Last week I was blessed with some extremely large sized jalapeños thanks to mobile grocery shopping. They were so large that the recipe I was making that usually calls for 3, only needed 1. In which case, I was left with extra and started thinking about what to do with them. I know it sounds silly since I ended up surrounding my entire Sunday brunch around these two extra large jalapeños, but it turned into my own version of Chopped.

It’s so easy to get into a groove of cooking and planning the same meals over and over again with life being so busy, I was happy to switch up things for our weekend brunch. Everything in here I had on hand in my kitchen which made it a quick and easy hit with my family. It can easily translate to dinner with a side salad, or my husband suggested putting some poached eggs on top for a crazy breakfast mash up. I decided this time to jut go with some biscuits and a big pot of coffee to keep things “simple”.

😉

Shrimp and Cheesy Jalapeño Grits

• 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 cup grits
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups milk
• 2-3 jalapeños, diced
• 2 garlic gloves, minced
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• crushed red pepper
• salt and pepper

In a small bowl, mix together your shrimp, olive oil, salt pepper and crushed red pepper. Set aside.

Then take a large pot or skillet and melt 2 Tbsp of butter over medium high heat. Sauté the jalapeño until soft, about 4 minutes, then add the garlic until aromatic, another 30 seconds, then remove and set aside. Pour the milk and water into the pot and turn heat to high. Bring to a boil. Once the liquid is boiling stir in your grits and reduce heat to low. Stir occasionally until creamy, about 5-10 minutes.

While the grits are cooking heat a pan with remaining butter over medium high heat. Sauté your shrimp and cook until pink and slightly crispy. Turning as needed.

Once the grits are done, stir in cheese, jalapeño, garlic and season with salt and pepper as needed. Arrange your shrimp on top and garnish with cilantro (optional).