Time About 45 minutes

Original By Mark Bittman

Ingredients
2 1/2 tablespoons butter, olive oil, lard or bacon drippings
1 1/2 cups medium-grind cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups milk, more if needed

Method
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put fat in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet or in an 8-inch square baking pan. Place pan in oven.

2. Meanwhile, combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix eggs into milk, then stir this mixture into dry ingredients, combining with a few swift strokes. If mixture seems dry, add another tablespoon or two of milk.

3. When fat and oven are hot, remove skillet or pan from oven, pour batter into it and smooth out top. Return pan to oven. Bake about 30 minutes, until top is lightly browned and sides have pulled away from pan; a toothpick inserted into center will come out clean. Serve hot or warm.

Variations:
The basic version is plenty sweet and rich enough, but you could add even more sugar, another egg, and even more fat. Or you could reduce The sugar to 1/4 cup if you want to make it more like southern cornbread.

you could add bits of cooked bacon, sautéed onions or shallots, chili powder or cumin, chopped chilies or herbs, grated cheese, mashed or puréed beans or fresh, canned or frozen corn — you may have to adjust the amount of liquid you add.

Comments:
Olive oil made it a little bitter. I’ll try something else next time.

1 & ½ TBSP granulated yeast [2 packets]

1 & ½ TBSP coarse salt

6 & ½ cups unbleached all purpose white flour

Cornmeal for pizza peel [I’ve been using a cookie sheet and it works fine]

Mixing and storing the dough:

1. Warm the water slightly: It should feel just a little warmer than body temp, about 100 degrees.

2. Add yeast and salt to water in a 5 quart bowl.

3. Mix in the flour – kneading is unnecessary: Add all of the flour at once. Mix with a wooden spoon or heavy duty stand mixer w/ dough hook until mixture becomes uniform. You are finished when everything is uniformly moist, without dry patches. [This yields a dough that is wet and loose enough to conform to the shape of its container]

4. Allow to rise: cover with a lid [not air tight – I’ve been using aluminum foil with holes pricked in it]. Allow mixture to rise at room temp until it begins to collapse [or at least flattens on top] approximately 2 hours. You can use a portion of the dough at any time after this period, but it is easier to work if it has been chilled at least 3 hours before shaping the loaf [and can sit in fridge for up to 14 days at this point until you are ready to use].

5. Sprinkle pizza peel [or pan] liberally with cornmeal to prevent loaf from sticking to it when you slide it into the oven. Sprinkle surface of refrigerated dough with flour. Pull up and cut off a 1 pound [grapefruit sized] piece of dough, using a serrated knife. Hold the mass of dough in your hands and add a little more flour as needed so it won’t stick to your hands. Gently stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter turn as you go. Most of the dusting flour will fall off; it is not intended to be incorporated into the dough. The bottom of the loaf may appear to be a collection of bunched ends, but it will flatten out and adhere during resting and baking. The correctly shaped final product will be smooth and cohesive. The entire process should take no more than 30 to 60 seconds.

6. Rest the loaf and let it rise on a pizza peel [or cookie sheet]. Place the shaped ball on the cornmeal-covered pizza peel. Allow the loaf to rest for about 40 minutes. [it doesn’t need to be covered during the resting period]. Depending on the age of the dough, you may not see much rise during this period; more rising will occur during baking.

7. Twenty minutes before baking, preheat oven to 450 degrees w/ baking stone placed on the middle rack [again, I baked on a cookie sheet and it has been yummy]. Place an empty broiler tray for holding water on any other shelf that won’t interfere with the rising bread [this is important – allows bread to “steam” while baking – I used a pyrex dish with water in it]

8. Dust and slash: dust the top of the loaf with flour and slash with a knife – ¼ inch deep cross, scallop, or “tic tac toe” pattern into the top.

9. Bake with steam: after 20 minute preheat, put in oven. Bake for 30 minutes or until the crust is nicely browned and firm to the touch. [I found that it only took my loaves 20 minutes to bake in my oven – 30 minutes gave me crispy fried black bread crust ]

10. Store remaining dough in refrigerator in lidded or covered container [not air tight – I use my mixing bowl with aluminum foil w/ holes pricked in it]. Store for up to 14 days and use when you need it.

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I really liked this bread, especially the hardened outer crust.

As for the animals, Everyone is fed and watered. No baby bunnies, yet, this morning. (Sigh) By my calculations they should have been born last night. It’s okay, Im not giving up hope. She’s still fussing about in the nest.

Two chickens dead today. Not good. I thought we got passed most of this. The first one I kind of expected – she was looking a little rough yesterday. I was hoping it was just the wind. But my Silverlace? I didn’t see that coming at all.
Well, Two little prayers said, and their little bodies donated to the feed-a-predator foundation.

Speaking of prayers – My prayer list has been long lately. There are so many people, sick, in the hospital, in danger, out of work and more. It’s not that I’m tired of praying, or that I don’t want to lift my voice to the heavens – it’s just that I’m saddened to see soooo many people in need. I can’t figure out if this “Time” in history is THAT much worse, or if I’m just getting older and noticing/a part of more. No wonder adults remember the past with fondness – Less friends sick and dying, more time to play, less responsibilities – Ignorance can be bliss.

My gratitudes:
Despite the two deaths, my chickens seem healthier than they have in a Long long long long time! Baby bunnies should still be on the way!!! My Family is working and the car is getting fixed. My boys love me and like to talk to me! I could keep going but it seems more like bragging right now. I love my life. I am surrounded by people who love and Like me. We have all the basic necessities and life is good.

Soak beans for 24 hours,
Put in crock pot with V-8, 2 cloves of garlic, chopped bell pepper, chopped tomato and chopped onion
cook for 12-15 hours on low.
Add a dollop of molasses and brown sugar to taste.

These are so easy and VERY VERY good!

soak beans for 24 hours
Drain
Cook them over night in the crockpot in the V-8 Juice

Dice garlic and add to crockpot,
Add a shot of whiskey
Chop onion, pepper, tomatoes, and seranno add to the frying pan.
Chop pork into small cubes and add to the frying pan,
season with seasonings, and cook until onions are soft and pork is done.
Add the mixture to the crockpot and let cook until you get home at the end of the day.

*********
If you don’t have a crock pot, just put it in a large pan on the range and cook covered.

I let the beans soak for 24 hours. (or at least 12 hours if you are pressed for time)
and cook them over night (crock pot) in a tomato base (instead of simple water)

For both the Chili and the Baked beans I used v-8. The texture and flavor came out perfect. I am SOOOO Happy! It is so much more cost efficient to use dried over canned that I just kept trying. I think it is the acidic value of the tomatoes that breaks down the texture to what I’m used to.

I had to share! Thats the secret that no one tells you.

Farm Update:
The first breeding failed. No babies and the loss of one doe. I was so sad. However I decided to give it one more go with this buck. The due date is fast approaching and I believe that Jaidev is pregnant. She is shedding her fur and lining her nest and I am anxiously awaiting babies. Pearl … not so much. So either A) she’s going to have the babies right there on the cage floor or .. Not pregnant.
I don’t know who to blame. The buck? or my does? I am breeding them late – but I find it really difficult to believe it is all them. I am more than likely going to get a few more does and begin again with a brand new buck. I will keep everyone updated when the baby bunnies come!

The chickens got switched to the old way of feeding them. Whole oats, black oil sunflower seed, and a scratch grain mix. I am also giving them some laying mash/high protein starter, but the majority of their food is that seed plus what they can catch. I used to be feeding them commercial feed (Southern states) and I’ll tell you what.. I Have NEVER had so many problems with sickness and thrift before. For a while even the predators were avoiding my chickens.. sigh.

But I am happy to say that they are back to normal! Praise God, and shout for joy!
They look good, they sound good and they are returning to the way they should be!

Life is good!

The Boys:
JJ starts school in Spring. I am so proud of him! He’s going to major in Psychology. Maybe he’ll figure out how crazy I am. Girlfriend is doing great and comes over often now. I like her and I like them together. He is happy and that’s what is important.

MC got his HOPE scholorship taken away. It was a horribly sad and frustrating time. Thats part of why you haven’t heard from me in so long. He’s done so well, focusing on the fact that he still has his loans in place, he still has his job, and he’s still able to pursue his goals. I’m so proud of him. He’s doing well, making friends and getting good grades. What more could I ask for?

My in-laws were here for two weeks and I feel as if they left on a sour note. Like we didn’t have a lot of fun or at least not the type of fun I was looking forward to during their visit. I feel like I let them down.

The visit was filled with stress: Mc’s car breaking down on the way home, our water main leaking, the house leaking, lack of funds. Luckily it all worked out.

Not to say that there wasn’t fun involved. Some laughter, joking, playing of games, reading of the newspaper and such. It just wasn’t the quality of fun I wished would have happened.
I love my in-laws. They are wonderful people, always bending over backwards to help and love us.
I just wish it could have been a better trip for them.