Girl food

Husbands are great. Really, they are . . . or at least mine is! He's a meat and potatoes guy, which is okay. But sometimes I need a break from the meat and potatoes. So . . . when he's at a meeting or on a hunting trip, I make "girl food" - things he won't eat. Two things that (apparently, according to Ken) fall into this category are spinach dip and grits. Tonight, I ate a Panera Orchard Harvest salad and made myself an individual spinach dip. I think I got my full five servings of fruit and veggies today! When I make individual spinach dip, I try to go light on the cheese. Because I was out of sour cream, tonight's version was something like this: 1 carton of creamed spinach, 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella, a little freshly grated Parmesan, a pinch of garlic salt, and a dollop of Miracle Whip, baked at 375 for 25 minutes. Spinach dip (see full recipe in a previous post) an easy recipe to adapt - as long as you have creamed spinach and mozzarella cheese. Sometimes I add Italian seasoning. Sometimes rosemary or a different blend of cheeses. Artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, jalapeños or crab meat (if you like jalapeños or crab meat, which I don't) . . . so many possibilities!

Another favorite "girl food" of mine is cheese grits. This is an "Ultimate Quick & Easy" recipe from Southern Living:

Quick Double-Cheese Grits
6 cups water
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups uncooked quick-cooking grits
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (sharp or extra sharp)
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 tbsp. butter
salt and pepper to taste (start with 1/2 tsp of each)

Cook grits according to directions on package (usually this involves boiling the water, adding salt, then gradually adding the grits, stirring often, until thickened). Remove from heat; add cheeses and butter. Stir until blended. Stir in salt and pepper. Serve immediately. Makes 8 servings.

Note: grits keep reasonably well in the refrigerator; you might need to add some water when you reheat them. A friend of mine says she fries leftover cheese grits. I don't know if she breads them or fries them as is, but either way, I bet they're good!