A Plea (and Recipe) For REAL Waffles

What is that in your cart? Is it what I think it is? FROZEN waffles? Are you crazy? I'm very tempted to lower my eyebrows at you and scowl. (And then slap them out of your hand. And then gather them all up and throw them away forever... but I may be slightly overreacting at that point.)

BUT instead I will give you my family's treasured waffle recipe. We used to have these once every two or so weeks for breakfast. I quite love waffles in general, since I'm not a big pancake fan and I loathe french toast. (I know, I'm an awful person. You can't say anything about that that I don't already hear from my family on french toast days.)

Luscious.

Delicious.


Viva la waffle!

Definite member of the waffles over pancakes movement.

Okay, I'm done now. Please enjoy the waffles!

Real (Awesome) Waffles

- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup milk
- 2 Tablespoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon sugar

Get that waffle iron preheating. (Link is to the newer model of the waffle maker we have.)

In medium bowl beat eggs until thick. Mix in milk and oil. Add dry ingredients, beat until batter is smooth.

Grease waffle iron. We use saved bacon fat.

Pour approximately 1 cups onto the preheated 4 section waffle iron. Close and back until done, about 5 minutes. (The light on our goes off when they're done.) Makes 2 4-section waffles.

Double or triple this recipe and keep the leftovers in the fridge. They fit perfectly in the toaster for easy warm up! Homemade Strawberry Sauce is amazing over these with some fresh whipped cream. I will link to it when I get that recipe up.

Enjoy!

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Photo used under the creative commons license on Flickr. Photo taken by Brendan C.

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Until next time,

Fried Squash

Have you ever heard of fried squash? Not squash blossoms, but the squash itself? I don't know why, but some people like fried stuffed squash blossoms. Personally, they gross me out. But that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about thin slices of squash dredged in flour, salt and pepper, and then fried in the pan.

Mhmmm... my mouth waters just thinking about them.

They were a summer time treat when we were little kids, and remain pretty much the same now. Nearly everyone in my family is a fan. But I've encountered quite a few people lately who have no idea what fried squash even is. This is a deeply unsettling trend and needs to be stopped.

So, I'm here to share!

Traditionally, yellow summer squash is what we used, and is what we continue to use, but I'm sure any squash will do as long as it isn't overly sweet.

So, go pick some fresh yellow squash and bring it inside, 'cause things are about to get delicious!

Fried Squash

- Reserved bacon drippings - 1 yellow summer squash, about 1 pound - 1/4 to 1/2 cup unbleached flour - pinch of salt - pinch of pepper Set a pan on medium heat and add the bacon drippings. While fat is heating, thinly slice (1/2 inch or less) squash and set them aside. Then mix together the flour, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Dredge each slice through the flour mixture, coating both sides. Place coated slices directly into the frying pan. They should sizzle. Continue until all the slices are in the pan without overlapping. Cook them in shifts if you have to; crowding increases the time it takes them to cook. Flip as they become golden brown on the bottom. Done when golden on both sides. Remove from pan and set on paper towel lined plate. Eat them hot! They're almost no good when cool.

P.S. There's a lot of different fats you can try when you fry, but my favorite for this application is bacon drippings. Every time we fry bacon, we pour the leftover fat into a glass jar and keep it in the fridge. We use it for a lot of things, including frying, because it has a high smoke point. Bacon drippings are a form of flavored lard, and lard is one of the healthiest fats out there. (Link to a super fantastic article by one of my favorite health food bloggers, I encourage you to read it if you're feeling skeptical!) We're incorporating it bit by bit into our lives and kicking Crisco out!.

Today I'm grateful for the support of a small, loving community. I went to the high school graduation today and was moved to tears plenty of times.

Until next time,

Basic Brownies

Awhile ago, (more than a year!) I bought The Amish Cook's Baking Book but never tried a single recipe. It is a beautiful book inside and out. The Amish generally do not let photos of themselves be taken, but this book is filled with delicious looking baked goods, as well as the occasional photo of a woman's hands wrist deep in batter or dough. I find that refreshing because it directs the focus back on the food, unlike a lot of popular chef cook books that read more like an advertisement for themselves.

This book is also filled with small anecdotes of Amish life, as well as the fond memories of the author. Having such fond memories myself of growing up cooking and baking with my mom, this book really touches a deep place in my soul.

I was browsing a few cook books last evening, trying to find a recipe for something to bring into work as a little treat for a young woman who is leaving to have surgery and then pursue a teaching career. I settled on brownies out of this book. The brownies were scrumptious! I may or may not have had them for breakfast this morning. ;) Since everyone was delighted by these brownies, I thought I might share them with you.

Basic Brownies

- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour - 2 cups sugar - 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder - 1/2 teaspoon salt - 1 cup vegetable oil - 4 large eggs Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13 inch pan. (I used butter.) In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients. (I stirred together the wet and dry separately, then added the wet to the dry.) Stir vigorously for about 3 minutes, until the batter is well blended and creamy. Pour into prepared pan. Bake until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

Ideally, I'd like to use a different fat than vegetable oil for reasons very well outlined in this article, but for a recipe I was sharing with many other people, and my string of bad homemade brownie recipes in the past, I stuck with the original ingredients. I do look forward to tweaking it a bit though!

Link to the The Amish Cook's Baking Book on Amazon.

Today I am grateful for the lovely birds that serenade our house and yard with their songs.

Until next time,

Homemade Lemonade

I'm a big fan of easy.

I'm a big fan of tastes good.

See where those two might not mix?

I dislike those lemonade recipes that call for a cooked syrup to mix with water. All that waiting for the syrup to cool down or adding lots of ice, which washes flavor away... Bah!

So here's an awesome, easy-as-anything lemonade that's ready in the time it takes for the sugar to dissolve.

Homemade Lemonade

- 3/4 cup sugar (link to the kind we use) - 1 cup fresh squeezed & strained lemon juice (about 6 lemons) - 6 cups water Pour everything into a pitcher, stir until sugar is dissolved. Pour over ice cubes and enjoy!

I like to add frozen strawberries instead of ice cubes. Not only do they keep it cool, they add a lovely hint of their flavor. I've doubled this recipe with rousing success. I can't recommend it enough!

Today I'm grateful for lovely rainy days. Especially when it means no garden watering!

Until next time,