Tasty Tuesday . . . Hoe Cakes

Have you ever heard of hoe cakes? If not, you are really missing out. You can find out an exact recipe and more information here. You can find Paula Dean's recipe here. We had always heard that they called them hoe cakes because people used to cook them on their hoes over an open fire. The recipe I am going to tell you about comes from my grandma and is never exact because she does not measure.

My grandma made hoe cakes for nearly ever meal we had growing up. They were kind of a quick bread to make to have with dinner. We would put butter on them and oh they were so good. They are kind of like a pancake but not sweet. Again, guessing at the measurements:

1-2 cups self-rising cornmeal
1/2 cup of milk

You simply mix these two together until they are the consistency of pancake mix - not too think and not too runny. You heat oil, lard or bacon grease (ha) in a cast iron skillet until it crackles when you put in a drop of water. You cook the hoe cake just like a pancake - when the top starts bubbling you flip it. You may want to drain the grease off on a paper towel. Now, serve it hot with lots of good butter on it. You can also eat them cold the next day - which we did a lot.

I realize you wouldn't want to eat this every night of the week, but you must try it at least a few times a month especially if you are having a good southern meal consisting of some type of meat, mashed potatoes, black eyed peas - oh so yummy!

You can also visit Tammy's Recipes for more kitchen tips.
-Gretchen