Shrimp & Grits

I lived in Louisiana long enough to fall in love with Cajun food. (I'll admit, this doesn't take very long.) One popular dish is shrimp and grits, which I happened to have a craving for today. I came up with the following recipe after browsing through a few versions online.

This makes 4-6 servings.

Ingredients:
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 c cooked grits (about 1 c dry + 4 c water)
1 T butter, for grits
1 stalk celery, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1/2 onion, diced
2 c tomatoes, diced
2+ cloves garlic (if you love garlic, add more)
2 T vegetable oil
1 bay leaf
cayenne, tabasco and/or red pepper flakes to add spice
sat and pepper to taste

Prep all veggies. Boil 4 c water and cook the grits with butter, mixing often enough to keep them from sticking to the pan or clumping together. In a large saucepan heat the oil and saute in this order: onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic. After a few minutes add the tomatoes and seasonings, then add the shrimp. Cook 3-5 mins, until shrimp are cooked through. If you are not sure if the shrimp are done or not, remove from heat and let sit covered for a few minutes.

When the grits are done, divide into portions and top each dish with a few spoonfuls of shrimp and veggies.

I really loved how this came out and thought the spice was spot-on. My family complained that it was too spicy--they didn't live in Louisiana. Some people prefer their grits to be very creamy (I personally think the dish is too rich). If you desire, add cream, milk, cheese, or butter to the grits to achieve desired taste/texture.