Another recipe from The Fence Post, this time the Rocky Mountain Edition, submitted by a lady in Wray, Colorado, which happens to be way out there in the eastern part of the state where you can't even see the mountains.

I am surprised by the amount of baking powder: usually it's 1 teaspoon per cup of flour. This is 1 teaspoon per 1/2 cup flour. If you have too much, you can get a bitter taste, so use some judgment. I'm thinking maybe this recipe originally called for buttermilk so it would have had some amount of baking soda, but when they converted it to sweet milk they combined the baking soda amount with the baking powder. Either, way, I'm going to give this a try tonight.

Upside-Down Onion Cornbread
1 Sweet Onion
1-1/2 c. All-purpose Flour
1 Tbsp. Baking Powder
1/2 t. Salt
1/3 c. Vegetable Oil
2 Tbsp. Butter or Margarine
3/4 c. Cornmeal
2 Tbsp. Sugar
1 c. Milk
1 Egg

Peel onion and cut 6 very thin slices from center of onion. Finely chop remaining onion and set aside. Melt butter in a 9-inch oven proof skillet over medium heat. Arrange onion slices over bottom and cook 2 to 3 minutes or until onion is partially cooked. Meanwhile, combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar and salt in bowl. Beat together milk, oil and egg. Stir in dry ingredients then fold in chopped onions. Pour batter over onion slices. Bake in 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. Invert onto serving plate, cut in wedges and serve.

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The next recipe I wanted to share with you is for an onion shortcake involving sour cream that I remember being very good, and a luxury because I don't always have sour cream. It's not in my recipe database, big surprise, and I'm shocked that it's not there. It is one of those things that although I don't think about it every day, in the back of my mind that recipe was safely in that database waiting for me to make it some day, like the one for my mother's brown candy. Now I will need to track down the cookbook I got it out of, if I still have it. It was either a church lady cookbook, or recipes submitted to the county extensions in Minnesota, or something entirely different. I think I know which one it was, but that's the same deal as me thinking I knew the recipe was safely on my computer.

Here is a general description: biscuit dough with maybe an egg in it baked with a topping of sour cream and chopped onions. The onions might have been sauteed to soften so they would be milder. There might also have been cheese involved.

Now I suppose I have something to live for: the righting of this wrong. The cookbook might be in Las Vegas, so I have to put it on my 'to do' list. I can't leave it on this note, so here is a recipe I've afraid to make because if it doesn't turn out like I remember, I will be disappointed.

Here is the story: When I was a kid every summer my folks would have a big picnic at our place here in the mountains. The menu evolved over time, but the first couple of years the entree was prime rib from our family feedlot on onion buns. The buns came from a bakery in Loveland and they were special: the dough was an appetizing yellow color (artificial but no matter) and the topping on the rolls was softish strands of onion and poppy seeds. There might also have been toasty colored pieces of onions here and there on the outside of the buns.

When I work up the nerve to try them, I might stir some sour cream into the topping to make it stay moist after baking.

I think they might have been based on this:

Poppy Seed Onion Rolls (Pletzels)
1/4 cup corn meal, for sprinkling
DOUGH
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons instant yeast
5 teaspoons sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
5-5 1/2 cups bread flour
TOPPING
1/2 cup instant minced onion (you may substitute 1 cup finely chopped onion for this, but the dehydrated onion is easier to work with).
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 egg, beaten with
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon coarse salt, for sprinkling (optional)

Stack 2 baking sheets together and line the top one with parchment paper.
Sprinkle with cornmeal and repeat with 2 more baking sheets.
Set aside.
For the dough, hand whisk the water and yeast together in the bowl of an electric mixer to dissolve the yeast.
Stir in the sugar, salt and 3 1/2 cups of the flour and mix to make a soft mass.
Knead with the dough hook on the lowest speed for 8 to 10 minutes, gradually adding more flour as needed to form a soft dough.
Place the bowl inside a large plastic bag, loosely close, and let rest for about 45 minutes, until almost doubled in size.
For the topping, soak the onion in hot water to cover for 15 minutes.
Drain well and toss with the oil and poppy seeds.
Set aside.
Gently punch down the dough.
turn out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 8 portions.
Let rest for 10 minutes.
Stretch or roll each portion into a 4 to 5 inch oval or circle. Don't overwork the dough. Place on prepared baking sheets.
Lightly glaze with the egg wash. Spoon about 2 Tbsp of the topping all over each pletzel and sprinkle with coarse salt. Place the baking sheets inside large plastic bags, close loosely and let rise for 30 to 40 minutes until puffy. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown. Let cool on wire racks for at least 15 minutes before removing from pans.