Cheesy grits with hominy

I have a habit of tasting something from the hot bar every time I go to the Seward for groceries...it's like the treat before I check out. A few weeks ago they had some cheesy grits with hominy that was SO good, I have been thinking about making it ever since. I have never made grits before, and it turns out there are quite a few different methods.

I primarily was in search of something that would satisfy my yearning for mac and cheese but without gluten, and I also really liked the hominy in the grits I had from the seward, so I wanted that too. I created a recipe based on a few different searches - and ended up cooking my own hominy too. The grits turned out really good independently, and stuffed in green peppers.

2 c. milk
2 c. water
1 c. grits/polenta
1 T. butter
2 c. cooked or canned hominy*
1 1/2 c. cheese (I used a raw cheddar)
salt and pepper

*The only raw hominy I found was actually from Native Harvest and the White Earth land Recovery Project, which is not cheap. It feels really good to support that project and the work there though, and I was excited to cook my own hominy. I did mine just like I would cook beans - in the slow cooker, after soaking overnight, with lots of water. I am hoping to make posole ometime soon with the rest because this hominy is totally gorgeous and huge. Yum.

Put the water, milk, and grits in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Stir frequently as it comes to a boil and starts to thicken. Once it starts boiling, let simmer (while stirring) for another 5-10 minutes until thick but still mildly soupy. Add sat and pepper to taste. Turn off the heat and stir in the hominy and the shredded cheese. I also stirred in two red banana peppers because they were fresh out of the garden.

From here you can fill bell pepper halves if you want to go that route, or pour the grits into a buttered casserole dish. Put either/both in the oven for about 40 minutes (until browned) at 350.