cozy cooking // johnny cake

I am BIG on comfort food.

While living far away from family and friends it helps to cook recipes that remind me of the ones I love.

Growing up in the Midwest, Autumn was a chilly time of year. Down went the temperature outside and up went the use of the oven.

Johnny cake is simply hot cornbread with warm milk and syrup  poured over the top. Making this breakfast is a trip down memory lane for me to the autumns of Wisconsin and childhood.

I didn’t get the chance to take pictures of the johnny cake as mornings go fast here and we ate it all up. The picture of the cornbread in cast iron makes me feel cozy like in my flannels just looking at it!

The ends are perfectly crispy. The trick is to preheat the cast iron in the oven and add 1 tablespoon of butter (swirl it around) before pouring in the batter.

Below is a recipe that is included in my 2012 Susan Branch calendar and I had to try it for our johnny cakes. Don’t skip on the ginger or making the (honey) bee butter… did I mention I like butter?

There you have it! Now just cut it hot and place it in a cereal bowl. Pour milk and some pure maple syrup over to help cool it down . mmm…. enjoy.