I'm a farmer! (plus, Cooking with Brandon!)

Well, I guess this makes it official.
I'm a farmer.
Heard my chickens clucking quietly to themselves, this morning, as per usual, when one of them commences to making the most gawshawfulest commotion, bucbucbucBAGAWK! bucbucbuc BAGAWK,BAGAWK! and after a few minutes quieted down to the standard background noise of quiet clucking, interspersed with Cogburn letting everyone know that he's still cock o'the walk, around here, thankyewverymuch!
After I walked across to get my lunch, I told Rachel to remind me to check the henhouse in a bit, even though I checked it last night (and gathered several of Cogburn's dropped tail feathers!) because after all my reading on the keeping of chickens, *I* had a *suspicion*!
We drove into town (ah, beautiful downtown Hodgen, OK!) to drop off a parcel at the postoffice, and when we got back, I checked the henhouse.
The chickens had piled a bunch of their pine shaving bedding up into one corner of the henhouse, and hollowed out a depression, right in the top of it.
And what did I find there?
That's right! One perfect chicken egg! A lovely palest creamy brown, with almost a touch of pink to it, and much smaller than a storebought egg, but perfectly shaped, and smooth.
I suspect this was from my eldest, and smallest hen, a bantam named Dainbramage. She's about six months old, so not a huge surprise that she is starting to lay, Racingstripe should start next, followed by "the Girls" my 4 lookalike Americana hens (they should lay pink, blue or green eggs!)
I don't know if Hamlet, the Guinea will lay or not, since I don't know enough about Guineas to know if she is a she or a he, but with the other 6, maybe I will have a decent supply of eggs, this spring and summer!
So, yup, one egg equals farmer, right?
Yup.

What did I do with my one egg, you ask?
And what did I do with the batch of corn that I shelled, and then ground, in an old fashioned hand grinder?
Well, I'm glad you asked!
I made one batch of Johnnycake, of course!

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Brandon's Johnnycake Recipe:
Two handfuls of homeground dent (hard) corn
Two handfuls of homemade biscuit mix (cause it's handy!)
One handful of sugar (cause it is Johnnycake, not cornbread!)
One splash of vegetable oil
One splash of milk
One fresh egg

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, while preheating your oven to 350f. Let the mix sit for a couple of minutes. You'll be baking it to way above a safe internal temp, so letting it warm up a touch will allow everything to meld together.
In cast iron skillet, melt one pat of butter or margarine, and swirl to cover inside of pan.
WHADDAYA mean, "I don't have a cast iron skillet?!? How are you even friends with me?!?
Fine.

Spray the bottom of a pyrex baking dish with butter flavoured spray.
Pour the mix into the bottom of your baking vessel. The mix should be thin enough to fill the dish on it's own, without being spread, but thicker than, say, milk. Think pancake type batter.
Place into the preheated oven, for approximately 10-15 minutes, checking every couple of minutes after the first ten.
(While waiting, contemplate on how very much you have disappointed Talbot, with your lack of cast iron cookware... You feel that? That is *SHAME*.)
When a knife blade (yes, a knife blade, put away the toothpicks, Nancy.)
When a knife blade inserted into the middle of the Johnnycake comes out clean, remove from the oven and let sit for about 5 minutes. Slice into wedges, if you cooked it in a skillet, (like God intended,) or into squares, if you made it in a pan, and butter while still nice and warm. Serve with a nice cold glass of milk.
Then hie yourself down to the local Mom'n'Pop hardware store (shop local!) and pick yourself up some cast iron. Your family, and your tastebuds, will thank you for it!