Shrimp & Pimento Cheese Grits

For dinner tonight, we decided to have one of Clayton's all-time favorite dinners, Shrimp & Grits. But we decided to mix it up a little, and put pimento cheese spread in our grits instead of just ole' shredded cheese, ya' hear? It turned out delicious, way better than any grits I've ever had. We topped ours with lardons of bacon and diced green onion, but that's totally up to you. Enjoy :)

Shrimp & Pimento Cheese Grits 

For the Grits:

½C Instant Grits

1C Heavy Cream

1C Chicken Stock
1T Butter

2/3C Pimento Cheese

For the Shrimp:

1T Butter

4 Strips Bacon, Cut into Lardons

12 Jumbo Shrimp, Peeled & Deveined

1T Cajun Seasoning

1T Old Bay Seasoning

½t Paprika

1t Garlic Salt

½C AP Flour

1 Green Onion, Chopped

Directions:

1. In a pot, bring the cream and chicken stock to a boil. Slowly stir in the grits and bring down to medium heat and simmer 5-7 minutes. Melt the butter into the grits. Lastly, add the pimento cheese and whisk until the grits are creamy. Set aside and keep warm.

2. In a sauté pan, melt the butter and cook the lardons of bacon until they are brown and crispy. Strain onto a paper towel. Keep the bacon fat and butter to cook the shrimp. Toss the shrimp in the Cajun seasoning, old bay, paprika, and garlic salt. After that, dust the seasoned shrimp in the flour, making sure it is lightly covered (this will help the shrimp brown).

3. Cook the shrimp on high heat for 1 minute on each side, until light golden brown. Put the cooked shrimp on a plate while you assemble. Dice the green onions.
4. To assemble, put some of the pimento cheese grits down on the plate, top with the shrimp, followed by the bacon, and green onions. Drizzle some of the butter and bacon fat on top of the plate (Paula Deen would be proud). 
5. Serve immediately