I've been a little behind on posting things, but Drew and I made these about three times within a span of about 2 weeks, and LOVE them.  The first time we ever ate them was a The Lady and Sons, Paula Deen's well known restaurant in Savannah, GA.  It's worth the trip.  They hand them out to people in line- isn't that hospitable?  They're delicious- a cross between corn bread and a pancake, you can eat them with syrup like a pancake or with savory foods, like corn bread.  How fun is versatility in food?!

They're also pretty easy and quick to throw together, which is why I chose to make these rather than a cake of cornbread.  All the flavor in less time!  Fun fact- hoe cakes reportedly got their name because field hands would fry the batter on their hoes they used to work the field.

Hoe Cake accompanying assortment of grilled veggies and black eyed peas- yum!

I am posting the recipe as Ms. Paula Deen created it, but I'll post changes in my notes section.  The recipe title links to the recipe on foodnetwork.com

Hoe Cakes

1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup self-rising cornmeal, or from a mix (recommended: Aunt Jemima's)
2 eggs
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup vegetable oil or bacon grease
Oil, butter, or clarified margarine, for frying

Mix well all ingredients, except for the frying oil. Heat the frying oil or butter in a medium or large skillet over medium heat. Drop the batter, by full tablespoons, into the hot skillet. Use about 2 tablespoons of batter per hoecake. Fry each hoecake until brown and crisp; turn each hoecake with a spatula, and then brown the other side. With a slotted spoon, remove each hoecake to drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Leftover batter will keep in refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Notes

• I cooked my hoe cakes just like pancakes, which is to say I didn't use a lot of oil.
• I didn't have self rising cornmeal, so I sort of fudged it with cornmeal, baking powder, and salt.
• I also didn't have buttermilk, so I put 1 Tb. vinegar in regular milk and let it sit.