I Heart Cornmeal Mush

So this story actually begins about 9 years ago near San Juan.

M and I had been married for two weeks when we boarded a plane and flew to Puerto Rico to chaperone the youth group kids that M was working with at the time on a work camp trip.  When we weren't doing construction on houses (or touring Old San Juan as pictured above) we slept at a school and were served meals in the cafeteria there.  Each morning, among other things, cornmeal mush was on the menu.  The kids (and frankly, many of the adults) on the trip thought it was sort of disgusting, but I loved it.  Everyone made fun of me for eating two or three bowls of it every morning, and my brand new husband found himself quickly acquainted with my affinity for mushy and weird foods.

As I was browsing through the homemade cereals section of my More-With-Less Cookbook and getting ready to make Coconut Oatmeal Cereal (another mushy favorite, if you eat it with milk), I noticed a recipe for cornmeal mush.  I recalled how Amy Dacyczyn advocated this food in her books as a super frugal alternative to breakfast cereal.  And so of course, I had to make it.

With the first mouthful, all these memories of Puerto Rico came flooding back.  Isn't it wonderful how a food can bring back memories so instantly?  I think that's why I feel compelled to record our recipes on this blog... what we're eating is such a big, and often comforting, part of our lives.  (I have a whole other post to write about this... someday.)

C enjoyed two bowlfuls.  Like her Mama, she is a lover of all things mushy.

So, because I know you're all dying for it... here's the recipe.

Cornmeal Mush

3 cups water
1 cup cold water
1 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup flour
1 t salt (I left this out.  I detest any hint of salty flavor in my mushy breakfast goodness-- but you may add it as you see fit.)

Bring the 3 cups water of water to a boil in a heavy saucepan or double boiler.  Whisk together the cold water, cornmeal, flour and salt in a separate bowl.  Whisk the cornmeal mixture into the boiling water, stirring constantly for another minute or two to prevent lumps as the mixture thickens.  Cover, reduce heat to very low, and simmer 20-30 more minutes.

I flavor mine with brown sugar and milk.  A little cinnamon is nice too!

This recipe costs 34 cents to make, and it serves 6... that's 6 cents per serving.  Even the cheapest of store-bought breakfast cereals are about 40 cents per serving.  Win in the tightwad department... I can't say it's a win in the kids-will-like-it department, unless you're little C.

Any other weirdos out there who like mushy food??