A contribution by Rosemary, a memebr of the group….source FoodiesAnonymous@yahoogroups.com

What Are Grits?
Nobody knows.  Some folks believe grits are grown on bushes and are
harvested by midgets by shaking the bushes after spreading sheets around
them.  Many people feel that grits are made from ground up bits of white
corn.

These are obviously lies spread by Communists and terrorists.  Nothing as
good as Grits can be made from corn.  The most recent research suggests
that the mysterious Manna that God rained down upon the Israelites during
their time in the Sinai Desert was most likely Grits.  Critics disagree, stating
that there is no record of biscuits, butter, salt, and red eye gravy raining
down from the sky, and that God would not punish his people by forcing
them to eat Grits without these key ingredients.

How Grits are Formed.
Grits are formed deep underground under intense heat and pressure.  It
takes over 1000 years to form a single Grit.  Most of the world’s grit mines
are in South Carolina, and are guarded day and night by armed guards and
pit bull dogs.  Harvesting the Grit is a dangerous occupation, and many Grit
miners lose their lives each year so that Grits can continue to be served
morning after morning for breakfast (not that having Grits for lunch and
dinner is out of the question).

Yankees have attempted to create synthetic Grits.  They call it Cream of
Wheat.  As far as we can tell, the key ingredients of Cream of Wheat are
Elmer’s Glue and shredded styrofoam.  These synthetic grits have also been
shown to cause nausea, and may leave you unable to have children.

Historical Grits
As we mentioned earlier, the first known mention of Grits was by the Ancient
Israelites in the Sinai Desert.  After that, Grits were not heard from for
another 1000 years. Experts feel that Grits were used during this time only
during secret religious ceremonies, and were kept from the public due to
their rarity.

The next mention of Grits was found amidst the ruins of the ancient city of
Pompeii in a woman’s personal diary.  The woman’s name was Herculaneum
Jemimaneus (Aunt Jemima to her friends.)

The 10 Commandments of Grits
I.      Thou shalt not put syrup on thy Grits
II.     Thou shalt not eat thy Grits with a spoon or knife
III.    Thou shalt not eat Cream of Wheat and call it Grits, for this is
blasphemy .
IV.    Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s Grits.
V.     Thou shalt use only salt, butter, and red-eye gravy as toppings for thy
Grits.
VI    Thou shalt not eat Instant Grits.
VII.   Thou shalt not put ketchup on thy Grits.
VIII.  Thou shalt not put margarine on thy Grits.
IX.    Thou shalt not eat toast with thy Grits, only biscuits made from scratch.
X.     Thou shalt eat grits on the Sabbath for this is manna from heaven.

PS +  No sugar on GRITS please.  They are not Farina

How to Cook Grits
For one serving of Grits:
Boil 1.5 cups of water with salt and a little butter. [Use milk and they are
creamier!)
Add 5 TBsp of Grits.
Reduce to a simmer and allow the Grits to soak up all the water.
When a pencil stuck into the grits stands alone, it is done.  That’s all there is
to cooking grits.

How to make red eye gravy
Fry salt cured country ham in cast iron pan.  Remove the ham when done
and add coffee to the gravy and simmer for several minutes. Great on grits
and biscuits.

How to Eat Grits
Immediately after removing your grits from the stove top, add a generous
portion of butter or red eye gravy. (WARNING:  Do NOT use low-fat butter.)
The butter should cause the Grits to turn a wondrous shade of yellow.  (Hold
a banana or a yellow rain slicker next to your Grits; if the colors match, you
have the correct amount of butter.)

In lieu of butter, pour a generous helping of red eye gravy on your grits.  Be
sure to pour enough to have some left for sopping up with your biscuits.
Never, ever substitute canned or store bought biscuits for the real thing
because they caused cancer, rotten teeth and impotence.

Next, add salt.  (NOTICE:  The correct ration of Grit to Salt is 10:1 Therefore
for every 10 grits, you should have 1 grain of salt.)

Now begin eating your grits.  Always use a fork, never a spoon, to eat Grits.
Your grits should be thick enough so they do not run through the tines of the
fork.

The correct beverage to serve with Grits is black coffee.   DO NOT use
cream or, heaven forbid, Skim Milk.)

Your grits should never be eaten in a bowl because Yankees will think its
Cream of Wheat.

Ways to Eat Leftover Grits:
(Leftover grits are extremely rare)
Spread them in the bottom of a casserole dish,
Cover and place them in the refrigerator overnight.
The Grits will congeal into a gelatinous mass.
Next morning, slice the Grits into squares and fry them in 1/2″ of cooking oil
and butter until they turn a golden brown.
Many people are tempted to pour syrup onto Grits served this way.  This is,
of course, unacceptable.

IRISH BLESSING BEFORE EATING GRITS

May the lord bless these grits,
May no Yankee ever get the recipe,
May I eat grits every day while living,
And may I die while eating grits.Â

                              AMEN