Traveling Within My Kitchen

We love to travel and visit new places, but aren't able to do it as much as we would like. And one of the places we visit most is Pennsylvania. Why?? Because 90% of my family lives there and we enjoy visiting them :) But what many people don't understand is that since most of them live in Western PA, and while I've traveled to other areas of the state, one city I've never been to is Philadelphia. That's right. After 30 years of trips to the Quaker State, this PA girl at heart, has never been to Philly, but tonight we're going to feel like we have been! That's because one way I enjoy "traveling" is through food and/or travel shows; and one of my favorites is $40 A Day w/ Rachael Ray. I love seeing all the places she visits and what she can find to eat, explore and learn. I recently bought The Best Eats In Town On $40 A Day cookbook ($2 clearance shelf at Half Price Books) and tonight's recipe is from a section dedicated to the city of brotherly love. On this trip she visited the Down Home Diner and chose their corn cakes for breakfast. We used to have a diner here in Fort Wayne that served corn fritters w/ maple syrup for breakfast and we loved them. And as soon as I saw this recipe, I knew I was going to try it in hopes of capturing some of those same flavors. So move over "Rocky" the Marshalls are coming to town!!!

Corn Cakes
1 cup fine ground yellow cornmeal
1 c. self rising flour
4 TBS sugar
2 eggs
2 c. buttermilk
6 TBS corn oil (I am using vegetable b/c I have it)
2 cups fresh corn kernels (I am using thawed frozen ones)

Heat a griddle or large non stick skillet over medium high heat. Place cornmeal, flour & sugar in a large bowl and mix together. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, buttermilk, oil & corn & stir until blended. Fold liquid ingredients into dry, gently stirring just until incorporated; do not over-mix. Spray the griddle w/ cooking spray. Ladle 1/2 cup of corn mixture onto hot griddle. Cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Repeat until no batter remains.

* If you have all purpose flour and want to substitute: Add 1 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder and 1/4 to 1/2 of a teaspoon of salt to every 1 cup of all-purpose flour

*To make buttermilk: Place a Tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup. Add enough milk to bring the liquid up to the one-cup line.

Down Home Diner
Reading Terminal Market
12th & Filbert Streets
Philadelphia, PA
215-627-1955