Dark Chocolate Waffles

Almost everything I believed in strongly when I was younger has completely changed. There are a few things that have survived the years and life changes, but the major things that I was adamant and unyielding about I no longer believe in at all or nearly as much. I was determined in my early 20's that no one else could possibly understand how I felt and that everything I felt strongly about was of the utmost importance. Only I could understand things the right way and I knew that my opinions would only get stronger with age. Yeah, that didn't happen, not even remotely. I grew-up, I had kids, I saw the world from new eyes. I still believe in many things, but I also understand that opinions change with circumstance and that compassion is far more important than being right. Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to not push something that you know is right because in the end it isn't what's needed. Oftentimes what's needed is just an ear to listen, not a mouth to tell us how to change things. As young women we want to change everything around us to make it better, change the world with our views. As older women we want to cherish the world that we have created and make sure that the loved ones we hold dear are sheltered from everything we had to endure. Age is a tricky thing, as women we are almost different people throughout our lives, each one unique and wonderful.

As a women in my middle 30's I still love chocolate. That hasn't changed much over the years, but I have made a shift from milk to dark chocolate. When I was younger I couldn't stand dark chocolate, now it's my favorite. This week I tried a new recipe for Dark Chocolate Waffles from the February 2014 issue of Bon Appetit Magazine.

This recipe has 11 ingredients. It takes 20 minutes of total time, all of which is active, and makes 6 servings. I made a number of changes to the original recipe. First, I adapted it to be gluten free by using a homemade gluten free all purpose baking mix. Instead of buying a bar of dark chocolate I used dark chocolate chips which I finely chopped. Buying the dark chocolate chips was much cheaper than buying baking bars or chocolate bars.

These waffles had a nice dark chocolate taste without being over powering. I would consider these more of a dessert waffles than something for breakfast, they are pretty sweet for something in the morning. As a dessert they were great plain or with whipped cream and my kids loved them. They also froze very well in case you don't want to eat the whole batch at once.

For the recipe go to Dark Chocolate Waffles.

Gluten Free White Rice Flour Pumpkin Waffles

Gluten Free Pumpkin Waffles

My house is always loud. Not just a little bit, but deafening oftentimes. Almost all of the noise can be attributed to my two boys. They seem not to have two noise levels, just loud. This is the opposite of me. I love a quiet house. When I was in my early 20's I would go on trips by myself just to hear the quiet. I love sitting in the middle of a large field with only the sound of nature (and sometimes a great book).

My two boys hate to be quiet. They love to play with their toys with tons of action noises and fight scenes. If they go more than a couple of minutes without talking they get bored. I love my two boys, but sometimes I miss being able to watch a movie or TV show and hear all the words. Most of the time I understand a fraction of the dialogue and piece the rest of it together while my kids talk in my ear. I do know that I need to enjoy it while they still talk to me since when they are teenagers they will never want to tell me anything.

I have been experimenting with new gluten free breakfast recipes. My youngest is pretty easy going food wise and likes gluten free pancakes and waffles as much as wheat based ones. Yesterday morning I tried a new recipe for Pumpkin Waffles from the Better Homes and Gardens website.

Lake Vesuvius Ohio Rock Formations 

This recipe has 11 ingredients. It takes 30 minutes of total time, 25 minutes of which is active and makes 12 to 14 servings. I made a number of changes to the original recipe. First I halved the recipe. I only had a half can of pumpkin, so I reduced the number of servings. Since I eat gluten free I replaced the wheat flour with white rice flour. Instead of the spices I used 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice. I followed the rest of the recipe as written.

Lake Vesuvius Ohio Rock Formations 

These waffles rose beautifully. Sometimes switching flours can cause recipes to be too dense or have too much liquid, but these waffles were perfect. I preferred them topped with just butter, but they were also delicious re-heated the next day with maple syrup. This recipe would work well to make in big batches and then freeze for quick weekday meals.

For the recipe go to Pumpkin Waffles. 

Gluten Free Pumpkin Waffles

Summary:

A pumpkin waffle recipe using white rice flour. Great for making in big batches and freezing for quick weekday meals.

Preparation Time: 0h, 25m

Cooking Time: 0h, 5m

Total Time: 0h, 30m

Yield: Serves 12-14

Browned Butter Banana Waffles

Brown Butter Banana Waffles 

I can't stand the taste of water. I drink at least 8 glasses a day, but it isn't because I love the flavor, I don't. My husband and two boys don't seem to mind it, but I have to drink my water hot and quickly. I also can't stand ice. I always order drinks without ice and I prefer my pop and iced tea at room temperature. I think a large part of it has to do with the fact that I am very small boned and get cold easily. While everyone else is overheated, I am the one with a sweater on in the middle of the summer. My husband teases me that I never wear a tank top without a cardigan, my shoulders freeze. Whatever the reason, I have strange water habits that everyone in my family always comments upon. I always argue that by not getting ice I receive more drink for my money.

Today my youngest was tired and grumpy. He decided that he would only eat bananas for breakfast. Don't ask me why, he was in a mood. So for breakfast this morning I tried a new recipe for Brown Butter Banana Waffles.

My boys all dressed up! 

This recip has 13 ingredients. It takes 30 minutes of total time, 20 minutes of which is active and makes 6 servings. I did make a few changes to the original recipe. I'm not sure if I had very large bananas, or if the type of waffle maker that I have needed thicker batter, but the batter as stated in the recipe was too thin. So after the first waffle was done, I added an additional cup of all-purpose flour. My bananas were on the large side so that have been why my batter was a little thin without the additional flour added. I also added a small amount of almond butter to the batter (about 2 tablespoons) and more on top of the the finished waffles along with sliced bananas.

My youngest son really liked the banana flavor on these waffles. If you have never browned butter, it needs to be fully brown throughout the pan. The recipe makes it seem that just the edges should be browned, but true browned butter is brown throughout with little bits of brown on the bottom of the skillet. You really want the butter to be fully browned for the flavor to come through in the waffles and have a nice nutty taste. Topped with bananas and almond butter these waffles turned out beautifully and were a great breakfast for a growing 4 year old.

For the recipe go to Brown Butter Banana Waffles. 

Browned Butter Banana Waffles

Recipe Type: Main

Summary:

A great combination of browned butter, bananas and almond butter. Re-heat well in the toaster making them great for a quick weekday breakfast!

Preparation Time: 0h, 20m

Cooking Time: 0h, 10m

Total Time: 0h, 30m

Yield: Serves 6

Recipe for Georgia Grits Waffles with Peaches

Georgia Grits Waffles with Peaches and Maple Syrup

Breakfast is always a struggle with my youngest. While I am happiest with Greek yogurt and a cup of coffee he expects a big breakfast. By big I mean waffles, sausage, eggs, grits, you name it. My oldest isn't a big breakfast eater, but he is picky. There are certain breakfast foods that he loves and others he won't touch. I have gone back and forth with breakfast. When I was younger I was horrible about eating much of anything in the morning. In college I ate sugary scones and coffee and survived on little else. Luckily I outgrow this habit, but my breakfast habits didn't get much better. Slowly since my kids were born I have transformed my eating habits and I now eat healthy breakfasts 99 percent of the time. One food that my whole family can agree on is waffles. I only make them on occasion, but they are always well received. This week I tried a new recipe for Georgia Grits Waffles from the November 2012 issue of Southern Living magazine.

Gluten Free Georgia Grits Waffles with Peaches and Maple Syrup

This recipe has 8 ingredients. It takes 50 minutes of total time, 25 minutes of which is active and makes 8 servings. I made two batches of this recipe, one gluten free and one as written. The only major change I made to the recipe was to use low-fat buttermilk and butter spread instead of butter. I made these changes based on what I already had in my fridge. For toppings I used pure maple syrup and frozen peaches. In the gluten free batch I used super fine grain brown rice flour, it would also work with sorghum or white rice flour. One word of advise about the grits. The recipe states to let them cool. Be careful since grits will turn into a solid mass, making for lumps in your waffles. I would suggest letting them cool slightly and being careful when adding the eggs. This way you don't have half cooked eggs in the batter and the grits will not be lumpy.

My youngest really loved these waffles. He ate most of the regular recipe and then moved on to my gluten free waffles. The regular waffles came out fluffy and were great with butter. The gluten free waffles turned out slightly crispy, which was a nice with maple syrup. This would definitely be a recipe I would serve to my family again.

For the recipe go to Georgia Grits Waffles.

Banana-Quinoa Waffles

So my breakfast adventures continue. You might have noticed a pattern in my posts in the last couple of weeks. I am determined to fix my breakfast issues. For the longest time I have fought the idea of adding more whole grains and reducing the amount of refined carbs that I consume. This change has been in part due to  my husband deciding to start a new slow carb diet. At first I thought the whole thing was a little crazy. After two months he has lost a large amount of weight and is doing great. My two boys and I are not following in his dieting footsteps. However, I have started adding a lot more whole grains into our diet, especially at breakfast. Gone are white rice, regular pasta and I have limited the amount of baked goods such as bread that I make with white flour. I have discovered that I love white whole-wheat flour. It is great to cook with and my kids don't notice that they are eating whole-wheat. Last week I tried a new recipe for Banana-Quinoa Waffles from Parents magazine, which looked easy and perfect for a family breakfast.

This recipe has 10 ingredients. It takes 1 hour and 30 minutes of total time, 30 minutes of which is active and makes 10 waffles. I was rushed for time when I made this recipe so I omitted letting the quinoa sit in the fridge to chill for an hour or more. Instead I let it sit for approximately 10 minutes and then followed the recipe as written. To make one cup of mashed bananas it took two ripe bananas. I topped the waffles with maple syrup and no berries, since my two boys raided the fridge and ate all the fruit before I had time to make the waffles. They were delicious even without any additional fruit.

These waffles only lasted a day in my house. My two boys went back for seconds, thirds and then ate the last two waffles within the day that they were made. I really liked the banana taste in the waffles and the quinoa was great for nutrition and produced a great texture. Overall, a recipe that I would definitely make for breakfast again in the future.

For the recipe go to Banana-Quinoa Waffles.

Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal Waffles

I love to cook and bake from scratch as much as I can. There is something very satisfying about seeing all your hard work nicely presented on a plate. However, with two very active and growing boys there are some days that just getting any meal on the table is a struggle, much less something elaborate or complex. This is particularly a problem with breakfast. I would love to be one of those people that pops out of bed and makes cinnamon rolls before anyone else wakes-up. I'm not one of those people. My mornings start with me dragging myself out of bed at 530 to make my husbands lunch and enjoy maybe a half hour of peace before one of my kids decides to wake-up and demand food. This is quickly followed by dogs needing to be taken out, a pile of dishes to be washed and general morning craziness. All of this is before I even get to make my first cup of coffee. Due to this morning insanity I have learned that quicker is better in regards to breakfast. I still prefer to try to make breakfast at least partially from scratch, so I have found ways to cut corners in the morning. I stumbled upon a great recipe for Soul-Satisfying Oatmeal Waffles from Taste of Home Magazine, which uses packaged maple brown sugar oatmeal packets to save time.

This recipe has 10 ingredients. It takes 25 minutes start to finish and makes 10 waffles. I made a few modifications. Instead of 2% milk I used the organic non-fat milk I already had in the fridge. I didn't notice that the taste was any less rich making this substitution. Additionally, I chose to leave out the chopped pecans. My two boys aren't big fans of nuts in most recipes, so I let them out completely. For the oatmeal I already had maple and brown sugar packets in my pantry cupboard, so that was the flavor I used. I would assume this recipe would work with a variety of oatmeal flavors, there could be a number of great combinations! I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

I love how easy this recipe is to make and that is uses instant oatmeal packets to save time. I seem to always have oatmeal packets leftover from when my mother-in-law goes shopping and this was a great way to use them. My two boys really loved the taste and I was happy that breakfast literally only took minutes to prepare. A very easy recipe that is great for busy weekday breakfasts.

For the recipe go to Soul-Satisfying Oatmeal Waffles. (registration required)

Buttermilk Waffles

I love breakfast foods. Growing up Sundays always meant a huge breakfast spread. My dad would wake up and fry the bacon and potatoes while my mom made waffles and eggs. I loved it! In college when I went home to visit my dad would still never let me touch the potatoes (apparently I've been told I'm too impatient and they don't brown properly) and my mom would still wake up to make fresh coffee. I cherish these memories of my parents and I still love breakfast foods in large part due to the great emotions they stir-up. Of all the breakfast foods waffles are my favorite. My husband prefers pancakes, but he is always out voted since my two boys love waffles as much as I do. This past week I was in a baking mood and hadn't made waffles in a few months, so out came the waffle maker and I made one of my favorite recipes for Buttermilk Waffles from Saveur magazine.

This recipe has 8 ingredients. It takes 10 minutes of prep and cook time and makes 4 servings. Making only 4 servings of waffles would be no where near enough for my boys and I so I always double the recipe. One of the major changes I make to the original recipe is that I love to add mix-ins to my waffles. For my waffles I love fresh fruit, blueberries and raspberries. The waffles for my boys I add dark chocolate chips since they aren't overly sweet, but still have a great chocolate flavor. I also add approximately a teaspoon of vanilla to the batter, I feel that it makes the taste more rounded. Top with pure maple syrup and real butter and breakfast is served!

My two boys love this recipe. They get very excited when I tell them that I am making waffles for their breakfast. Their favorite topping is fresh or frozen fruit, they love it! I like that the waffles always turn out light and fluffy and it works with a variety of mix-ins and toppings. These are definitely a stable for quick, easy breakfasts in my house!

For the recipe go to Buttermilk Waffles.

Buttermilk Waffles

I am horrible about eating breakfast. Most days I just drink a cup of coffee and then nothing else until the middle of the afternoon. I haven't always been this way, before having kids I was great about sitting down and eating a healthy breakfast every morning. Since kids my morning eating habits haven't been as great. It seems that my two boys are following in my footsteps. It is horrible trying to get them to eat anything for breakfast. However, the one food that they will normally consistently eat is waffles. This is my quick and easy recipe for Buttermilk Waffles.

Beat two eggs well and add:

• 2 cups Buttermilk
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 2 cup Flour
• 2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 6 Tbsp Shortening

Beat well and cook on a hot waffle iron.

It's that easy, a quick way to get breakfast on the table with very little effort. My two boys love this recipe, I appreciate how little time it takes me to make breakfast. A great, simple waffle recipe!

Recipe adapted from Richwood, WV Spanish Club Recipe Book.

Everyday Food Peanut Butter Waffles

As I've stated numerous times before, breakfast is a meal I struggle with my two boys over. Their idea of a healthy breakfast is a bowl of cereal if I'm lucky, and if given the choice it's something loaded with sugar like their daddy's box of Lucky Charms. The one dish that they seem to at least taste before dismissing it, is waffles. However, they get tired of having the same thing time and time again, so I am always searching for healthy breakfast options. The May issue of Everyday Food had a recipe for Peanut Butter Waffles, which look nutritious and perfect for my two growing boys.

This recipe has 11 ingredients, including the bananas and maple syrup for the topping. I was able to prep this recipe while my 2 year old "helped" me in the kitchen. A couple of comments on the ingredients used in this recipe. There are some products that I will use lesser quality ingredients, however, I'm insistent on using all natural peanut butter. I grew up with my mom going to the local natural food section of our grocery store and grinding the peanuts to make peanut butter (it was the funnest thing ever to watch!). I ended up having to buy bananas twice for this recipe because my boys ate them the first time :) I didn't make any major modifications to this recipe and prepared it as is.

My two boys absolutely loved this recipe. I put the leftover waffles in the fridge after breakfast and by lunch they had gone in and eaten all of them. I like that these waffles have extra protein from the peanut butter and the taste is delicious. These are a great way to get a healthy start to your day.

For the recipe go to Martha Stewart Living Peanut Butter Waffles.