Kiss-My-Grits

4 slices white bread , crusts removed
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
6 ears corn , kernels removed
1 onion , chopped
1/2 cup milk
5 eggs , slightly beaten
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon salt
2 cups (8 ounces) grated cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped chives

Directions

Preheat oven to 325°. In a food processor, pulse bread until large crumbs form. In baking dish, combine bread crumbs, olive oil and garlic, then bake 7 to 12 minutes, until golden and slightly crisp. Remove and let cool.

Butter a 3-quart baking dish; set aside. In a large saucepan, combine corn, onion and milk. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes.

Remove from heat. Add eggs, cream, salt, 1 1/2 cups cheese, and chives. Stir well and pour into dish; bake 30 minutes. Add bread crumbs and remaining 1/2 cup cheese; continue baking 20 to 25 minutes, or until a knife inserted in middle comes out clean. Serve hot.

I gather from your comments there are a couple of other things you don’t know, Marjorie. For example, you probably didn’t know that Suzanne was the only contestant in Georgia pageant history to sweep every category except congeniality, and that is not something the women in my family aspire to anyway. Or that when she walked down the runway in her swimsuit, five contestants quit on the spot. Or that when she emerged from the isolation booth to answer the question, “What would you do to prevent war?” she spoke so eloquently of patriotism, battlefields and diamond tiaras, grown men wept. And you probably didn’t know, Marjorie, that Suzanne was not just any Miss Georgia, she was THE Miss Georgia. She didn’t twirl just a baton, that baton was on fire. And when she threw that baton into the air, it flew higher, further, faster than any baton has ever flown before, hitting a transformer and showering the darkened arena with sparks! And when it finally did come down, Marjorie, my sister caught that baton, and 12,000 people jumped to their feet for sixteen and one-half minutes of uninterrupted thunderous ovation, as flames illuminated her tear-stained face! And that, Marjorie - just so you will know - and your children will someday know - is the night. the lights. went out. in Georgia!