22 Grilled Shrimp & Cheesy Grits with Roasted Tomatoes

Chris, (my hubby), just bought a new grill.  This is a major event in our house.  He put a lot of thought into what would be grilled first - which I find completely adorable (giggle).  One of the things we love doing together is cooking.  We've only been married for 3 years, and we've both struggled with the realization that just because we're married doesn't mean we have to do everything together.

We would tiptoe around each other a lot at first...hesitantly asking about something we wanted to go do.  It felt so awkward to leave the other half behind.  And then slowly (very slowly) the realization hit.  Now he goes to the driving range by himself and I go read my book outside without wondering about him.  And then we have the things we love to do together.  

This was one of our combination efforts.  We're truly embracing our new southern surroundings with this dish, but of course I'm going to put my Abby spin on it.  Grilled Shrimp & Cheesy Grits with Roasted Tomatoes, I don't even know where to begin...the smoky, spicy grilled shrimp on a bed of creamy yellow grits and the sweet bite of roasted tomato fresh from the farmers market.  Swoon.

We sat out back with this and home made Margaritas (recipe coming soon!), even our neighbors called over that they would happily trade their steaks for a bowl.  I think that means we've been accepted :)


Grilled Shrimp & Cheesy Grits with Roasted Tomatoes
(Serves 2)

Ingredients:
Shrimp:
9 Large Shrimp, peeled & deveined
2 Tablespoons Cajun Seasoning (Salt, Pepper, Garlic, Cayenne, etc.)
1 Tablespoon Butter, melted

Roasted Tomatoes:
1 Pint Grape Tomatoes, washed (get them at your farmers market!)
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Pepper
1 Tablespoon Garlic

Grits:
1/2 cup Yellow Grits
2 cups Boiling Water
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Butter
3 Slices of Cheddar Cheese or 1/4 Cup Shredded
1 Teaspoon Black Pepper

1.  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

2.  Rinse and cut the tomatoes in half.  In a large bowl mix together the tomatoes, olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic.  Pour into 13 x 9 Glass Baking dish and bake for 20 minutes, then stir them to turn over, and cook for 20 minutes more.  If the dish starts getting too dry and burning, you can add 1/2 cup of water.

3.  When those are done, fire up the grill!  Be sure the shrimp are peeled and deveined, we kept the tails on.  Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a microwave safe dish and brush each shrimp with butter and lightly coat with cajun seasoning.  Slide onto the skewer.  Grill the shrimp for 2-3 minutes on each side.

4.  Cook the grits according to the package, ours said bring water to a boil, add salt and grits.  Stir, cover and reduce heat to low, cook for 5-6 minutes stirring occasionally.  Then I added the 1 tablespoon of butter, pepper and cheddar cheese.  Stir until cheese has melted completely into the grits.  I also added some extra salt to taste.

5.  Add the grits to the bottom of your plate/bowl and top with the shrimp and roasted tomatoes.  Enjoy!