Chipotle and smoked cheddar cheese grits are pictured above with fried green tomatoes and huevos rancheros.

If you've ever had grits before, you know that they are a very simple, plain dish--easy to make and quite good, though bland. Well, if you'd like something a little more exciting in your grits, this is a recipe for you. The smoked cheddar cheese and Chipotle peppers give this dish a delicious depth of spicy, smoky, creamy flavor.

Grits are a type of porridge consisting of coarsely ground corn that had its hulls removed in a process called nixtamalization (which creates hominy). The word "grits" comes from Old English grytta which translates to a coarse meal of any kind, but Grits are specifically referring to corn grits.

Grits have been a staple of the Southern United States since early in colonial history. Grits are given credit for helping Southerners Survive through the Civil War and the Great Depression. Grits were even declared the state food of South Carolina in 1973, where they wrote:

"Whereas, throughout its history, the South has relished its grits, making them a symbol of its diet, its customs, its humor, and its hospitality, and whereas, every community in the State of South Carolina used to be the site of a grits mill and every local economy in the State used to be dependent on its product; and whereas, grits has been a part of the life of every South Carolinian of whatever race, background, gender, and income; and whereas, grits could very well play a vital role in the future of not only this State, but also the world, if as The Charleston News and Courier proclaimed in 1952: 'An inexpensive, simple, and thoroughly digestible food, [grits] should be made popular throughout the world. Given enough of it, the inhabitants of planet Earth would have nothing to fight about. A man full of [grits] is a man of peace.'"

Chipotle and Smoked Cheddar Cheese Grits Recipe

makes four servings

Ingredients:

• 4 servings of white grits, prepared however the package instructs
• 1 cup grated smoked cheddar cheese
• 1/2 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
• 2 finely minced canned chipotle peppers
• optional: garnish with crumbles of hickory smoked maple bacon

Preparation Instructions:

1. Follow the instructions on the package for cooking four servings of grits.

2. While the grits are cooking, grate the smoked cheddar cheese, mince the canned chipotle peppers and prepare the other ingredients.

3. When the grits have cooked, mix in the smoked cheddar cheese until it melts. Then add all of the other ingredients, mix well, and serve before they cool.

These grits go very well with fried green tomatoes, huevos rancheros, an omlette, scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, fried eggs, sausage, and other typical breakfast foods.