Hominy On The Range

Before South Carolina first lady Jenny Sanford moved into the governor's mansion in January, the Chicago native recalled how she'd come to feel at home in her adopted state. "I even learned to like grits," she said.

She'd better learn to love grits.

In February, a local company donated to the governor's mansion an all-you-can-eat supply of grits. Adluh Flour Mills also threw in cornmeal, flour, biscuit mix, pancake mix and corn muffin mix for good measure. The gift was part Southern hospitality and part charity. It seems the previous governor nearly emptied the mansion's bank account, leaving Jenny and her husband, Governor Mark Sanford, to scrape by for the last six months of the fiscal year. "At least we've got breakfast covered," Governor Sanford joked.

The plight of the governor's mansion became a metaphor for South Carolina's broken state budget. The Sanfords considered closing the first-floor dining rooms, where governors traditionally wine and dine visiting dignitaries. The grits gift, however, inspired private donors to raise $120,000 to help keep the mansion open. The first family also made a few money-saving changes around the house. Instead of entertaining with expensive late-night dinners, they're holding more early morning breakfasts. Take a guess what's on the menu.