Corn Meal Mush

Sometimes I think of all the good things we ate when we were young. The one thing that came to mind was my Mama Gen's (my grandmother) CORN MEAL MUSH. Mama Gen was one of the world's best cooks. She owned a little diner in Wichita, Kansas when I was very young. I can still see the old counter. Spaced along the top were glass display cases containing individual pieces of her pie, stacked up inside on their very own stage. When my Mom and Dad bought a cafe (in my Dad's childhood hometown in Arkansas) my Mama Gen moved with us to help Mom in the kitchen. Later Mama Gen was a pastry cook in a hotel. She could bake pies, cakes, cinnamon rolls,  hot rolls and all kinds of mouth watering delights. So why in the world would I be thinking about her corn meal mush?

Mama Gen would make a big batch corn meal mush for our breakfast. We ate it warm with milk and sugar. What ever we did not eat she would pour in a loaf pan and stick it in the refrigerator. I think this is where I learn to not waste food and to use the leftovers. Then for supper that night she would slice that chilled corn meal mush and fry it to go with what ever we were having. It's funny because as I remember it went with everything. Young people today have no idea what they are missing. I'm pretty sure she never measured anything, but for those of us who need to measure this is the recipe:

CORN MEAL MUSH

1 cup white corn meal

1 cup cold water

3 cups boiling water

1 teaspoon salt

In a large saucepan, bring 3 cups water and salt to a boil.

In a small bowl, mix corn meal with cold water.

Gradually stir corn meal mixture into salted boiling water.

Cook at least 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Cover and continue cooking on low heat 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve hot with milk and sugar. (I like a little bit of butter stirred in mine.)

Pour left over mush into loaf pan. (Spray the pan so it will not stick) 

Refrigerate 2 or 3 hours or until firm.

Remove from pan and cut into 1/4 inch slices.

Lightly flour and pan-fry in a small amount of hot oil until golden brown on both sides.

Serve hot.

If you want more of a sweet kind of fried mush serve with syrup or honey.

Next time you look around the kitchen and can't think of something to fix you can try corn meal mush.