Shrimp and Grits, Y'all

I know my posts are getting far and few between. It's been a pretty busy couple of weeks and I've been cooking just the basics and a couple of things I've already posted. Fridays around here during Lent mean no meat, so I've been saving the little seafood I get here in Chicago for Fridays. A friend of mine was down in New Orleans this past week (without me!!) and had shrimp and grits at Nola's and loved it. To be honest, it is not a dish I grew up with, but have had a couple of times in places more "southern" than New Orleans. I just couldn't get it out of my mind and decided to look up some recipes. I came up with a combination between a Paula Deen recipe and another one I found, but don't remember where. Here's my version:

SHRIMP AND CHEESE GRITS (easily feeds 3 or 4)
3/4 cup regular grits, not instant
3 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 Tbls. butter
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 Tbls. cream cheese

1 Tbls. oil (I used olive oil)
1/2 lb. smoked sausage (or 1 lb. would be even better), chopped
1/2 green bell pepper chopped
1/4 onion, chopped
1 lb. raw shrimp, peeled, no tails
2 Tbls. white wine
1 cup cream
Cajun seasoning and hot sauce to taste.

Make grits as directed on box, except use chicken stock instead of water. At end of cooking time, add butter, cream cheese and cheddar cheese. Stir until melted, recover and remove from heat. Add hot sauce to taste (I added three dashes.)

In a separate pan, saute sausage in oil until browned. Add green pepper and onion and saute until veggies are soft. Season shrimp with Cajun seasonings. /Add shrimp and saute 5 - 7 minutes until shrimp are cooked. Remove shrimp, sausage and veggies from pan. Add the wine to deglaze the pan. Add cream and let reduce for a few minutes. Add shrimp, sausage and veggies back into the pan. Add a little more cajun seasoning.

Place grits in bowl. Top with shrimp mixture. Enjoy.
This was really good - the grits were creamy and not fake cheesy. I only used 1/2 lb. of sausage (skinless smoked sausage), but I would use 1 lb. next time, and something a little spicier, like andouille, if you can find it.

One day, I swear, I'll get back to my low-carb diet!!