Jumping on the gritwagon

After this lady and this lady went all grit-crazy on their blogs, I decided I had to give this grit souffle idea a try. Oh my. I almost lost a finger to Nora, who was doing her damndest to inhale the still-steaming goodness, straight out of the oven. (For the record, Nora survives on milk and air. Food is completely not her thing—and yes, I have firsthand evidence that she's my child.)

Because I was battling two tantruming kids at dinner-making time instead of just the one, I had to cut out a few steps (like separating eggs and stiffening the whites). So really it would be hard to call these souffles, but they were still little pots de deliciousness. Photos were taken, but apparently fancy cameras are only as good as their USB cables, so they'll remain on the camera instead of on the blog. But here's my interpretation on the grit genius going around the ethiopiadoptinterwebs.

Spinachy Cheesy Gritty Souffle-like Structures

Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter, plus more for buttering dishes
1/2 onion, chopped
1 bunch spinach, chopped
1 cup quick-cook grits
4 cups 2% milk, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1 cup (or so) grated cheddar cheese, plus some for sprinkling atop the souffles

1.  Preheat oven to 425.
2.  Saute onions in butter until translucent. Add chopped spinach and cook until wilted.
3.  Add grits and 3 1/2 cups milk, and simmer until grits are cooked and the mixture is thick.
4.  Stir in the cheese and remove from heat.
5.  In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with remaining 1/2 cup milk. Whisk some of the spinach/grits/milk mixture into the eggs to equalize the temperatures a bit, and then stir the egg mixture into the spinach/grits/milk mixture.
6.  Spoon the deliciousness into buttered individual-sized souffle dishes if you have them or one big souffle dish (or baking dish), and sprinkle tops with remaining cheese. Bake for 20-ish minutes (longer for one big souffle), or until you have to pry your toddler's white knuckles from the oven handle to prevent her from entering the 425-degree oven and eating the "muffins!" as they bake.