SAVANNAH

I went to Savannah the first time because of Paula Deen.  It was the spring of 2006, during a road trip going North from our winter home in Florida, that my husband and I decided to stop for several days in Savannah.  Neither of us had ever been, and as I had been intrigued by watching Paula Deen on the Food Network, and had already purchased her first cookbook, I was excited at the prospect.  Knowing next to nothing about the city, I had no preconceived notions regarding Savannah, therefore, I did not anticipate that I was about to embark on a long-term love affair.  

Savannah is unique in all the world.  It was designed on a grid pattern and has 22 squares, which are small parks, on five streets running North to South.  It is Georgia’s oldest city, founded in 1733.  Avoiding being burned during the Civil War by openly inviting Sherman to enter the city and reside in one of its beautiful mansions (there is a reason its known as the Hostess City of the South!), the architecture in the Historic District retains its Antebellum beauty.

On our first day, while strolling through the squares awash in azaleas, under the ancient oak trees draped in Spanish Moss, we came across Colonial Park Cemetery and decided to wander in and check out the old grave stones.  Inside, a young woman was sitting on the grass Indian style with a sketch pad in her lap while she was drawing one of the old markers.  We commented on her rendering and she said it was for a class at the Savannah College of Art and Design.  That was the first time I had heard of SCAD, but it was definitely not the last, because when I returned to Ohio I told my daughter about it, as she is artistic and was unhappy with the university she was attending at the time. Thereupon, she applied to SCAD and was accepted.  It was then that Savannah was adopted into our lives.

Some places are only interesting at first blush, but Savannah is like a graceful, beautiful woman of a certain age who knows who she is, worldly-wise, yet holding to tradition, and skilled at keeping you comfortable and well-fed.  Consequently, the more you get to know her the more attractive she becomes.  Over a four-year period, a long list of loves developed.  The azaleas everywhere in the spring; the camellias blooming in the squares under the oak trees; the St. Patrick’s Day Parade – the 2^nd largest in the country; the places to dine, like The Olde Pink House, Elizabeth’s on 37^th, Mrs. Wilkes House, Clary’s Café, Leopold’s Ice Cream shop; Drinking bourbon at the bar in Six Pence Pub or cocktails on the rooftop bars overlooking the river; Tybee Island; walking down Jones Street where my daughter rented an apartment in a gorgeous row house; Latin Mass in St. John’s Cathedral; staying at the Mansion on Forsythe and the list could go on and on.  But learning that one of my very favorite authors, Mary Flannery O’Connor, was born and raised there, and that you could visit her childhood home, which is now a museum, elevated my admiration of Savannah to mystical heights.

Throughout many stages of my life, Savannah has played a part.  Most recently, my fiancé, John, and I went there for a wedding.  We made a vacation out of it and spent a week enjoying the sites.  For me it was like reconnecting with an old friend.  As I looked over the rooftops of the city from the balcony of my hotel room at the DeSoto, I remembered the opening scene from Forrest Gump.  A feather floats in the breeze above the city and slowly comes to rest on Forrest’s shoe.  Sometimes I feel like that feather, seemingly aimlessly floating through life, yet always landing on what is undoubtedly a predestined spot.  And I recalled the monologue from the movie which ponders this very paradox.  Forrest is visiting Jenny’s grave and says,

‘Jenny, I don’t know if Mamma was right or if it’s Lieutenant Dan.  I don’t know

if we each have a destiny, or if we’re all just floating around accidental-like on a breeze,

but I think maybe it’s both.  Maybe both is happening at the same time.’

In honor of Savannah and Forrest Gump, the shrimpin’ boat captain, this week’s recipe is shrimp and grits.

CHEESY SHRIMP AND GRITS

3 cups chicken broth

1 cup cream

½ tsp salt

1 cup old fashioned grits

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup Monterey Jack cheese shredded

4 TBP butter, divided

6 green onions, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 pound medium raw shrimp, deveined and peeled and tails removed

2 tsp Cajun seasoning

1 can Rotel tomatoes, drained

Bring broth, cream and salt to a boil; stir in grits.  Cover.  Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.  Stir together grits, ¾ cup cheddar cheese, ¾ cup Monterey Jack cheese and 2 TPB butter.

Prepare shrimp and mix together with Cajun seasoning in a bowl.

Melt 2 TBP butter over medium heat.  Add onions, pepper, and garlic, and sauté for about 5 minutes.  Stir together green onion mixture, grits, shrimp and tomatoes.

Pour into lightly greased 2-quart dish.  Sprinkle with remaining cheeses.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes.  Serves 6 – 8.

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