Cheese grits, and giving blood

I'm kicking myself, right now, for not taking a photo of breakfast before we sat down to eat it. I had the table so nicely laid-out, with a pretty table cloth and everything. *sigh* C'est la vie, I suppose.

My friends T. and R. were visiting (my first houseguests at my new house!), and I made us all breakfast this morning. Really, I just rewarmed some of the zucchini muffins from the other day, rinsed and put out some blueberries I got at the farmers' market yesterday, and made cheese grits, because T. loves them.

Adapted from the recipe on the Quaker Quick Grits package, here's how I made the grits:

1. Heat a very small pat of butter on medium low heat. Add 1 clove of garlic, pressed, and heat until fragrant. Add a dash of oregano.
2. Stir in 2 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil.
3. Once the water is boiling, slowly stir in 1/2 cup Quaker Quick Grits (or similar), then reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes, until thick.
4. Add 4 oz. shredded cheese (I used Hunter's Seriously Sharp Cheddar from Cabot Creamery), and stir to blend. Stir in a dash of ground cayenne pepper.

I probably should have added a pinch of salt, to bring out the other flavors. I was afraid the cheese would be too salty, but it really wasn't.

Makes 4-6 servings.

***

The big breakfast happened for two main reasons: company, and my plan to give blood today. We had also made plans to meet up with our friends N. and K. for ice cream, which I usually consume in large quantities after giving blood. I need the calories and blood sugar, and it's a great opportunity for a much larger portion of treat than I would normally (these days) consume.

Trouble was, people who have lived in Mexico are not currently allowed to give blood. Apparently, there's a newly-discovered blood-borne illness, and the RIBC isn't set up to test for it yet, so they're not accepting blood from anyone who has lived in Mexico or Central or South America. Wah. So much for my plan to give blood and then gorge on ice cream! Well, I still had ice cream, just a little less of it. (And, I've been told, I should be able to give blood again starting next month.)

I've only had ice cream one other time this week (gelato, actually), so I'm still making progress at eating more healthily overall. And darnit, this isn't about having to justify every bit of fat and sugar I eat (I tell myself ... but it's still hard to believe, sometimes).

It was a really nice day for sitting in the gazebo in the park with our ice cream, I have to say.