Egg 'Waffles' -- ("Chaffles"???)

Apparently calling them "chaffles" is a thing (something+waffle??? -- I truly have no idea! Egg is the main ingredient). But...whatever!  It's a fun alternative to scrambled eggs with 'add ins'.

The 2-egg recipe amounts below were perfect for one serving in my 8" waffle iron. Easy to double (or quadruple), but this is a great single serving size...my students would have fun mixing up their own individual creations!

Ingredients

2 eggs

2 T flour

¼ tsp baking powder

pinch each salt & pepper

Optional: 1/3 C shredded cheese, bacon crumbles, diced ham, crumbled breakfast sausage, chopped scallions, minced chives, minced garlic, small diced peppers or onions, minced herbs...   You get the idea!

Directions

Whisk eggs until fluffy. Whisk in flour, baking powder, salt & pepper.

Add in shredded cheese(s) and other add-ins if desired (they can also be used as toppers to garnish the finished egg-waffle).

Heat waffle iron; pour egg mixture onto waffle iron and cook about 3 minutes until set and beginning to brown. Serve immediately while still very fluffy...they do tend to deflate a little. 

I topped mine with sour cream with a little bacon jam mixed in, and some roasted cherry tomatoes and chopped scallions (both of which I also mixed into the egg batter).

Cornmeal Waffles

I think regular Belgian waffles are great. But after making Strawberry Cornmeal layer cake recently, I was curious to try this recipe for Cornmeal Waffles (recipe from Brown Sugar Kitchen, published in Sunset magazine and other places online). It uses both yeast and a chemical leavener (baking soda); the waffles are nice a fluffy, but it does require chilling the batter overnight. I don't mind; but I'd like to experiment with a true/pure quick bread (chemical leavener only) recipe that uses cornmeal and wouldn't need to be made in advance...ideally without sacrificing texture. For now, here's Brown Sugar Kitchen's version:

Ingredients

1 tsp active dry yeast

½ C medium-grind cornmeal

1 C flour

¾ tsp salt

¾ tsp sugar

1 large egg + 1 egg white

 C whole milk

6 T melted, unsalted butter

¼ tsp baking soda

vegetable oil to brush the waffle iron

* I used salted butter this time, and reduced the added salt

Directions

Combine active dry yeast with 6 T very warm water (120°). Let stand until foamy (about 10 min).

Whisk cornmeal with flour, salt and sugar in a bowl.

In another bowl, whisk together egg, egg white and milk; then whisk in yeast mixture. Gradually whisk in butter until just combined. Chill batter overnight.

Heat oven to 250°; place a baking sheet in the oven -- with a wire rack on it, if you have one that's oven safe.

Heat waffle iron to hottest setting. Whisk baking soda into batter. Brush oil onto hot waffle iron; pour or scoop batter about 1 C at a time (depending on the size of your waffle iron) and cook until golden brown -- usually 5-8 minutes or until they stop steaming.

Transfer waffles to bakign sheets as they're done to keep them warm and crisp.

Brown Sugar Kitchen has a variety of toppings on their menu including Praline Bourbon Bacon Syrup and Rosé Strawberries with Vanilla Cream. I had some strawberry-blackberry compote and whipped cream to top mine this time around.

Potato-Cheddar-Bacon Tart

Saw this in Food & Wine last month. Since it's wrapped in bacon, it looks like a LOT of bacon. Considering it serves 8-12, it's no more than a couple slices per person. And it makes an impressive presentation! I reduced the recipe and made it in a smaller dish (8.5inches...original recipe for a 10 inch skillet), and eliminated tarragon -- I'm not a fan. I also increased the salt (after tasting the final product); you'd think with all the bacon it wouldn't need it, but it's a lot of potatoes...sprinkle the salt between layers.

My version/measured amounts below... (VERY similar to Food & Wine's).

Ingredients
1 lb bacon
1 tsp black pepper
1 T salt
1 small yellow onion, fine chopped
2 tsp fresh rosemary
2 tsp fresh thyme
1 tsp fresh sage
8 oz shredded cheddar (white)
1+ lb Yukon Gold potatoes
     I used 4 medium-large potatoes

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.

The photos are even better than descriptive directions. It helps to stagger the bacon strips, laying every other strip starting a couple inches away from the center so the very center doesn't get too thick. (I think I'd also trim the ends of the bacon strips if I made this again in this slightly smaller dish so there's not so much overlap on the top, center.) Salt and pepper each layer of potatoes (4 or 5 layers), then the onion-herb mixture, then cheese, then more potatoes...

Bake, covered, 1½ hours. Uncover; bake an additional 1½-2 hours.
This is a bit more than the original recipe indicates. My potatoes needed the additional time. The tricky part is draining off the drippings before serving...

Lavender Honey Scones

I think this recipe was in Better Homes & Gardens -- I ripped it from a magazine (possible years ago...it's been in my recipe file) but there's nothing identifiable on the part of the page I have. But it feels like a page from BH&G (rather thin paper). Wherever it's from...they were good -- moist, enough lavendar without being TOO floral, just the right amount of sweetness.

Ingredients

¾ C heavy cream, plus 2 T for brushing tops

2 T honey
1 T dried lavender
2½ C flour
1 T baking powder
 t salt
6 T cold butter, diced
1 egg
optional: coarse sugar

Directions
Heat heavy cream, honey and lavender in a small saucepan just to barely simmering. Remove from heat and cool completely.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Cut in butter, Make a well in the center.

Beat egg slightly and add to cooled lavender cream. Pour into well in center of dry ingredients; Mix gently until mixture begins to come together. Turn on to a lightly floured surface; knead dough gently just until all flour is incorporated.

Pat or roll dough into a 10x6 inch rectangle; cut into 10 2x3 inch scones. Place scones on ungreased baking sheet. Brush with additional cream. If desired, sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Bake 16-18 minutes until golden brown.

Serve drizzled with additional honey...

Sugar & Spice Bacon

Check out Food Network Spiced Bacon for the original recipe. But this one is easy to come up with your own personal riff on any spice combination that will compliment whatever you're putting your bacon onto or into (even if it's just your mouth!).

Ingredients
12-16 oz bacon
¼ C light brown sugar*
2 t water
2-3 T spices

* Light brown sugar, or...go dark if you want to highlight the flavor. If that mapley-molasses
   flavor is not at all complimentary to the spices you want, sub in plain white sugar.

Directions
Preheat oven to 375°F.

Place bacon strips in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet (a 'jelly roll pan').* Bake 9-10 minutes (12-14 for thick cut bacon) until just begining to crisp.

* For easy clean-up, but a little more work on the front end: Line rimmed baking sheets with foil and set a metal rack (cooling racks work great) on the baking sheet; place strips of bacon on the rack.

While it's in the oven... Combine sugar with water; microwave in 15 second intervals, stirring each time, to dissolve the sugar. Prep spices if needed.

When bacon begins to crisp...  Remove from oven; use tongs or a fork to flip bacon. Use a pastry or small BBQ brush to coat top side of bacon thinly with sugar-water mix. Sprinkle with spices. Return to oven for another 8-12 minutes or desired crispness. Drain on paper towel lined rack or plate.

Spice combos to try...
* dk brown sugar with chili powder
* cinnamon chai blend
* jerk seasoning (purchased blend or make your own)
* cumin, coriander and peppercorns (grind or use whole seeds)
* rosemary & black pepper
* Chinese 5-spice (use soy in place of water; thorw in some sesame seeds too!)
* bourbon BBQ (use bourbon in place of water; add a little squirt of ketchup, chili powder, ground mustard...)

Dutch Baby

I've posted a recipe for Dutch Apple Pancake, but I've still wanted to try out a more basic and traditional Dutch Pancake (German pfannkuchen) or "Dutch Baby"...large or small. This one, from Victor Manca, a Seattle restaurant ownder in the early 1900's, looked worth a try. 

This Dutch Baby recipe is very similar to German Pancakes, but without sugar and with more flour. This Dutch Baby is more pancake like, while the German Pancakes are egg-ier. Both are good!

Ingredients (for 6 servings - in a large skillet, paella pan, or similar)
½ C butter
6 eggs
1½ C flour
½ tsp salt
1½ C milk
For serving: nutmeg, powdered sugar, lemon wedges, honey...

Ingredients (for 2 servings - in a small skillet, about 9")
2 T + 2 tsp butter
2 eggs
½ C flour
dash salt
½ C milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 425° F. Put butter in skillet, oven safe fry pan, paella pan, etc. and place in oven.

While butter melts, whisk eggs with flour and salt; slowly add milk while continuing whisking, until batter is smooth. Remove pan from oven; pour in batter. Return pan to oven and bake 20-25 minutes until panckae is puffy and well browned around the edges, golden on top.

Serve immediately.  ...it deflates quickly, so truly serve it immediately if you want guests to see it at it's most puffy and beautiful!

The Dutch Baby recipe's traditional serving suggesting is dusted with nutmeg then powdered sugar, and served with lemon wedges and/or a drizzle of honey. I had lemon wedges, but I also had a jar of lemon curd to use up...thinned just slightly, it ws delicious!

Sweet Potato & Bacon Frittata

I was inspired by this recipe from Cooking Light; but after last night's snowfall (on top of the previous week's accumulation) it wasn't worth going on a grocery run, especially when I had reasonable substitutes and things that needed to be used up right here in my frig! Here's my version, finished in jumbo muffin cups for easy single servings that I can keep and re-heat individually...though a larger skilled -- or casserole -- would be fine too.

Ingredients
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced (about 2 C)
5 slices bacon, chopped
1-2 T vegetable oil or butter
1 large shallot, thinly sliced (about 3/4 C)
6 eggs
1 oz Gruyere, grated
½ C sour cream
½ C milk
½ C heavy cream
1 T fresh sage, chopped*
     (okay, I didn't have fresh sage...substitute 1 tsp dried sage)
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp cayenne
¼ C crumbled chevre
2 T chpoped fresh chives (I didn't have any, but I'll include it here as it would be welcome!)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Cook bacon in skillet to desired doneness (I like mine fairly well done); remove bacon to paper-towel-lined plate, reserving drippings in skillet.

Add sweet potatoes and sliced shallots; cover and sauté over medium heat, tossing periodically, until potatoes are almost fork tender and shallots have caramelized (6-10 minutes, depending on size of dice).

Meanwhile, lightly coat 6 jumbo muffin cups with non-stick cooking spray (or ramekins, or 1 9-inch pie plate or similar size casserole dish...). Whisk together eggs, Gruyere, sour cream, milk, heavy cream, sage, salt and cayenne.

When potatoes and shallots are ready, divide equally between muffin cups; top each with bacon. Pour egg mixture over each muffin cup, dividing equally...2/3 - 3/4 full as they will puff as they cook. Top with crumbled chevre.

Bake 20-24 minutes, until centers are set and tops are golden brown. (A larger casserole will need 40-45 minutes.) Garnish with chopped chives.

Grapefruit Poppy Seed Bread

Breakfast? Dessert? Well, yes! I love grapefruit, and this is a refreshing updated version of the more common lemon poppy seed...

Ingredients
1½ C flour
2 t baking powder
1¼ t salt
1 C sugar
1½ T grapefruit zest
2 eggs
1/3 C vegetable oil
1½ t vanilla extract
¾ C sour cream
½ C grapefruit juice
1½ T poppy seeds
¾ C powdered sugar

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°. Line a loaf pan with parchment; lightly coat with non-stick cooking spray.

Whisk flour, bakingpowder, and 1 tsp salt in a bowl; set aside.

In a large bowl, stir together sugar and grapefruit zest until sugar begins to clump slightly. Add eggs, oil and vanilla; beat on high speed until light and thick. Add 5 T grapefruit juice. Blend in half of dry ingredients, then sour cream, then remaining dry ingredients. Fold in 1 T poppy seeds.

Pour batter into loaf pan; bake 50-60 minutes, until top is golden and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. use toothpick to poke holes in top; brush with remaining grapefruit juice, reserving 1 tablespoon.

Let loaf cool 15 minutes in pan; remove -- lift from pan using edges of parchment -- to wire rack to cool completely.

Mix powdered sugar, remaining ¼ tsp salt, and remaining grapefruit juice until smooth. Drizzle over loaf; sprinkle with remaining poppyseeds.

Sweet Breakfast Grits

I've used this recipe in my Intro to Foods & Nutrition class for years. Somehow I never yet got it onto my blog...until now:

Ingredients
2 C water
1¼ C milk
2 T honey
1 tsp salt
1 C quick cooking grits (not instant)
¼ C butter

Directions

In large pot, bring water, milk, honey, and salt to boil.

Slowly add grits to boiling mixture, stirring constantly so grits don’t clump.

Return pot to boiling again. Reduce temperature to medium-low; cover with a lid.

Cook for approximately 30 minutes, stirring about every 5 minutes. Add more water if needed; grits should be thick, but creamy, not lumpy.

Stir in butter.

Serve topped with a little additional butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, raisins, fruit, granola…

French Quarter Beignets

My students have asked to make beignets, so I'm testing out a recipe I've had for ages -- seeing how we can make the rising stage work to fit our schedule...

Ingredients
¾ C warm water
¼ C granulated sugar
1¾ tsp yeast
1 egg
1 tsp salt
½ C evaporated milk
3¾ C flour
2 T shortening

non-stick cooking spray
oil, for deep-frying
confectioner's sugar
optional: cinnamon, syrup(s) for dipping

Directions
In a large bowl, mix water, sugar and yeast; let sit 10 minutes.

In another bowl, while the yeast is blooming, beat egg, salt and evaporated milk. In a third bowl, measure out flour.

After 10 minutes, stir egg mixture into large bowl with yeast mixture. Blend in half the flour. Add shortening and continue cutting in the shortening and continue to mix in remaining flour.

Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth, adding just enough flour to keep it from sticking.

Wash the large bowl and lightly coat with non-stick cooking spray. Return dough to bowl; cover with plastic wrap lightly coated with non-stick cooking spray. Let rise for at least an hour.

Punch down dough to remove excess air bubbles. Roll out dough -- on a very lightly floured surface -- to ¼ inch thick. Use a bench knife to cut into 2-inch squares.

Preheat oil in a deep-fryer, electric skillet or fying pan to 350° F. Deep fry beignets, flipping constantly with a fork (or slotted spoon, or tongs...) until they are light golden brown. Remove and drain on briefly paper towels.

Toss gently in a bowl with powdered sugar. Optional: Toss with powdered sugar and cinnamon...and/or serve with fruit syrup dipping sauce. Raspberry is my favorite!

Gingerbread Blackberry Crumb Muffins

I have another version of gingerbread blackberry muffins, but when I was without internet, I made them this way – a modified version of the Peach Spice muffins I made just recently. They’re slightly milder than my other recipe, but very fluffy and moist. And I love throwing a bit of crumble on top of almost ANY muffin!

Ingredients

¹/₃ C butter, melted

¼ C sugar

¹/₃ C brown sugar

1 egg

¼ C molasses

½ tsp vanilla

½ C buttermilk

1 ½ C + ¼ C flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1½ tsp ground ginger

2 C fresh blackberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease 12 muffin cups or coat lightly with non-stick cooking spray, or use paper liners.

Cream butter and sugars in a large bowl. Add egg, molasses, vanilla and buttermilk, stirring until well blended. Add dry ingredients, stir until just combined (except ¼ C flour). Gently toss blackberries with ¼ C flour; gently fold blackberries into batter.

Fill muffin cups ²/₃ full. If you want the ‘crumble’ on top, use this streusel crumble topping (or something similar if you have a favorite). Sprinkle over muffin tops.

Bake 15 – 18 minutes until muffins are crowned, lightly browned, and a toothpick comes out clean.

Peach Spice Muffins

I already have a variety of muffin recipes on this blog, easily adaptable. But…recently being without internet connection for a few weeks after moving, I had a print copy of this one, and some fresh peaches begging to be used!

Ingredients

¹/₃ C butter, melted

¹/₃ C sugar

¹/₃ C brown sugar

1 egg

½ tsp vanilla

½ C buttermilk

1 ½ C flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 ¼ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ground ginger

2 C diced fresh peaches

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease 12 muffin cups or coat lightly with non-stick cooking spray, or use paper liners.

Cream butter and sugars in a large bowl. Add egg, vanilla and buttermilk, stirring until well blended. Add dry ingredients, stir until just combined. Gently fold in diced peaches.

Fill muffin cups ²/₃ full. Bake 15 – 18 minutes until muffins are crowned, lightly browned, and a toothpick comes out clean.

Dutch Apple Pancake

I still want to fiddle with this recipe a bit. I made a single serving version (1/4 the recipe - pictured); I'm also not wild about the oat crumble in this recipe. I generally love a good crumble, and I saw some Dutch Apple Pancake recipes that included it, so I thought I'd try it that way. But I think I might prefer to just let the apples shine on their own. The crumble adds another dimension for sure, but in my opinion kind of weighs things down. With the whipped egg whites, I was anticipating a fluffier finished product.

Ingredients
6 eggs, separated
1 C milk
½ C heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
½ C flour
¹/₃ C sugar
¾ tsp salt
½ C rolled oats
½ C brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

½ C + 1 T butter
4 Granny Smith apples

Directions
Preheat oven to 375° F.

Combine egg yolks, milk, cream and vanilla in a bowl. Add flour, sugar and ½ teaspoon salt, stirring until well combined. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites into soft peaks. Gently fold in yolk and milk mixture. Set aside.

In a small bowl combine brown sugar, cinnamon and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, stirring to mix evenly. Add melted butter and mix into a crumble. Spread evenly over the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish, lightly coated with non-stick cooking spray. (If you have a large, oven-safe skillet to bake Dutch Apple pancakes in...even better! But a glass baking dish works fine too.)

Peel, core and slice apples. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet; add apples, cooking over medium heat until softened and just beginning to carmelize. Spread apples evenly over crumble already in baking dish.

Gently pour egg mixture over apples. Bake approximately 35-40 minutes (more if your skillet is smaller and the pancakes are thicker, less if thinner...) until egdes are browned and center is only slightly jiggly, but not runny! -- Eggs should be cooked to 155° F.)

Invert to serve.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Bread (Whole Wheat)

I got this recipe from another FCS teacher. (Family & Consumer Sciences) It's good, but I may fiddle with it a bit. The bread was very dense (could be the yeast wasn't really fresh?), and with only a half cup of pumpkin, that flavor doesn't come through as much as I'd like. But it's a good starting point.

Ingredients
Dough:
2 tsp yeast
¾ C warm water
¼ C brown sugar
2¼ C flour
1½ C whole wheat flour
1 C quick rolled oats
½ t ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
½ C pumpkin purée
2½ T maple syrup
2½ T butter, melted
1 egg
Swirl filling:
3 T butter, softened
½ C brown sugar
1½ tsp cinnamon

Directions
Stir yeast and brown sugar into warm water in bowl of a stand mixer; let sit 5 minutes. Meanwhile, mix flours, oats, spices and salt in one bowl; stir together pumpkin, maple syrup, melted butter and egg in another.

Add half of flour mixure to yeast, then add egg mixture, then remaining flour mixture. Knead -- in mixer or by hand -- until dough is smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes). Lightly coat with oil and place in a bowl, in a warm place until doubled (about an hour).

Lighlty coat a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray. Punch down the dough and roll dough out to a rectangle, roughly 9x15". Spread with 3 T butter; sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Starting with a short edge, roll dough into a log pinching the seam to seal. Place log into loaf pan. Let rise 40 minutes.

Pre-heat oven to 375. Bake 45 minutes or until goalden brown.

Cool 15 minutes in pan before removing to wire rack to cool compeltely.

Sweet Potato Hash Browns

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 large sweet potatoes

salt, to taste

2 eggs

1½ tablespoons olive oil

1 cloves garlic, minced

1½ teaspoons smoked paprika

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

½ teaspoon rosemary, finely chopped

¼ teaspoon black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Peel and grate sweet potatoes. Place sweet potatoes in bowl; sprinkle with salt. Mix, and let stand 20 mintues.

Squeeze or strain moisture from sweet potatoes (use a strainer, or use a towel to 'wring' the moisture out); return to bowl. Mix with the egg, garlic, paprika, onion powder, rosemary, black pepper, and another pinch of salt.

Line a baking sheet with parchment; divide sweet potato mixture into 4 portions; shape and press to ½" thickness.

Bake 20-25 minutes until browning at edges. Let cool to set (approx 15 min). Best served warm.

Delicious with sour cream & brown sugar dipping sauce: mix ½ C sour cream with 2 T brown sugar; add a dash of hot sauce or sriracha if desired.

Cauliflower Hash Browns

Makes 6  5" hash brown patties, or 12-18 mini patties

INGREDIENTS

1 large head cauliflower

2 egg, lightly beaten
½ C Parmesan cheese

¼ C scallions

¼ C chives

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 T olive oil

1 T dried basil

1 tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

Optional: dipping sauce(s)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Grate cauliflower. Thinly slice scallions. Finely chop chives. Grate Parmesan.

Place cauliflower in bowl; sprinkle with ½ tsp salt. Stir; let stand 20 minutes.

Squeeze or strain moisture from cauliflower (use a strainer or use a towel to 'wring' it out); return to bowl.

Stir in egg, cheese, chives, garlic, olive oil, basil, black pepper, and remaining ½ tsp salt.

Line baking sheet with parchment; coat lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Divide cauliflower mixture into 6 portions on tray; shape and press to about ½-¾" thick.

Bake 35-40 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool to set (about 15 min).

Best served warm -- with dipping sauce(s) if desired.

Bacon Sweet Potato Waffles

Hmmm...this recipe is really hit and miss. Sweet potato and bacon -- a 'hit' flavor combination! But the texture and technique of this "recipe" -- definitely needs help. (Of course, I'm not a 'paleo' dieter; and if this recipe is typical, it would not inspire me to go paleo!)

Original 'recipe' here: http://predominantlypaleo.com/bacon-sweet-potato-waffle/

There's no measure of any kind indicated for the sweet potato, and with a large sweet potato, I had to add an extra egg as binder just to keep the 'batter' from falling apart. 

There's no flour. Or leavening of any kind other than the eggs. The sweet potatoes are raw, cooked only by the waffle iron, so the 'batter' isn't really a batter...just a collection of separate ingredients. With egg and a little oil (I used the bacon drippings for extra flavor). The blogger's preference for "crispy" waffles is probably a necessity if you don't want raw sweet potato bits in your waffles -- I shredded mine, so pieces were quite small. And the advice to "remove waffles carefully" is needed...with no real 'batter' they fall apart very easily.

This recipe indicates serving waffles as either savory or sweet. The sweet potato and bacon combo can easily go both ways, but with garlic salt in the 'batter' and chives...that might not be quite so tasty if you want to go sweet. Maybe keep the 'batter' neutral (plain salt) and serve the waffles with a garlic-chive compound butter if you want to go savory? Or a garlic-chive sour cream sauce? Standard maple syrup would go great with these flavors for a sweet waffle.

I'm still inspired by the sweet potato and bacon flavor combo in a waffle, so I may play around and come up with a better recipe. (I've no intention of limiting it to a paleo diet.) Probably some batter to hold it all together, though I like the texture -- some precooked mashed sweet potato? with some flour, and a little leavening for fluffiness -- and maybe a bit of orange juice and/or zest to 'zing' up the flavor. We'll see... hopefully I'll post again soon.

4/25/2016 UPDATE:  MY version of Bacon Sweet Potato Waffles
Figured I'd better do this right away; otherwise it just gets forgotten! Side-by-side pics show a bit of difference: lighter/brighter color -- probably from the OJ, fluffier due to baking powder, and with a bit of batter from the mashed sweet potato and a little flour, they hold together instead of falling apart all around the edges.

Serves 2

Ingredients:
8 oz bacon
1 large (or 2 smallish) sweet potato
zest of 1 orange
1-2 T orange juice
2 eggs
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ C flour (I used whole wheat)*

* If you have celiac disease or are avoiding gluten by choice, you might be able to skip the flour altogether...maybe cut down on (or cut out) the OJ so your batter isn't too runny; the zest will still add flavor. Or substitute a gluten free rice or corn flour. You'd know options better than I would! :)

Directions:
Fry bacon until crisp. Crumble; set aside.

Peel and shred about half the sweet potato (I ended up with 1¼ C). Cook the other half until tender (I did mine in the microwave; quick!). Cool until handle-able; While it cools...

Mix orange zest and juice into shredded sweet potato. Not only does this taste great, but it keeps the potato from oxidizing...stays nicely bright orange. Add bacon and toss to combine. Set aside.

Preheat waffle iron.

Scoop cooked sweet potato out of the skin. Discard skin. Mash sweet potato (I had about 1¼ or maybe 1½ C of mashed sweet potato). Add eggs, salt, baking powder and flour, mixing thoroughly. Stir shredded sweet potato and bacon mixture into batter. 

Drop scoops of batter onto waffle iron; cook until nicely browned, slightly crispy (very little steam should be coming out of your waffle iron when they're cooked through).

Enjoy!
These are great 'sweet' waffles with a little butter and maple syrup. If you want to go the savory route, try garlic butter and fresh minced chives. (Or if you're a chicken and waffle eater maybe try that? It's not really my thing, but it could work!)

Whole Wheat Chocolate Waffles

Does the fact that they're whole wheat counterbalance the fact that they're chocolate? Actually, the original recipe called for buckwheat -- which isn't really wheat -- so it's gluten free. I don't care about being gluten free. And I don't have buckwheat, but I did use whole wheat flour. These are fun (chocolate!) for a special treat. My only complaint is that they don't have the little bit of crispness I love in a waffle's edges.

Ingredients
1 C whole wheat flour
1/3 C unsweetened cocoa
¾ tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
½ tsp vanilla
1¼ C buttermilk
¼ C water
1 T oil
2 egg yolks
3 egg whites
6 T sugar

strawberries
whipped cream (or yogurt)

Directions
Slice or chop strawberries, lightly sweeten with sugar; set aside.

Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. In separate bowl, whisk together vanilla, buttermilk, water, oil and egg yolks. Stir buttermilk mixture into flour until well combined.

Preheat waffle iron.

In another bowl, beat egg whites until stiff, not dry. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. continue beating until stiff, glossy peaks form. Gently fold a third of the egg whites into the batter. Add remaining egg whites, folding until well combined.

Coat waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray. Spoon batter (about ½ C) onto waffle iron, spreading toward edges. Cook until lightly browned and little to no steam is still escaping (3-4 minutes). Repeat cooking spray and spooning batter until all batter is cooked.



Serve with lightly sweetened strawberries (I added fresh chopped mint to mine) and whipped cream. Or opt for vanilla yogurt instead of the whipped cream. Toasted almonds were also a topping in the original recipe.

Leftovers, if there are any, once completely cooled, can be stored in zip-top plastic bags up to a month in freezer; use toaster to reheat.

Blackberry Danishes

Ingredients
12 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
6 T honey
3 T cornstarch
½ C sugar
1 egg
2 sheets (1 17.3 oz pkg) puff pastry, thawed but still chilled
3½ C blackberries
Optional: 2 T turbinado sugar

Directions
Preheat oven to 375˚. In small bowl, whisk egg with 2 tsp water; set aside.

On lightly floured surface, roll each sheet of puff pastry to 12" square. Cut into 9 squares (approx 4" each), and place on parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Blend cream cheese and honey until smooth. Divide evenly among puff pastry squares, spreading gently in a diagonal (corner to corner) across each square.

Combine cornstarch and sugar; gently stir in berries until sugar and cornstarch thickly coat berries. Divide berries evenly, spooning them over the cream cheese mixture on each puff pastry square.

Pull a corner of each puff pastry square over the filing; brush top of dough with egg wash. Fold opposite corner over egg washed pastry, pressing gently to seal. Repeat with all 18 squares. Brush dough all over with egg wash. Sprinkle lightly with turbinado sugar, if desired.

Bake danishes until golden brown and crisp (approx. 30 minutes). Remove from baking sheet promptly to avoid sticking. Serve warm or cold.

Fluffy Pancakes

It felt like a pancakes morning, and I remembered that just last month there were four different basic pancake recipes in Food Network magazine (fluffy, diner-style, thin and lacy, and multigrain). I made the "fluffy" pancake version. Flavor was nothing out of the ordinary (maybe I'd try buttermilk next time), but they were very thick, light and fluffy, a wonderfully tender texture.

Ingredients
1½ C flour
3 T confectioner's sugar
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp kosher salt
1¼ C milk
1 egg yolk
3 egg whites
4 T unsalted butter, melted & cooled
½ tsp vanilla extract 

Directions
Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, egg yolk, melted butter and vanilla. In another bowl, beat egg whites into stiff peaks.

Stir milk mixture into flour mixture until just combined (a few lumps are okay). Stir in a third of the egg whites; then gently fold in the rest until just combined - do not overmix.

Pour batter onto non-stick griddle lightly coated with butter. Cook until bubble form on top and the bottom i slightly browned (about 3 minutes). Flip and continue cooking until golden on the other side (about 1 minute more).