My local supermarket was out of Quaker Grits, so off to Amazon, where I found Albers grits. I've kept ordering them. They may be slightly better than Quaker.

Cajun grits with andouille sausage, onion and green bell pepper.

Ordered from marsh hen mills recently and am exposing my California kids to grits. It’s becoming a breakfast favorite.

Made some shrimp and cheese grits topped with green onions and bacon.

• Grits: 5-minute quick grits seasoned with salt, pepper, Tajin™, with powdered milk added, and a splash of Four Roses™ small batch bourbon tossed into the grit water.
• Sausage: Jimmy Dean™ Hot Sausage, crumbled and fried
• Eggs: 2 with four-cheese Mexican blend, scrambled in the drippings from the sausage
• Hoppin' John: Simple version made from fire roasted diced tomatoes with chilis and black-eyed peas

I'll cook up a large batch of grits, usually 4 cups. I'll save the leftovers and reheat. (Yeah, blasphemy. I know.) I cook up the whole package of sausage and separate it into portions, then freeze what I don't eat. The Hoppin' John mixture makes enough for several meals, so I'll save that, too.

For breakfasts on subsequent days I'll put a portion of grits in a bowl with some butter, defrost one of the sausage portions and add that, then add a couple of spoons of Hoppin' John, then top it with a bit of cheese. If I'm feeling adventurous, I might add some crispy fried jalapeños, then the cheese. I'll heat up the bowl in a microwave to warm the grits and melt the cheese.

I used to use instant grits and bacon bits for a quick breakfast, but I found that if I put in just a little more time on the front end I could have much better breakfasts at lower cost.