Shrimp and Grits, Mayonnaise Biscuits and Hot(ty) Toddies

ARKANSAS VS. OLE MISS

Good morning from Little Rock Arkansas, 4 a.m. on the day of the Ole Miss game. I can't sleep. I am so excited that all I can do is write about food and dream about football. Who would have thought this game could bring so much excitement?

The last Little Rock game brought the agony of the Monroe loss, followed by three more losses and a mass exodus of fans. I had to stop listening to talk radio completely to avoid the softening of my brain. But the Hogs have surged in the last two contests, soundly beating Auburn and demolishing Kentucky in a rain-shortened game that was over on the Tyler Wilson's first snap.Now the team is in contention for a bowl game again. With Ole Miss emerging from its own funk to find an identity under new coach Hugh Freeze, this game looks great. Two evenly matched teams approaching the game from opposite directions, really wantiing and needing the win in the worst way.

Plus, I have to tell you that I am still thinking about the great time I had in The Grove last year when we visited Ole Miss. It too was a morning game, with that nip in the air and bourbon in my Solo cup. There was white chocolate bread pudding warmed by Sterno cans. The Elvis tent. Crazy chandelliers. Impromptu games of "panty, no panty" as the sorority girls parade.

Ole Miss fans are incredibly hospitable and they have a great environment to be hosts in. My wife went to Ole Miss, as did many of my colleagues and some of my clients. It's hard not to like those guys, especially since they got rid of Houston Nutt, and even in spite of those awful helmets. I went to that game in Oxford with friends and made some good memories. Now, another crisp fall day approaches, Ole Miss alums and waking up in Little Rock and I am getting ready to spend time with old friends again. It's a great time to forget about contentious things like the election and focus on family, friends, traditions and just plain old good times.

This week's blog fodder is traditional southern fare with a small nod to the Ole Miss Hotty Toddy cheer. We all have endearing traditions, but this one actually sounds like a cocktail, so its all the more endearing to me.

"Hotty Toddy, Gosh almigitht
Who the hell are we, Hey!
Flim Flam, Bim Bam
OLE MISS BY DAMN!"

Coupled with the hog call, this makes for a great morning of strange southern traditions.

As for the game, I expect a great contest full of startling offensive plays. Arkansas' Dennis Johnson will have a monster day at running back and Tyler Wilson will light up the scoreboard with his arm. I expect to hear Ole Miss receiver Dante Moncrief's name called a lot. There's going to be a lot of scoring, and I think this one will be decided late in the fourth quarter. The Hogs will get their third straight win, 37-34, and have a shot at four in a row next week against Tulsa.

This blog is written today in the spirit of the unofficial Ole Miss motto: "We might not win the game, but we ain't never lost a party, ya'll."

First and Ten: Shrimp and Grits

This is straight from Paula Deen and her book, Paula Deen and friends, Simon & Shuster, 2005. It serves 8 as an appetizer or four as a main course. I have made no attempt to reduce the calories, and have rejected her son's lighter version of the recipe out of hand as it contains Canadian bacon, for God's sake. According to Paula, it only takes 15 minutes to prepare her recipe if you have everting chopped and measures before cooking.

1 cup stone-ground grits
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup butter
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined, left whole if small and roughly chopped if medium or large
6 slices bacon, chopped into tiny pieces
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 cup thinly sliced green onions, white and green parts
1 large garlic clove, minced

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the grits and salt and pepper to taste. Stir well with a whisk. Reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting and cook the grits until all the water is absorbed, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the butte and cheese. Keep covered until ready to serve

Rinse the shrimp and pat dry. Fry the bacon in a large skillet until browned and crisp, then drain on a paper towel. Add the shrimp to the bacon grease in the skillet and saute over medium heat just until they turn pink, about 3 ninutes. Do not overcook! Immediately add the lemon joice, parsley, green onions and garlic. Remove the skillet from the heat.

Pour the grits into a serving bowl, pour the shrimp misture over the grits and garnish with the bacon bits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sideline Route: Mayonnaise Biscuits

My wife, Sarah, had these biscuits when she was a kid and remembers them fondly. They are moist, colorful and simple. This recipe comes to us from allrecipes.com, but the exact same recipe is all over the internet on various sites.

2 cups self-rising flour
1 cup milk
6 tablespoons mayonnaise

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Mix the ingredients in a bowl until just mixed. Drop spoonfuls onto lightly greased coolie sheets. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Cooler Break: Hot(ty) Toddies

Okay, if you have never had a hot toddy, now is the time. You can measure things and be all exact with this, but that's no fun.

Bourbon
herbal tea
Honey
Fresh lemon juice.

Normally you just use water for this, but if you have some tea you like that is not too strong I like to use that tea as the base.

Brew a large cup of herbal tea in the microwave. Vanilla, chamomile, something like that. Sweeten the tea to taste with honey and then put in the juice of half a lemon. Throw the sqeezed lemon in there if you like. Then hit it with a few "glugs" of bourbon. Stir. You should have a great, balanced blend of thick sweetness, bourbony goodness and the tange of the lemon. Adjust to taste.

This drink is perfect when you have a cold, or on a cold fall or winter day when you need comfort.

Now, don't even talk to me about the pralines. They didn't work out.