I learned this from an old lady that was very close to me. One of her sons is my ex. After I broke up with him I still remained close to her. She also helped raise my girls and put my father in his place about me. This lady helped me a lot and when I was sick she told me repeatedly to go to a doctor and get myself checked. At that time I had hyperplaisia pre cancer. She came to the hospital post op after second surgery. I had two surgeries nearly back to back. I had one surgery which was to take only a look to see what was wrong with me followed by another one the next month which was more major because they had to cut me open. We was all very relieved I didn’t have cancer and with whatever they took out of me the threat of it turning to cancer was gone. I was so very sick for a long time and 3 months is a very long time indeed to be so sick. I said ok lets get on with it I am so tired of being this way. This old lady who always had my back came to the hospital to see me. She was upset I didn’t call my father and asked me why didn’t I call him. I never lied to her or anyone else. I pride myself on my honesty. I told her, “What is the point? He doesn’t care about me anyway.” When she heard this she relaxed.
Then my daughters came to see me. My youngest brought me a balloon. I still have it to this very day. Even though it has long deflated, I keep it in the drawer of my computer desk. It is worth more then gold to me.
Way before I got sick and when my girls where small, I used to watch her cook. She was from Arkansas and sure knew how to cook too. Even my youngest daughter knows how to make hot water cornbread. It is because we watched her.
I am old school and I make everything from scratch and hot water cornbread is very easy to make. The Puerto Ricans make it too but theirs is shaped like a log instead of a round patty. They call theirs soruillitos .
I took a tea kettle and filled it up with cold water and put it on the stove. When I heard the steam coming from the kettle I knew the water was ready and added all of the dry ingredients to the bowl which are 5 handfuls of cornmeal, 1 pinch of salt and 1 pinch of turbinado sugar. I poured a little corn oil in the cast iron skillet but if you don’t have one use the one you have that is available even if it is an electric one. Peanut and canola oils can be used too. I used 2 cooking spoons full of corn oil and let the oil turn hot.
I added the hot water to the cornmeal mixture a little at a time and used a wooden spoon to stir because this hot water is very hot and not wise to stick your hand in at this point. There is no reason why anyone should scald themselves. Now i know it is like stirring fufu at first. I added a tiny bit and stirred and kept doing it until I had a dough. When it was cool enough to stick my hand in I kneaded it in to a dough and covered the bowl with a lid it came with for 10 minutes. Wet hands and shape in to patties for hot water bread or for sorullitos shape in to logs and fry in the skillet by shallow frying. Fry until lightly golden on both sides. The yield i got from this was 8 hot water cornbreads or 8 sorillitos.
#VEGAN #GLUTENFREE #KIDFRIENDLY
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