Hominy Surprise, pg. 156

Hominy Surprise could also be aptly named "Not so surprising grits." Or "Not so cheesy grits." Or "Not worth the two hours it takes to make these grits."

What is actually more surprising than the outcome of this hominy surprise is the fact that I had never made grits before. My dear, old friend Leah Burchfield Mantini (a true G.R.I.T.S. herself) stayed with me last weekend and so my pool of guinea pigs grew by one.

As I was stirring the pot of grits in the kitchen, I asked Leah "Does this look normal?"

She said, "Um, no."

I should have known.

Hominy Surprise!

Mrs. Jack W. Simmons (Irene Robinson) suggests cooking the grist until thick, about 30 or 40 minutes. I cooked mine probably 20 minutes, but they looked pretty thick to me (chalk that judgment call up to my obviously extensive experience with this ingredient). Then, I stirred in 2 raw eggs, 1 cup of cheese, pepper, Worcestershire, milk and butter.

She then instructs to "bake 1 hour, or longer."

WELL WHICH IS IT? DO I BAKE THIS ONE HOUR? OR LONGER THAN ONE HOUR?

I swear, these recipes are driving me to distraction. Apparently, I was supposed to bake for longer than one hour because instead of setting up like a casserole, these grits were as soupy as they had been straight out of the pot.

And instead of offering you all a Christine-style dissertation on this week's failed receipt, I'm just moving on to the next one.

-Lauren