Salty Piece of Land

During our Florida Road Trip, we looked at lots, houses, and other salty pieces of land for sale. For quite some time, the Coast has been calling!

A lot for sale in St. Joe Beach on the corner of Cortez and Americus caught our attention.  From the front of the lot, we viewed the ocean.  Just a brief one-block jaunt down Cortez took us to St. Joe Beach.

By the end of September 2010, we were Gulf County property owners.  Back home, to celebrate the purchase, we cooked shrimp skewers, our nod to the Coast and the fabulous seafood available in the Gulf of Mexico.  We toasted the land closing with a LandShark!

Shrimp Skewers

• 1 lb peeled shrimp; onion, cut into large pieces
• bell pepper, cut into large pieces
• olive oil
• Old Bay seasoning

Thread shrimp, onion, and bell pepper onto skewer.  Season.  Grill.

Grits

• 1 c stone ground grits
• 3 c shrimp stock (boil water with shrimp peelings)
• 1 c milk
• 2 T butter
• salt
• pepper

Prepare grits with shrimp stock and milk.  Season with butter, salt, and pepper.

Gravy

• 2 T butter
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 c milk
• 1/2 c water
• 1 c shrimp stock
• 2-3 T flour
• salt
• pepper

Stir 1-2 T flour into warm shrimp stock.  Melt butter in pan with garlic; brown lightly.  Add stock/flour mixture to pan.  Add additional water if needed.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add milk.  Continue stirring until desired thickness.

Serve grilled shrimp, onions, and bell pepper over grits with gravy.  Delicious!