When the grits are almost finished, whisk in 4 tablespoons of butter, 1 cup of extra sharp Cheddar Cheese, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese, 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, and 1 1/2 tablespoons of paprika.

- Remove grits from heat until ready to serve.

- To serve, spoon grits into dish, top with shrimp mixture, crumbled bacon, and chopped scallions.