Sarah's Sunday Shrimp and Grits

• 1 cup Grits, stone-ground
• 4 cups Water
• 0.5 cup Heavy cream
• 4 tablespoons Unsalted butter
• 1.5 cups Sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 0.5 teaspoon Salt
• 0.25 teaspoon Black pepper
• 6 slices Bacon, thick-cut
• 1.5 pounds Large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 Yellow onion, chopped, medium
• 1 Green bell pepper, chopped, medium
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon All-purpose flour
• 1 cup Chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon Lemon juice
• 0.5 teaspoon Hot sauce (like Tabasco)
• 2 tablespoons Fresh parsley, chopped

1. 1

   First off, let's get those grits cookin'. In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Slowly whisk in the stone-ground grits, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and let 'em simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring every now and then until they're nice and creamy. If they get too thick, add a splash more water.

2. 2

   Once the grits are tender, stir in the heavy cream, 2 tablespoons of butter, the cheddar cheese, salt, and pepper. Keep 'em warm, covered, while we get the shrimp ready.

3. 3

   Now for the bacon! In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until it's good and crispy. Take it out, crumble it up, and set it aside. Don't you dare pour out that bacon grease, darlin'!

4. 4

   Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to the skillet with the bacon drippings. Toss in your chopped onion and bell pepper, and cook 'em down until they're softened, 'bout 5-7 minutes.

5. 5

   Stir in the minced garlic and cook for just another minute until you can smell that lovely aroma.

6. 6

   Sprinkle in the flour and cook for a minute, stirring constantly, to make a roux. This'll thicken up our sauce nicely.

7. 7

   Slowly pour in the chicken broth, stirring to scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring it to a gentle simmer.

8. 8

   Add the shrimp to the skillet and cook for 3-5 minutes, just until they turn pink and are cooked through. Don't overcook 'em!

9. 9

   Stir in the lemon juice and hot sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings if you need to, honey. Sometimes a little extra pepper just sings.

10. 10

    To serve, spoon a generous helping of those creamy grits into a bowl, then top with a good portion of the shrimp and sauce. Garnish with the crumbled bacon and fresh parsley. Oh, it's just divine!

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