After 13 long years of anticipation, Ro Morse fans are finally able to add her hot-off-the griddle new cookbook to our kitchen counters. This past Saturday, Ro unveiled Ro’s Simple Pleasures, a third in a trilogy that includes What’s Cooking With Ro and Ro’s Taste of Paducah. Folks lined up at both Super Valu Foods to purchase the books, have her sign them and swap cooking stories.“What makes this book extra special to me is the fact that I have received hundreds of requests for my first and second cookbooks,” Ro says. “Having no intention of reprinting them, I promised to put together a compilation of my favorites from those books and new ones that are simple and pleasurable to make.”
The result: 423 pages of great dishes, helpful hints and special notes highlighting the people and places Ro associates with almost every recipe. It’s a cookbook that anyone can follow. If you love Southern grits, I suggest starting on page 299:
Garlic Shrimp and Grits
3 c. water
1 c. whipping cream
4 T. butter
1 tsp. salt
1 c. quick grits, uncooked
2 lbs. (36-40 count) shrimp, peeled, deveined & cooked in spices
1 c. shredded extra sharp Cheddar cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
Fresh chives
1 lemon, sliced into 10 thin wedges
Step 1: In a large heavy saucepan, over medium-high heat, bring water, whipping cream, butter and salt to a low bubbling boil. Stir in the grits and reduce the heat. 
Step 2: Boil the shrimp with salted water seasoned with either Zatarain‘s liquid shrimp and crab boil or Old Bay Seasoning and lemon juice. Personally, I’m a fan of Zatarain’s.
Step 3: Continue to cook and whisk the grits until mixture is smooth. It will take seven to eight minutes for the mixture to become smooth. 
Step 4: Stir in the shrimp, cheese and garlic. (Actually, I tossed in the garlic in Step 3 to let it cook a little longer.) Cook another one to two minutes or until the mixture it thoroughly heated. 
Step 5: Garnish with fresh sliced chives. Serves 10.Note: For a side dish, try Ro’s equally easy Oyster and Zucchini Fritters, page 306. They’ll take you back to 1977 when she and Mark Higdon founded Whaler’s Catch. These fritters taste just as good today as they did back then!
