Breakfast on Tiffany's Paycheck

Or, "Johnny Got His Cakes"

Cheap. Easy. Efficient. Johnnycakes.

My recommendation to any starving actor, artist, or musician out there who want more than a cold bowl of cereal in the morning is to buy a bag of cornmeal. Based on my (limited) research, you can get decent cornmeal for about $1 a pound, which beats out cereal by a long shot. Also, you can make johnnycakes with cornmeal, and you don't need much to do it. This recipe serves one comfortably.

Johnnycakes

In a small bowl, whisk together ½ c. cornmeal (preferably stone-ground), a pinch of salt, and a pinch of sugar. While whisking (to avoid lumps), add ¾ c. boiling water. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Put a pan over medium-low heat and add ½ tbsp. butter. When the butter has melted, use a measuring cup to add batter to the pan. Cakes should be no more than 3 inches across. Flatten cakes out to about ¾ inch thick. Cook on one side for 6-10 minutes, then use another ½ tbsp. butter divided up to push into the tops of the cakes. Flip and cook for another 6-10 minutes.

Eat immediately, preferably with some maple syrup and turkey sausage or blueberries or banana. Total estimated johnnycake cost per serving: 36¢, not counting the cost to operate your stove.

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Title inspiration: Breakfast at Tiffany's is a dramatic film directed by Blake Edwards, based on the novel by Truman Capote, starring Audrey Hepburn. Released 5 October 1961.