Huckleberry Finn: Cheesy Bacon Grits

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"The widow rung a bell for supper, and you had to come to time. When you got to the table you couldn't go right to eating, but you had to wait for the widow to tuck down her head and grumble a little over the victuals, though there warn't really anything the matter with them--that is, nothing only everything was cooked by itself. In a barrel of odds and ends it is different; things get mixed up, the juice kind of swaps around, and the things go better."

Do you ever pull a "Widow" and pretend that what you have placed on the table isn't pure awesomeness? Not I, not I. I have to tell you that I am a pretty humble person, and VERY aware of my faults in most areas of my life, but when something I make turns out yummy, I shout it from the rooftops! So this is me shouting: MAKE THESE GRITS! They are SOOOoooOOOooo good! You know why?

Bacon.

Oh, sweet holiest of all breakfast meats, How do I love thee...

I believe Jim Gaffigan puts it best:

Now, I have to put credit where it is due: My mother in law made cheesy grits with bacon for a dinner probably about five years ago, and it was one of those life changing moments where you put it in your mouth, and can't figure out where this brand of pure happiness has been all your life. I can only hope that if you follow this recipe, you have the same experience.

Cheesy Bacon Grits

 6 Slices of Bacon
1 Onion, chopped
2 C. milk
2 C. Water
1 C. Corn Grits- not instant (Or hominy, up to you...)
1 tsp Salt
Tabasco Sauce
2 tbsp Butter
4-8 oz. Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Fry your bacon slices til crispy and set aside. Crumble when cool. Drain off about half of the bacon fat from your pan, and toss in your onion into the pan. Cook on med. til lightly browned. Add milk and water to pan and bring to a simmer. Whisk in grits, salt, and tabasco to taste (I used about 20 drops). Now this is important: Some grits are going to soak up more liquid than others, so if you see your grits getting thicker and drier than you would like, add more water or milk and whisk it up! I actually had to use 2 extra cups of liquid this time around, although these proportions are usually right on for me. Go figure. Now after about 20 minutes or so, you should have a nice mushy delicious mess here. Add in butter and about half of your bacon and cheese, and whisk to combine. Now pour into a 9X9 casserole dish and top with the remaining bacon and cheese. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes just to get the top nice and melty. Serve, and die of happiness!

 Onions cooked...

 

After you've added the grits to the water/milk

 

After they've thickened up...

 

After 15 minutes in the oven.

Enjoy!