I've been dying to eat Southern food lately, thanks to copies of The Blackberry Farm Cookbook and Tupelo Honey Cafe that have recently crossed my desk. But thanks to a case of the winter-long blues, I've been more likely to eat a container of yogurt for dinner than actually pick up a knife and cook real food.

Forcing myself to snap out of it today, I made a new life "to-do" list. Because most of the tasks will take actual work and dedication to achieve, I made sure to include at least one thing I knew I could do: "Make something Southern and eat it."

So, crossing off the easiest item on my list, I present to you: Shrimp and Goat Cheese Grits with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce. Impossibly easy and flavorful (and derived from Tupelo Honey Cafe), it has introduced to me the concept of Creole Spice (sugar, salt, smoky paprika and black pepper mixed together). I have a feeling I'm going to be sprinkling it on EVERYTHING from now on.

Goat Cheese Grits
3 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups quick-cooking grits
1 Tb butter
1 teaspoon hot sauce
2 Tb cream
3.5 oz. goat cheese

Bring water and salt to a boil. Add grits and 1 Tb butter, and bring back to a boil, stirring constantly. Add hot sauce and cream, and cook about 5 minutes until creamy. Take off the heat and stir in goat cheese.

Shrimp with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
2 Tb olive oil
1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp
1 Tb minced garlic
1/2 cup thinly sliced roasted red peppers
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 cup dry white wine
3 Tb cold butter

In a medium to large saute pan, heat olive oil. Add garlic and shrimp, and cook until the shrimp begins to turn pink. Add peppers and spices, and cook a couple minutes more. Add white wine and cook entire mixture until shrimp is completely pink. Remove from heat, swirl in butter, and then serve on top of Goat Cheese Grits.

*Note: Served alongside creamed Swiss chard in photo.