Saucy Mama's Shrimp n Grits

Ingredients:

1 lb. Jumbo Shrimp—peeled & cleaned, but tails left on

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

2 c. water

½ c. quick cooking grits

½ tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

2 TBSP butter

¾ c. shredded pepper jack cheese

6 slices bacon

¼ c. chopped sweet onion

¼ c. chopped green bell pepper

¼ c. chopped celery

¾ c. quartered grape or cherry tomatoes

1 clove garlic—minced

3 TBSP Saucy Mama’s Apricot Ginger Mustard

¼ c. Saucy Mama’s Sesame Ginger Dressing/Marinade

¾ c. water

Directions:

Rinse and dry cleaned shrimp. Coat shrimp with ½ tsp each of garlic powder, cumin, and salt and ¼ tsp black pepper.  Set aside, and chop before serving.

In a skillet, fry bacon until crisp.  Remove from skillet.  Reserve half of the grease in the skillet and half for later use.  In the hot skillet and a little bacon grease, fry shrimp until opaque and lightly browned…approximately a minute per side.  Remove from skillet and cool.

Return remaining bacon grease to the skillet.  Saute onion, bell pepper, and celery over medium heat until soft.  Add garlic and tomatoes.  Continue cooking for 3-5 minutes.  Add mustard, dressing, and water.  Stir to combine and heat until bubbling.  Return shrimp and cook for an additional minute to coat and reheat shrimp.

In a sauce pan, bring 2 c. water, ½ tsp garlic powder, and 1 tsp salt to a boil.  Whisk in quick cooking grits, reduce heat to medium, and simmer for 5 minutes, whisking frequently to prevent sticking.  Stir in shredded cheese.

To serve, spoon shrimp and Saucy Mama sauce over grits and sprinkle with chopped bacon.