Bread (Chickasaw) Indian Fry Bread

2 cups sifted flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
1/2 cup warm water or milk

Sift first three ingredients together and stir in beaten egg. Add water or milk to make soft dough. Round up on lightly floured cloth or bread board. Knead lightly. Roll or pat out 1/2 inch thick. Cut into strips about 2 x 3 inches and slit center. Drop into deep fat. Brown on both sides. Serve hot. Good with pinto beans, stew or syrup.

Bread (Choctaw - Chickasaw) Banaha

2 cups cornmeal
1 1/2 cups hot water
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
corn shucks (boil about 10 minutes before using.)

Mix dry ingredients. Add water til mixture is stiff enough to handle easily. Form small oblong balls the size of a tennis ball and wrap in corn shucks. Tie in middle with corn shuck string, or use oblong white rags 8 x 10 inches, cut from an old sheet. They are much better boiled in shucks. Drop covered balls into a deep pot of boiling water. Cover and cook 40 minutes. Serve.
Indians used to heat hog lard and pour it over bread as gravy. Leftovers may be stored in refrigerator. To serve, slice each ball into 1/2 inch slices and fry in hot fat. Variation: Add 1/2 Cup cooked black-eye peas or red beans to recipe.

Bread (Chickasaw) Indian Molasses Bread

Pour 1/2 cup boiling water over 1/2 cup shortening. Add 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup molasses, 1 beaten egg and 1 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon soda, 1/2 teaspoon ginger and a scant teaspoon cinnamon. Beat until smooth. Bake in oblong pan at 350 for 35 minutes. Cool in pan.

Meats ( Chickasaw - Choctaw) Pashofa

1 pound cracked corn (pearl hominy)
1 pound fresh lean pork (meaty back bone)
2 quarts water (add more if needed)

Wash and clean corn. Bring water to boil and add corn. Cook slowly, stirring often. When corn is about half done, add the fresh pork; cook until the meat and corn are tender and soft. The mixture should be thick and soupy. Cooking time is about four hours. Add no salt while cooking. Each individual salts to his own taste. If meaty back bone is not available, use fresh chopped pork (small pieces). Pork chops are good to use.

Desserts (Seminole) Wild Grape Dumplings

Use possum grapes when ripe in the fall. They grow in the woods and along creek banks. Cook 1/2 gallon wild possum grapes until they are boiling, using just enough water to cover. Strain through a clean sack. Make dumplings out of 1/2 cup grape juice, 2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder and 1 teaspoon shortening, by stirring grape juice into dry ingredients to make a stiff dough. Add a teaspoon or 2 more of grape juice, if needed. Sweeten the boiling grape juice left and boil the dumpling in the juice.

Desserts (Chickasaw) Pumpkin Cookies

1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cup cooked pumpkin
2 1/2 cup flour, less 2 tsp
4 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup raisin or dates
1 cup chopped nuts
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs, pumpkin and spices. Blend well. Sift dry ingredients together and add to pumpkin mixture. Blend until smooth. Stir in raisins, nuts and flavoring. Drop by teaspoons onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Yield: Approximately 3 dozen cookies.