Grits and things

I have had a love affair with grits for many years now. I was first introduced to the southern food many years ago when my dad would travel to Florida every winter  to his spot in southern paradise near Tampa where he and my mom would spent several months waiting out the cold season here in the North land. He told me about grits after eating them at aCracker Barrel restaurant on his way down to Florida. Now this is not a four star restaurant by any means but it was a good intro to the southern delights.
I have spent a good deal of time working on my grits recipe and my son's friend's wife, who is a true southern girl, says I have some 'smokin hot" grits. Here's my take on this southern classic:
1 Cup water brought to a simmer in a 2 1/2qt non-stick saucepan
1 Tablespoon butter
3 Tablespoons quick cooking grits
2 Tablespoons heavy cream
pinch of Kosher salt
3-4 grinds fresh ground Black Pepper
Combine all ingredients in  the pan and cook until creamy.
While the grits are cooking, dice 1/4 sweet onion and sweat it until translucent then set aside.
Chop 2 slices of bacon into 1/4 " pieces and cook until crisp, then set on plate with paper towels to absorb the excess fat.
Combine the grits with the onion and bacon and serve with a couple of basted eggs on top. Break the yolks and mix with the grits for an exquisite breakfast treat!
Good eating,
Tim

Nokomis Brunch

Teresa and I decided to go out to one of favorite spots for brunch today, the Nokomis Restaurant on the North shore of Lake Superior. They have, since it started last year, had a wonderful menu for Sunday Brunch. To our surprise they had changed the menu for the summer and omitted two of our favorite items. Both of us had enjoyed their Breakfast Sandwich and Green Eggs and Ham, which are now gone until late fall or winter. They also would bring out either a Fritter or a Beignet of some sort as a starter or Amuse Bouche. That is also gone. Please don't get me wrong, the food was excellent, as usual but it tends to upset the apple cart when what you had expected and looked forward to is not there.
Our server, Sam was very pleasant and actually agreed with us that it was a shame to change the menu but he also told us that over the past few months they had actually had 40 to 50 people turn and walk out because they didn't have a lunch menu on Sundays. I was completely surprised and so, he said, were the folks at the restaurant so they decided to take the most popular items from the brunch menu and the best lunch stuff and combine them into a daily (not just Sundays) menu to meet both crowds in the middle.
I had the daily Omelet with Pork Belly, Cheddar, Swiss Chard, Mango and a few other items I can't remember and Teresa had the French Toast with fresh berries and Creme Fraiche. We both had the Truffle Fries and those were very good. These used to be a "Home Fries" type of potato but now they have become an actual French Fry, dusted with Truffle Salt right out of the fryer.
All in all it was still a very nice brunch, just a bit surprising to take a turn from the expected.
Good eating,
Tim