Bacon Egg & Cheese Grits + Avocado

Time to put a spin on bacon egg and cheese! Have any of yall been watching "A Chef's Life" on PBS?? It's a documentary that follows Chef Vivian Howard and her husband who brought fine dining at its best to eastern North Carolina. Here's a description from the PBS website:

"Vivian Howard originally made a name for herself in the Manhattan restaurant world and with her own gourmet delivery service. Acclaim and potential investors poured in, but it was the offer from her own parents that called to her the loudest. They would help her build a restaurant — but with one catch. She had to open it back home in Eastern North Carolina, a place to which she swore she would never return.
And so The Chef & the Farmer, located in Kinston, North Carolina, was born. Six years in, Vivian and her restaurant have won numerous accolades, including her selection as a James Beard semi-finalist, but the challenges continue. As the series opens, Vivian and Ben are juggling the restaurant, raising twins and anxiously building their own home — right next door to her parents."

It's a really interesting show to watch especially when you have ties to eastern NC! In one episode Chef Vivian decides to offer grits with various toppings. She called it "Pimp my grits"; click here to see the episode and more information. So with this as inspiration I set off to pimp some grits for Patrick (we had grits leftover from shrimp and grits!).

For the grits

I wanted to find some good stone ground grits like Chef Vivian uses in the show but I think I need to go to a specialty store... Harris Teeter let me down here. I settled for the Quaker Quick Grits which cook in 5 minutes. For two servings all you had to do was boil 2 cups of water (I used chicken stock) and then add 1/2 cup of the grits. After the five minutes I whisked in 1 tbsp of butter and a dash of milk.

For the topping

As soon as the grits were ladled into the bowl I topped them with shredded cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon, an avocado, and a fried egg.

Want to learn more about Chef Vivian Howard? Watch full episodes of A Chef's Life here.

Or visit their restaurant Chef and the Farmer in Kinston, NC. Patrick and I plan to visit before too long!