At the Firefly, bed and breakfast near Madison GA we are used to serving grits. This is because Grits is a typical food in the local area,. It is also a breakfast and sometimes lunch favorite. This interesting food is not for everybody, and is an acquired taste. This is because it is a “background food” used to take on the flavor of what you put into them.
By the way, all but one of the photos below were taken of actual breakfasts at the Firefly. We will let you guess which one we got from elswhere.
The breakfasts you see below may be yours by clicking the “book now”. How we serve grits is “the real way.”
The Art of Breakfast
We talked a lot about how we serve grits in “The Art of Breakfast” which we did awhile back.
The Last Time we served Grits
It looked like this. It was simple and comforting. This is how we serve grits most of the time. The best cheese to use with grits is the kind you have. In this article:
it was suggested that Pepper Jack is the preferred type. More typically some cheddar at some level of yellowness can be used to give a little different color. Parmesan may be mixed in with flavor. If there is smoked gouda, the preferred method of eating is on a cheese tray, because it is too good.
Cheese and other dairy products from cared-for cows (and goats) are available locally around us. Favorite is amish in nature.
Thickening your Grits
It seems that there are options, because there are thickeners for everything. Flour is the go to choice for some people. This is because they have flour. There are other options, because of the neutral flavor of grits.
The preferred option in this article is use of baking soda:
Grits with Fried Egg
We do this on occasion when there are eggs. It makes a beautiful addition to your table, and when the guest cuts into the egg, the yolk will run beautifully down into the grits and be comforting
Cheesy Baked Grits
We like to serve grits in these little pyrex casserole bowls, which will stick in the oven. Add butter, cheddar cheese and then a little grated parmesan cheese for flavor.
Local Grits
To the extent that it makes a difference, the preferred grits of choice around here comes from the Farmview Market which gives basic training on cooking.
Farmview has some nice, pleasant stuff, including local responsibly raised meat and meat by products, and we know the butcher by name.
The whole thing, baked for a few minutes at 375F gives a little bit of beautiful browning around the edges.
Grits, Chicken and Vegetables
Around lunchtime, if there is some additional protein involved, there is a way to use grits to make this into a feast. This goes double for leftovers.
You can use grits to make your protein supply look bigger and more elegant. Grits was peasant food in this part of the country, and this is one of the reasons.
Family Style Grits and Sausage
This serving suggestion is all about serving family style. A few piece of sausage is a welcome dish at breakfast. The guest can serve themselves into a little bowl.
Cajun or Creole Style Grits
This is fun. The dish below is beans, tomatoes, a little corn, and tomato sauce, as if you are going to start a chili or creole dish. A spoon of grits into the bottom of a bowl, with the feast on top is the preferred serving method at the Firefly.
Grits and Protein
No less authority than Rachel Ray has a recipe that looks similar enough to ours:
https://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipe/fried-chicken-thighs-and-cheesy-grits-with-green-onions
Well, it is more beautifully photographed, but if you have a little leftover chicken, it can be turned into a wonderful lunch this way.
Cajun Shrimp and Grits
Ours is done in exactly this way with a nice shrimp concoction with shrimp, peppers and onions, all tomatoey, served over grits just like this
What to Serve Grits ON
Nobody talks about this too much, but it is important from a visual interest sometimes to serve your grits on something interesting.
At the Firefly, we have fiestaware, and the beautiful colors and uniqeness of it is a favorite of the guests.
The Art of Bed and Breakfast at the Firefly
Most of these are actual photos of breakfasts we served our guests. Most Europeans, and Californians, like the local food because they like to have a common experience.
The idea of an actual “recipe” here is a bit loose. We have a lot of local, clean food sources, and like to send our guests on their way happy.
