Baked Garlic Cheese Grits

Disclaimer: This ain't good for ya.  But it sure is good.  =)

This recipe marks the first appearance of a truly cheesy dish on this blog!  I'm slightly disappointed that it didn't happen sooner.  I'll try my best to make sure it doesn't take this long for another absurdly cheesy dish to make an appearance.  

Cheese haters need not read any further.

Since college football season just started, and Sean is a big college football fan, I wanted to throw together a little brunch to celebrate the start of the season on this three day weekend (again, ahhh... three day weekends are so sweet).  Also, I just wanted an excuse to make these grits.  Regardless of the reasoning, we'll probably invite a few of the neighbors over for some noms and some football.

Apparently I'm on a Food Network kick, because this recipe comes from Paula Deen, and can be found here.  It really goes without saying since this is a Paula Deen recipe, but this dish ends up being quite rich.  You have been forewarned =)

You'll need:

6 cups chicken broth (I didn't have quite this much on hand, so I used a combo of chicken broth and water.  It works out just fine.)

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

2 cups regular grits

16 oz. shredded sharp cheddar, plus a little extra for topping the dish

1/2 cup milk

4 large eggs, beaten

0 butter - 1 stick of unsalted butter (Paula's original recipe calls for a whole stick, <shocked face>, but I found that it made it a little too rich last time I made it.  I ended up tossing in ~3 tbs.  Do whatever you're comfortable with, though!)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.  Grease a 4-quart casserole dish.

Bring the broth, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to a boil in a sauce pan.  Stir the grits in and whisk until completely combined.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the grits are thick.  Add the shredded cheddar and milk, and stir.  Gradually stir in the beaten eggs and butter until combined.

Please excuse my use of the flash.  My kitchen has no windows, and therefore, terrible lighting =(

Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish.  Sprinkle with the leftover cheese and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until set.

Before baking...

Like I said, it's rich, but oh so good.

And after baking.

Mmm... observe the cheesy gooey goodness...