Ho' Cakes

My Grandma Nita used to make these deliciously sweet corn hot cakes for us and they are certainly an extra-bright spot of memory in my happy childhood. The trick is to get them the right size, both diameter and thickness. They should be thin, and not at all cakey (exactly the opposite of restaurant pancakes), and should really be no larger than a biscuit in diameter. If you make them thicker and larger they begin to resemble cornbread instead of tasty breakfast cakes.

Serves two:
1 egg
1/2 cup sour cream (you can easily substitute plain yogurt)
1/2 cup buttermilk (regular milk will work, but buttermilk pushes them to over-the-top-amazing)
1/2 package of "JIFFY"® Corn Muffin Mix (do not substitute another brand if you can at all help it)
butter

The other slightly tricky thing about these is that there are no hard measurements. You'll have to just keep making small adjustments until you get the right consistency. When finished the batter should be thin and runny, and it will get thicker the longer it sits so if you're making a lot you should be prepared to add more liquid.

Mix the sour cream, buttermilk and "JIFFY"® mix until you have the right consistency. Melt a bit of butter over medium heat and pour your batter in.

When the edges round down and the center has a ring of air bubbles it's time to turn them. If your skillet is too hot they'll burn before this happens because cornmeal is nearly as fragile as butter, but if they're a bit extra dark don't worry too much about it. They'll still be pretty tasty, if not nearly as attractive as they should be.

Serve with butter and syrup, or jam, or even just plain. However you decide to serve I'm sure they'll be a treat you'll remember.

Recipe by: Juanita Sink