White Cheddar Cheese Grits

For years my mom has been attempting to recreate The Flying Biscuits' "Creamy Dreamy Grits". They are some of the best grits that I have ever had! They are creamy (as the name suggests) and oozing with white cheddar cheese. This Christmas she decided to pass the baton off to me and let me give them a try. Since The Flying Biscuit has set such high standards, I was a little nervous about how my grits would compare. I am a tough critic and wasn't completely satisfied, but everyone else who ate them, loved them! Here is the recipe for The Flying Biscuits' white cheddar cheese grits (alterations are noted with asterisks).

Ingredients
- 6 cups of water *
- 2 cups of half-and-half
- 3 t salt
- 1/4 t white pepper
- 2 cups quick cooking grits
- 1 cup white cheddar cheese (grated)**              
- 4 T butter (half a stick) ***                                                                              

*Next time, I am going to change the liquids to 5 cups of water and 3 cups of half-and-half for a creamier taste.
**I used 2 cups of cheese because 1 cup was not cheesy enough for my liking!
***I used 1 whole stick of butter, you can never have too much butter, right?!

Directions

1. In a pot, combine water, half-and-half, salt and white pepper. Bring to a boil. Slowly pour the grits into the liquid while whisking the whole time. Reduce to low heat while whisking often until the mixture is thick and smooth (should take about 10 minutes).
*Be careful when you add in the grits - the water and half-and-half started overflowing which caused me to panic! Once I reduced the heat, the mixture settled back down.

2. Add the cheese and whisk again until it has melted. Turn off the heat and allow the grits to settle for about 5 minutes. Add in the butter and stir until completely smooth.
*I found that it was best to put the top on the pot and let the grits settle longer than 5 minutes which causes them to thicken more (no one wants runny grits!!). Here is where I added more butter, cheese and salt according to taste.

Enjoy y'all!