Is It Autumn Yet?

Do you have a favorite season? I like it when it’s cold, wet and rainy, but only if I get to stay inside curled up by the fire. I’m not a fan of summer’s heat. Sure, I like the way my skin turns a beautiful bronze color, but you can only take off so much clothing and not get arrested.

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What’s That? It’s Orange Juice Day?

Oh my – that means just one thing – something delicious for breakfast. After all, man cannot live by bread alone. Nor can we survive with just a single glass of liquid sunshine.

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Orange Juice Day and Old-Style Waffles

Seems like all we talk about lately is this National Day or that National Day. Hey, to write over 3,100 posts I have to get my inspiration from somewhere. Do you realize I have not missed a day of sharing in over 3 years? Yeah, that does not mean I sit here every day writing something.

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The Perfect Midnight Meal

Today is National Chicken and Waffles Day. When it comes to Chicken and Waffles, most of those “in the know” have heard that we can thank Harlem’s bleary-eyed jazz musicians for this combination. As the story goes, these entertainers often frequented the after-hours clubs of Harlem. It was too late for dinner, but there was left-over fried chicken available. It was also too early for breakfast, yet the cooks had already begun to whip up waffle batter. The two just naturally found their way together.

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The Annunciation and Waffles

Not that we’re all in a rush, but today is exactly nine months from Christmas, the birth of our Lord and Savior. Today is the day Gabriel appeared to a young Mary and proclaimed  “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” This is the Feast of the Annunciation.

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Good Morning Sunday

Good Morning everyone. Well, it’s official, Hubby is walking away from the NFL. So Super Bowl Sunday is no longer a valid excuse for elevating his blood pressure. If you could see the stress he puts himself through with every game, you’d understand my relief that he’s had enough. I’ve never understood how veins bulging out of your head can be pleasant.

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It’s National Waffle Iron Day

Waffle lovers rejoice for today is your day. Today we celebrate the Waffle Iron. And let’s face it, without a waffle iron, all you’ve got are pancakes. It’s only fitting that a kitchen tool that has been around since the 14th Century get it’s own day of recognition.

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What Say You to Dessert for Breakfast?

Wake up – rise and shine! It’s a beautiful Saturday morning. Soon the golden rays of sunlight will break the darkness of predawn. The world will stretch and stumble from their beds. Birds will be singing. Isn’t this a great day to be alive?

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Annunciation Waffles with Whipped Cream and Fresh Berries

Today it is exactly nine months until Christmas. Christmas, really? Yes, Christmas. But not because I’m rushing the holiday. There’s plenty of time for that. Today, as tradition has it, is the day when the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Blessed Mother, Mary. In the Catholic Church, this day is known as The Annunciation. So what does that mean?

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Weekends and Buttermilk Blueberry Waffles

Recently, I had a craving for some good, from-scratch waffles. (As Hubby sums up cooking from scratch – always tastes delicious but makes a huge mess. That’s only because he’s the one that cleans up after me.) My craving made for a good excuse to try a recipe from Add-A-Pinch. It’s funny, when I’m working with a new recipe for just about anything, I’ll play around a bit and come up with my own take on things. Pancakes, waffles and all things baked (muffins, cakes . . . you get the idea) I stick to the original recipe the first time around. Guess I don’t trust my own instincts when it comes to baked-goods. Baking is a science all its own. It means being precise rather than a pinch here, a dab there. Cooking can be forgiving. Baking not so much.

The original recipe will make a lot of waffles. I cut her recipe in half for my little band of three, and there was still way more waffle batter than we could eat. Next time I’ll cut the recipe again. The waffles come up so buttery-delicious, you might not want to add more butter. Be sure to cook until dark golden for the waffle to reach a crisp exterior.

Don’t forget to cook up some delicious maple sausage links. (Check out my Perfect Link Sausage Every Time) To round out breakfast, serve with a few pints of fresh orange juice.

Oh, and one more little tip. If you want to keep waffles warm until you’ve cooked up enough for everyone, place a baking rack over a rimmed baking sheet. Place cooked waffles on the rack and hold in a warm oven. The rack will allow the air to circulate around the waffles, preventing them from getting too soft.

Buttermilk Blueberry Waffles
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup blueberries, plus more for garnish
2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In a large bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients –  flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda.

Rinse blueberries and allow them to drain for a few minutes, then toss the blueberries into the flour mixture. Gently fold in the blueberries until nicely mixed and coated.

In another bowl, mix together buttermilk, eggs, butter, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mix and stir together just until combined. Make sure everything is moist, no pockets of dry flour remaining.

Warm waffle iron, and cook to your iron’s instructions. Be careful not to over-fill iron, the batter will rise and spread out as it cooks.

Serve immediately with warm syrup and soft butter as desired. These waffles can also be garnished with a few extra blueberries.

Malted Waffles – Almost from Scratch

My gang loves my Golden Malted Waffles from Scratch but sometimes I just don’t feel like whipping up waffles from scratch. We all have our lazy Sundays, when breakfast beckons, the heart is willing but the old bag of bones just isn’t in the mood. When I asked Hubby what he would like for breakfast, he looked at me with an eager smile and said “Waffles.” Hum, let’s see what I could do to satisfy his urge for waffles and my need to remain “lazy.”

At Christmas Time a few years ago, I gave my son a waffle maker. In keeping with the whole waffle theme, his Christmas package also contained a bag of Carbon Malted Waffle Mix, some top-shelf maple syrup and a cute “waffle” tongs from World Market.  The more I thought about those tongs, the more I realized a “gadget” crazy gal like myself could not live without a waffle tong. (Hey, I have a long-handled knife that’s sole purpose in life is to get mayonnaise from the jar, down to the last little bit without ending up with mayonnaise all over your knuckles using an ordinary knife. I’ll admit, sometimes I use that Mayonnaise Knife with Miracle Whip. What can I say – I’m the wild and reckless sort). All joking aside, I could not rest until I had gone back to World Market to get these cute little tongs for myself. In keeping with most of my gadget buys, the tongs haven’t been used since. As for the Carbon Mix, that’s a whole other story. When it comes to Malted Waffle Mixes, Carbon is used in more restaurants than any other brand. Good as it is, the mix needed a little help.

I’ve made waffles using just the mix. I’ve made waffles from scratch – and from scratch is better. With a little “doctoring” Carbon batter waffles turned out a close second the waffles from scratch with very little effort.

Malted Waffles – Almost from Scratch
2 Cups Carbon Malted Waffle Mix
4 Tablespoons Butter, Melted
1 1/2 Cup Water
2 Eggs
1/2 Tablespoon Malt Powder
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract

Mix Waffle Mix according to package directions until just blended. Add Malted Powder and Vanilla Extract. Whip until incorporated.

Prepare waffle iron according to manufacture’s directions. Fill iron, cook until golden. Serve with butter and syrup as desired.

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As long as we’re cooking almost from scratch, how ’bout some syrup to go with those waffles?

Golden Malted Waffles from Scratch

What seems like a million years ago, way back in a prior life, Hubby, Kiddo and I were once globe-trotters. Road trips, air planes and hotel stays were part of the norm. One thing about life on the road, you get to eat lots of different things – especially breakfast. One of the more popular breakfast selections are those do-it-yourself waffles.

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