Orchid & Violas, Shrimp & Grits

Yesterday(Sunday) was quite along day beginning with an early morning piano lesson, followed by church and then accompanying at a recital all afternoon. After the recital, I was able to pop into Publix for groceries. I spotted some lovely wild Georgia shrimp at the seafood counter and had to get some.  I decided it would make a lovely brunch somehow. Today ended up being a busy day with an extra piano lesson, phone calls to make and a few other chores around the house. The morning just got away, so much for brunch. Instead it was a quick breakfast of tea and toast. Luckily there was a little time left in the afternoon before Willy Wonka rehearsal for a quick meal and I decided to make shrimp and grits. One of my favorite meals because:
1. It is delicious and 2. It takes less than 30 minutes to make.

The collards in the back yard were ready to harvest so I decided they would be a nice green vegetable to round off the meal.

One of the ingredients I always keep in the freezer is stone ground grits, very handy for occasions such as today when I am suddenly inspired to make shrimp and grits. My "go to" recipe fro grits is from the LEE brothers southern cookbook. Perfect grits every time!

The grits take about 25 minutes to cook so I always get that going before the shrimp. Milk and water is brought to a boil and then grits are poured in gently and stirred.

For the shrimp, a few simple ingredients is all you need.

sliced onions

 

I usually add a splash of white wine to the shrimp but did not have any on hand today so decided just to leave it out.

 

Shrimp is sauteed with olive oil alongside the onion. The salsa and capers are added, if white wine is being used, now is the time to add it. While shrimp is cooking, the baby collards are shredded and steamed.

A sprinkling of Cajun seasoning gives it some spice.

freshly grated parmesan adds a nice finish to the shrimp

Dinner under 30 minutes!

Shrimp and grits was done in a jiffy, leaving some time for a quick cup of tea before rehearsal. I was in the mood for a smokey tea and went with the KEEMUN black tea.

every cup of tea needs a sidekick

Picadilly biscuit & homemade macaron

One thing I got done today is to sort through a few magazines. I had what I called a "magazine moment" today while plotting my seed starting plan for Spring. I have been saving my breakfast egg shells with some sort of project in mine and found my answer in County Living.

This looked like an interesting way to start seeds. I will give it a try and report back in a few weeks

 

Today was a rather overcast day but the plants outside did not seem to mind. The violas and pansies looked very refreshing.

Thalia Daffodils making progress

Indoors, I tended to the orchids and decided to make the orchid tray more airy with less dogwood branches.

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Orchids less a few dogwood twigs.

close-up of orchids in living room

For my after rehearsal snack, leftover creme brulee:

A nice dessert to energize me for the busy weeks ahead. There will be fewer post in the next couple of weeks because opening night for Willy Wonka is in 8 days and I will be busy with catering all next week. I will be taking a semi hiatus from blogging but will be back with frequent post once it is all over.