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Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Chili and Grits (Mush Really)

I made corn meal mush the other day and Bev mentioned there was venison chili in freezer that I needed to eat, and that very night the perfect dish showed up on TV. Each day, the afternoon show from one of the local channel’s, has a segment where someone comes in from a Knoxville area restaurant and prepares a dish, and that day is was Chili and Grits. We often have cornbread, corn chips or other corn item with chili and I wondered why I’d never thought of this, so I substituted my mush for the grits and got this.

I just nuked the mush and chili separately, then added some shredded cheddar and green onion for a very tasty combination.

And speaking of corn products, I don’t remember when I first had these, but about every 5 years I run across corn nuts and my addiction is back. According to Wikipedia “Corn nuts are prepared by soaking whole corn kernels in water for three days, then deep-frying them in oil until they are hard and brittle. The kernels are soaked because they shrink during the harvesting and cleaning process, and rehydration returns them to their original size.” They are salty, have a great crunch, and a nice corn flavor – they look like deep fried hominy and remind me of the popcorn kernels that only partially pop, only better.

I was pleased when Bev said she ordered me some along with assorted nuts from BulkFoods, but I was ecstatic when I opened the shipping box and found a 5# bag of these little goodies.

We’ll repack them in 1# vacuum bags so they won’t get stale – no worries if it were just a 1# bag. If you've never had them, you might want to start with a smaller amount, but many of you will want to know where to get more.

Today is son, Eric's birthday and that's one for all three of my kids in the past 2 weeks - 9 months from the middle of April, spose it was sping fever?
Have a great day and thanks for stopping by.

Larry

13 comments:

  1. Be careful with those corn nuts, you'll shoot your eye out. ;-)

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  2. I LOVE corn nuts! mmmmmmmmmm!!!!

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  3. I have some leftover polenta that is going to get a topping of chili today! Great idea.

    Love corn nuts but have cracked a filling when eating them so I stay away from them now.

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  4. Spring fever for sure!!! Either that or an anniversary maybe? :) I never thought of chili and grits. It looks amazing. I'm going to have to try that. Thanks!

    Lots of yummy love,
    Alex aka Ma What's For Dinner
    www.mawhats4dinner.com

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  5. Chili on top of grits, perfect!!

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  6. The grits & chili look hearty and delicious - what a great combination. I haven't had corn nuts in years, they are so addicting. Happy b-day to your son Eric.

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  7. Larry, You're right...you don't come across those corn 'nuts' very often. They are addictive for sure. I'll bet it's been 5 years since I've come across any! Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

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  8. Larry..
    That chili and grits looks great!
    Sounds like a yummy combo. Why didn't I ever think of that? Now you've got my mind thinking.........
    ;)
    Mika

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  9. I could eat cornmeal mush constantly and be pretty happy...topped with all that meaty cheesy goodness...I'd be ecstatic.

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  10. Most of mine are Thanksgiving to early Feb. We must have had the same spring fever. Happy birthday to eric!

    I'm off to check out bulk foods now. I just got a 10# box of craisins (bulk pack) from amazon, and I have to say that they are fresher and softer than any I have ever purchased from a store. If you have storage space, bulk buying can certainly pay off!

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  11. Happy Birthday to Eric....

    Your Chili and Grits/Mush sounds good... I would like it with shredded cheese and onions also.

    Stay WARM today... It's 18 degrees here this morning.
    Betsy

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  12. Yum - this reminds me of my chili and polenta and I LOVE that combo. Also a big fan of corn nuts. :)

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  13. Makes perfect sense to me although I had never done that either.

    It reminds me of a dump we occasionally eat at (Original Freezo) and their "Full House" which is chili with 1-2 tamales inside of it.

    I'm thinking I might make chili today!

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