Old fashioned Recipes for Cornmeal Mush, Johnny Cake in Rhyme, Johnny or Journey Cake, Hoe Cake, Hunter's Cake and Ash Cake

These recipes are from an old cookbook have written by Barbara Swell.  The name of it is Log Cabin Cooking Pioneer Recipes & Food Lore.  I enjoy this little paperback a lot. Takes me back in time.

CORNMEAL MUSH

  Boil 2 cups water, add 1/2 tsp. salt, and sprinkle in cornmeal slowly while stirring until mush becomes thick.  Eat warm with butter and honey or molasses or put in a bread pan and chill until set.  Slice and fry in a frying pan with a bit of butter until crisp on both sides, then serve with maple syrup or honey.

POLENTA:  To warm mush, add Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, garlic, Italian herbs to taste, and diced sun dried tomatoes.  Chill in bread pan, slice, and fry in a small amount of butter or olive oil until brown.

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JOHNNY CAKE IN RHYME

Two cups Indian (cornmeal), one cup wheat;
One cup good eggs that you can eat.
One-half cup molasses too.
One big spoon sugar added thereto;
Salt and soda, each a small spoon.
Mix up quickly and bake it soon.
               
                          from: Brenner, My Folks Come in a Covered Wagon

JOHNNY OR JOURNEY CAKE

Make a thick mush, add a pinch of salt, make into small cakes and bake on a greased pan until browned.

FOOD INSULTS

He's small potatoes and few to the hill.
He's all vine and not taters!
He flies around like a parched pea in a hot skillet.
He's helpless as spilled beans on a dresser.  

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HOE CAKE

Make as Johnny Cake, add a little butter and cook on a clean, greased hoe over hot coals (or you could always us a hot oven).

HUNTER'S CAKE

Make as Hoe Cake and add a pinch of baking soda.  Bake on a board near the fire.

ASH CAKE

2 cups cornmeal
1 cup buttermilk
3/4 tsp. soda
1/3 cup butter
1 tsp. salt

Clear a spot out of the ashes in the fireplace, drop batter onto the hearth.  When the dough forms a crust, cover with ashes and hot coals.  Bake until done through about 15-20 minutes.
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Recipes taken from pages 19 and 17 of Barbara Swell's Log Cabin Cooking Pioneer Recipes & Food Lore.