I grew up in a poor Southern family where dinner was often whatever Mom could scrape together from cabinets that looked empty to me or re-purposed leftovers. Mom was a master at finding tasty—if not always healthy–food where there appeared to be none.
One of my all-time favorites came in the form of the leftover grits from breakfast. Mom spooned those grits onto a large plate, smoothed them out and put them in the refrigerator. When they had solidified, she sliced them into French-fry-size strips and cooked them in hot bacon grease until they turned brown and crisp on the outside.
Cook the grits in the hot, bubbling grease for about 10 minutes, until it is brown. Let me caution you that when you turn the strips of grits, they will pop and you’ll need to screen them. The popped pieces hurt when they hit bare skin and they can make a mess on the stove. It is also difficult to make the fried grits pretty, but the taste is heavenly (as is just about anything cooked in bacon).
This was one of a number of small miracles Mom created with food most people would have thrown out and she fed a passel of kids (eight of us) every day, keeping hunger away from the door most days. Sometimes the hunger came, but always, Mom was working to find a way.
The grits didn’t make us healthy, but they filled us, satisfied us and kept is going for another day. And, oh, my, the taste!
About the Writer:
Dan Smith is an award-winning Roanoke-based writer/author/photographer and a member of the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame (Class of 2010). His blog, fromtheeditr.com, is widely read and he has authored seven books, including the novel CLOG! He is founding editor of a Roanoke-based business magazine and a former Virginia Small Business Journalist of the Year (2005).
