Sherry Chapmanby Sherry Chapman
First published in November/December, 2006, Volume 3, Issue 4, The Hatchet: Journal of Lizzie Borden Studies.
Top of the mornin’ to ya. It’s sure to be a scorcher today. And me with a sick headache and feeling poorly.
I’ve been up since quarter past six, I should judge, and was down the stairs and did not see no one else up and about. I did not get home last night until after ten o’clock, and I sure could have used another couple hours of sleep. But I guess if you’re gonna dance you gotta pay the fiddler and I danced all right. If it’s just a few hours of sleep I’m doin’ without then the evenin’ was worth it. I took in the milk can and about quarter of seven I let the ice man in. I already have the fire started. I figure to do any hot cookin’ early today, because I don’t intend to be slavin’ over a hot stove later on. Today is Thursday, and I get Thursday afternoons off. Everybody seems to forget about that, but I never do. I got my time comin’ to me and I take it. The Lord knows how hard I work around here. Ennyway, come into the kitchen with me, why don’t ya, and we’ll make us some
JOHNNY CAKE
Now Mr. Borden, he don’t care much for my Johnny cake. Calls it “indigestible Irish starch.” But Mrs. Borden, she was already down here and told me to go ahead with ‘em. She loves them. Plus with Mr. Morse bein’ here for breakfast, she wants to be sure there’s plenty to eat on the table. She always wants to make sure there’s plenty to eat on the table, in case they should get unexpected company, she says. They never get any for breakfast any other mornin’. I guess she wants to be ready in case.
This recipe is more of a New England one than one of my Irish ones. Back home, I used to make some real Irish Johnny cakes. My Da said they were the best in the county. I thought makin’ them more American would be more to Mr. Borden’s likin’, but it made no difference.
Yer gonna need:
Almost a cup of flour
A small spoonful of baking soda
A half small spoonful of salt
Two big spoonfuls of sugar
One and a little more cups of yellow cornmeal
Two eggs, beat well
A half of a half cup of white vinegar
One cup of milk
A half of a half cup of melted lard
Mix the flour, baking soda, salt and sugar real good. Stir in your cornmeal. Then you wanna combine the eggs, vinegar, milk and lard. Add these to those dry ingredients. Stir it up just until it’s moist. Grease your pan (a 8 by 8 baking pan is good, about two inches deep). The fire in the stove has to be pretty hot. Mary Doolan says at 400 degrees, it will take about a half hour to cook.
And there ya have it. What’s not to like? You can put what you want on it.
Since we’re talkin’ about cake, I heard this at my cousin, Dennis’s, last nite. What food causes the most suffering and grief for years after eating it? I guessed ‘mutton’ and that was wrong. The answer was wedding cake. Ha.
May the wind always be at yer back now. I’d better get this on the table before I hear Mrs. Borden ring that little bell in there. It’ll set my head throbbin’ for sure.
