Is my southern showing?

   So why is my blog named Boston Sweet Tea Party?  Well, I'm a girl from Virginia living in Boston.  And while I by no means consider myself a southern belle, I do let my southern upbringing affect the way I live my life a lot.  I've been told that you can tell that I'm not from here because I'm "nice."  I will go ahead and de-bunk the myth that people in the northeast aren't nice.  It's just not true...mostly.  I also get a lot of questions about why I don't have a southern accent.  Sorry to disappoint, but good to know the stereotypes go both ways.  For the record, most people here don't have a Boston accent.  

So what exactly did I bring with me from Virginia to the city of Boston?

1) Shrimp and grits--recipe below
2) Sweet tea-- try my spiked version here!
3) Love for my college--this isn't just a southern thing, but I have found that school spirit is
    on another level in the south than it is here.  I think it's a football thing.  Obviously  a lot of 
    the city schools here don't have football teams.  It's also because we lack professional 
    sports of any kind in Virginia.

4) Love for my high school sweetheart--not to say that this is only a southern thing, but I 
    know maybe ten couples from my high school that are now married or about to be 
    married.  People here in Boston seem to be utterly shocked by this fact.  I think it's 
    because people here on average get married older than they do in the south.
5) Love of entertaining--I feel like one of those old southern ladies that always makes way
    too much food and forces people to eat way too much!
6) Love of warm weather--no brainer.  The winter here is really cold.

What have I embraced since living here?

1) Lobster anything--yes please!
2) Fall--the fall here is so amazing!  The colors are so beautiful and the crisp air lasts
    longer than it does in the south. 
3) Driving in the snow--never thought I'd be able to do this.  I proved myself wrong last year 
    when I drove home from work in a blizzard with near white-out conditions.
4) Local beers--I never liked beer until I got here.  Sam and Harpoon are staples in this house.

5) Being able to walk everywhere--city living at its best!
6) The knowledge that the tinier the restaurant, the better the food tends to be--not always
    true, but it's nothing like the south where chain restaurants rule the land.

Want to add a little southern to your life today?  You should make shrimp and grits right now.  No really, it takes like 10 minutes.  I'll wait right here for your comment about how I was totally right.  A tip from this lazy girl: I use frozen shrimp, so I throw those babies in a little cool water bath while I prepare the other ingredients.  Recipe below.

Easy Shrimp and Grits
1 cup water
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup quick cooking grits
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
dash of red pepper flakes, to taste
black pepper, to taste 
2 slices thick cut bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Scallions, sliced to garnish

In a medium saucepan, bring water and milk to a boil. Stir in grits and reduce heat to low and simmer for 7-10 minutes, until thickened and popping. Remove from heat and stir in butter and cheese.

While grits are cooking, heat bacon on medium-high heat in medium skillet and cook until crispy. Remove bacon and let rest on paper towel. Reserve the bacon grease from the bottom of the pan.

Cook onions in bacon grease until almost clear.  Season the shrimp with the black pepper, paprika, cayenne, and red pepper flakes. Add shrimp to the skillet and cook until the shrimp turn pink, about 1 minute per side. Lower the heat to medium and add the garlic and lemon juice. Cook for another 1-2 minutes until the garlic is softened.  Garnish with bacon and scallions. Enjoy!

 *Please excuse my blatant generalizations of the north and south here-- I for one don't think they're as different as most people make them out to be.  These are just some of my observations :)

*Linking up with Northeast Bloggers Network, Ashley and Jessica