Y'all Get Your Ass Out Of Bed...

I'm not much of breakfast eater, but on the weekends I indulge. One of my favorite breakfast dishes is the Y'all Get Your Ass Out Of Bed & Grab A... Breakfast Burrito. It is a fusion of Old South and Nuevo Tex-Mex cuisine that I am trying valiantly to pioneer.

If you read recipes over at Cookbook Of The Day (which has lately been more like Cookbook Of The Week) you will notice that I love early 20th century cookbooks that give a list of ingredients and little else. Well, that's just the kind of cook I am. Much like Eudora Welty's mother who never included directions. When Welty questioned this method, her mother replied, "any cook worth her salt would know, given a list of ingredients, what to do with them."

So without further ado, and with both literal and technical instructions here is how you too, can make my favorite Y'all Get Your Ass Out Of Bed & Grab A... Breakfast Burritos.

The first step requires a bit of a planned over. A Planned Over is an ingredient that one cooks during their time in the kitchen with no plan for eating it that meal, but with the expressed intention of using it later in life. Grits are the perfect Planned Over. You can make a big bunch of them while you are cooking anyway. When you are done cooking them, simply spread them in a nice container to use later. The uses are endless. The nice thing about cooking grits for later use is their remarkable ability to hold their shape, which makes cutting them into unique and decorative shapes a joy.

Planned Over Grits

4 cups water
1 cups "quick" grits
1 teaspoon salt

Bring the water to a furious boil in a saucepan with a cover.

Add the salt.

Pour the grits into the water slowly and stir until the water returns to a boil.

Immediately turn down the heat*, cover, and cook undisturbed for 5 minutes.

Allow the grits to cool for about 5 minutes, then pour them into a container. While they are still warm, take a sheet of cling film or plastic wrap and lay directly on top of the grits to prevent a "crust" from forming. Cover tightly and refrigerate.

* if you have an electric stove, remove the grits from the hot heating element and set on a different element set to low. On a gas stove, turn the gas down so that there is barely a flame.

When you are ready to use them, simply unmold and slice.

Y'all Get Your Ass Out Of Bed & Grab A... Breakfast Burrito

Literally, heat up the sliced grits in the stove or microwave, scramble some sausage and eggs, warm up the tortilla spread with some cheese, add the grits, add the scramble, roll it up and eat.

More technically to serve 4:

4 flour tortilla, preferably, tomato or spinach or pepper which vicariously fulfills the need for a vegetable

4 slices of Planned Over grits, cut about 1 X 1 inch slices

4 ounces breakfast sausage

5 eggs, mixed slightly

1 cup grated cheese

On a slightly oil baking sheet, arrange the grits slices and heat in a 375 F oven for 5 minutes.

In a large skillet, fry the sausage until done, about 5 minutes.

On another baking sheet, spread the four tortillas and sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese on each tortilla and put in the oven until the cheese melts, about 2- 3 minutes.

Add the eggs to the sausage and scramble until set, about 2 minutes.

Remove the grits and tortillas from the oven.

To Assemble:

Add a slice of grits to the warmed tortilla

Top with some scrambled sausage eggs

Roll up and serve

Feel free to add some chow-chow or salsa if you are so inclined, it's another vegetable, you know.

Enjoy.