Nothing wrong with yellow cornmeal, but what the devil is all that sugar doing in there? And the butter's for the skillet, not to fatten up the dough. What in the world--how can you eat that cake with chili? Or fried chicken?

Tell her to make some nice puffy cornmeal griddle cakes to serve with bacon, if she's gonna insist on maple syrup. Maple's a breakfast food, pure and simple, and expensive besides. Better be a meal for guests.

Otherwise, you use molasses or crumbled brown sugar to sweeten, as God intended.