But none are as good as they make them in the South, especially one side dish that has to be made just right to taste really good.

When I was young, I loved grits, probably because my mother makes the best grits ever, with plenty of butter and cheese. I still love this comfort food, plain with eggs and sausage at breakfast or as a warm cheesy pillow under shrimp, bacon, and scallions at dinner.

Americans learned to make grits from the Native Americans, and now grits are a staple to any good Southern menu. You can customize them any way you like. However, before you start adding anything to your grits, you have to understand what grits are and know that they are really great all by themselves if cooked right.

If you're not familiar with grits, a common question asked is, 'what are grits exactly?' Grits are made from ground corn, and a type of corn that has a softer, starchier kernel with lower sugar content than other types. Corn was a crop that was grown easily in the Southern regions and could be dried and stored for winter consumption. Grits are normally made from white corn (or hominy) and can be made from yellow corn as well. If you’ve ever had polenta, it’s very similar, because it is also made of ground corn, but grits are usually finer and smoother. And, while it is considered a porridge, like Cream of Wheat, grits are made from ground corn and not ground wheat. Now that you know what grits are, let's make some!

To make grits, you should start with the best quality grits, which usually come from the Low-Country; we’re talking about the area along the South Carolina coast, including Charleston & Beaufort. (Beau, as in Beautiful, not Beau, as in bowtie.)

Here are some of my favorites.

Charleston Favorites Grits
Caroline Grits Company
Palmetto Farms
Jim Dandy Quick Grits
(These can all be found on Amazon.com)

My Aunt and Uncle also swear by Hoppin’ John’s grits, which you have to get from their website. (hoppinjohns.com)

Now that you have the best darn grits out there, or close, it’s time to make this delicious dish. Whichever brand you selected, follow the exact instructions on the back of the package. Each one is slightly different. When it says to stir, stir frequently. Taste the grits, every 15 minutes or so. I’ve been told that you know the grits are cooked when you can put a small amount on your tongue, close your teeth and push the grits through your front teeth. They should feel super smooth, not gritty. Make sure you don’t try and rush the cooking process by turning the heat higher, this will actually overcook your grits and make them runny. Remember when I said that grits have to be cooked just right to taste right? Take your time, this is a Southern dish after all.

Here are some helpful tips for cooking grits from the book Heritage by Sean Brock (Artisan Books).

“Here are a couple of rules to follow when cooking grits:

• Each variety of corn has a different aroma and a different flavor. I like to eat grits that come from around the South and compare tastes. Try different ones until you discover your favorite.
• Always soak grits for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight. Keep in mind that you are essentially hydrating the dried corn when you are cooking it, and you want to cook it as quickly as possible -- the faster the grits cook, the more corn flavor they will have. Soaking grits starts the hydration process, so it will take less time to cook them.
• Right before you cook grits, skim off any chaff and hulls that have floated to the top of the soaking water; I use a fine-mesh skimmer. The chaff and hulls will never soften, so the grits will taste undercooked and you’ll find yourself cooking them to death.
• Use the soaking water to cook the grits. I want to taste the corn when I eat grits; if you use milk to cook them, you mute their flavor.
• Stir, stir, stir! We have a rule in my kitchen: If you walk past grits cooking, give them a stir; make sure you scrape the bottom of the pot. And make sure you keep the sides of the pot clean. If some of the grits stick to the sides when you stir and you leave them there, they will never cook, but they will eventually find their way into the cooked grits.”

Once your grits are cooked, add them to a plate (or a little dish) and add a small pat of butter, (because my Grandmother said ‘butter makes everything better.’) Enjoy your grits!

A really special treat, something that I ask my Mother to make every time I visit, is cheese grits! Grits, on their own, are actually a good source of iron and folate. But, after adding butter and cheese, they wouldn’t be classified so much as a health food, but they sure are one of the best comfort foods around! (Not many 'comfort foods' are super healthy, but everything in moderation, right?)

With my love of cheese grits and shrimp, the magical dish of Shrimp & Grits is one of my all-time favorites. And, this dish is a super easy meal to make during the week, especially if you use quick grits!

This is the recipe I use, from A Taste of Home: