Hoe Cakes

Photo courtesy of Shockingly Tasty and Creative Commons 

Yes ladies and gentlemen, hoe cakes, a favorite food of George Washington. You read that correctly. According to the History Channel, a book titled Dining with the Washington's claims that hoe cakes  "swimming in butter or honey" were the favorite breakfast of the first president of the United States.

A hoe cake, is much less calamitous than it sounds. Essentially it is a corn meal pancake. It uses the term hoe in reference to the fact that they could be cooked over an open fire on the back of a hoe, the gardening tool. Hoe cakes are often called Johnny cakes as well.

If you are an adventurous pancake lover, you will be relieved to know that recipes for hoe cakes are still widely available. Below is the History Channel's take on an authentic Washington hoe cake. If you would like to try something more modern try Paul Deen's recipe.

Authentic Washington’s Hoe Cakes
Makes about 4 servings and takes 35 minutes, plus at least 8 hours and 20 minutes for resting the batter. (Just be glad you don’t have to keep the fire going while you’re at it! I’ve done that too, and it takes tending.)

½ teaspoon active dry yeast
2 ½ cups white cornmeal
3-4 cups lukewarm water
½ teaspoon salt
1 large egg, beaten
Melted butter for drizzling and serving
Honey or maple syrup for serving

In a large bowl, mix the yeast with 11/4 cups cornmeal, then pour in 1 cup warm water, and combine thoroughly. Now stir in ½ cup more water. The mixture should be like pancake batter. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

Are you awake? Ready to finish the hoe cakes?

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F and have a nice platter or large plate ready. This is so you can keep the first hoe cakes warm while you prepare the rest of the batter.

Add ½ to 3/4-cup lukewarm water to the batter, stir well, and cover bowl with a damp towel. Let rest for about 20 minutes.

Heat griddle to medium high and grease with lard, bacon fat or other shortening. Drop a scant ¼ cup of batter on the griddle, and cook on one side until brown. Flip the hoe cake to brown on the other side. Place on platter, drizzle with a little butter and put platter in the warm oven. Add each hoe cake as it is finished so that you have a nice pile, each one drizzled with butter, to place on the table. Serve with melted butter and honey or maple syrup.

So You Want To Work For Starbucks

One of the most coveted jobs among college students is that of a Starbucks Barista. Many apply and many never hear back.

Amy McDaniel, a senior foreign languages and literature major at Colorado State University, considers herself very lucky. She has been working at Starbucks for four years.

It’s no wonder when the free coffee with every shift and other great fringe benefits are factored in. McDaniel isn't the only one who thinks it's a great place to work. According to Fortune Magazine, it is one of the 100 best places to work.

McDaniel said, “It’s easy to get frustrated with the corporate aspect, but the benefits are really good and they are usually very flexible if you are a full time student.”

To those applying to Starbucks, McDaniel advises face to face interaction. Always make follow up calls and stop into the store to meet the manager. Starbucks receives so many applications that finding a way to stand out if very important.

“When you go in to meet the manager, don’t buy a drink. It lets them know that you are not just another customer and that you are seriously interested.”

The most difficult part of working at Starbucks, for McDaniel, is the dress code. Though, she concedes that the severity of the dress code depends on the location.

“I feel like I am usually breaking at least one rule each shift. This location is pretty strict.” she said.

The Starbucks employee manual outlines a detailed view of what a Barista should wear.  From head to toe there are very specific regulations dictating hairstyles, jewelry, shoes and much more.

McDaniel will miss working at Starbucks after she graduates. She said that one of the coolest aspects of working there are the variety of different people who work there. She explained that those
who open and people who close often have vastly different personalities.

She said, “It’s a misconception that we’re all the same type of people. Starbucks is full of so many different fun personalities.”

Photo by Kristin Hall Amy McDaniel has been a barista for four years. Photo By Kristin Hall Photo by Kristin Hall Photo by Kristin Hall

Macaroni and Trees

Photo by Kristin Hall

I do not frequently get the urge to made something entirely from scratch. Especially when it comes to mac and cheese. I think that part of the definition of comfort food is that you can make it and enjoy it as quickly as the mood strikes.

This meal was an exception.On Friday morning I decided that I would have homemade macaroni and trees for lunch to go with the chilly weather. And yes, I said trees. I had a whole head of broccoli in my crisper calling my name. At that point, health concerns were no longer an excuse.

Homemade Mac and Cheese with Broccoli photo by Kristin Hall

I can't relay a concrete recipe because it does not exist. This is one of those arbitrary family recipes that  changes a bit each time it is made. I can only give you a general outline of the events.

I made a roux and from there added cheese to make the sauce. I boiled the elbow macaroni and steamed the broccoli in the microwave. After a bit of quick seasoning I sat down to a steaming bowl, with plenty in the refrigerator for later.

There really is something special about homemade.

Not You Grandmother's Valentine's Day Cookie

This years anatomically correct heart cookies. Photo by Kristin Hall

Since Valentine's Day is swiftly approaching the time is right to pull out my favorite cookie cutter. Whether you are boycotting or celebrating the anatomically correct heart shaped cookie cutter is the best asnwer to your holiday's sweet tooth calling.

Last year, while my roommate was taking anatomy, I was so inspired that I scoured the dark corners of the internet to find such a cookie cutter. It was significantly more difficult than I imagined it would be. I finally found a homemade cookie cutter on Etsy, an online craft and vintage shop. It was about $8 dollars before shipping, which is expensive for a cookie cutter, but affordable for the situation.

I had visions of blue and red veins and the most intricate and accurate frosting jobs I had ever done.  However, my dreams were dashed when I actually tried to execute this frosting job, equipped with only my underdeveloped artistic skills. I found a fine alternative, in simply frosting them with royal icing and adding a small EKG using examples from Google images to infuse some shred of reality into my cookies.


Anatomically correct heart shaped cookies are now a Valentine's Day tradition for me; whether I am celebrating or boycotting. I highly suggest you give these clever and delicious little cookies a try.

Warm Drinks

It just snowed again here in Fort Collins and I want nothing more in these post-holiday, cold months, than a warm drink. Often I wont even discriminate. Whatever is in my cup is fine as long as it's hot.

For those of us old folks, the 21+ crowd that is, Imbibe Magazine posted a list of 12 warm drinks to cozy up with. One of my favorites of the 12, if only because of my love affair with my french press, is the Comfort Coffee. The beverage is composed of bourbon, coffee and an orange clove syrup.

For those under 21, getting rid of the bourbon would be a completely acceptable alternative. No flavor combination is quite as deliciously original than orange and coffee.

The recipe is as follows:

Comfort Coffee
1 oz. bourbon
6 oz. fresh, French-pressed coffee
1 oz. Felicia’s Comfort Syrup (see recipe below)
Tools: barspoon
Glass: 8-oz. coffee mug
Garnish: orange twist

Stir bourbon and syrup in mug. Add hot coffee, stir and garnish.

Felicia’s Comfort Syrup
6 oz. fresh-squeezed orange juice without pulp
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1 1/2 tsp. cardamom seeds

Cook syrup over medium heat until it’s hot and the sugar is dissolved; do not boil. Remove from heat. Cover and let sit for 20 minutes. Strain into a bottle and refrigerate.

Be sure to give this recipe a try and cheers to warmer weather!

Avocados

Photo by Kristin Hall

There is nothing quite like a perfectly rip Avocado. I love to eat them plain or in guacamole, but these are not the only options. Avocados are being eaten in all sorts of unexpected ways. Avocados on toast is one of the more popular recipes for breakfast or lunch. Some like the mashed avocado with salt and pepper and some prefer honey.

Avocado milkshakes are another bizarre variation that can be found in traditional Vietnamese restaurants. Some are made with chocolate, sugar and milk. Some are made with vanilla ice cream. The less you think about the avocado the easier it is to drink.

A great vegan chocolate cake alternative involves mashing avocados and adding them to a vegan chocolate cake mix. While I am not vegan and like my chocolate cake just fine, I must say it is still decadent chocolate cake without the dairy.