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One thing I discovered about myself since T and I have been married is that I LOVE a good waffle. Usually, I’m more of a savory breakfast kind of person. Turns out though, my love for waffles may run as deep as Leslie Knope’s love for waffles. One of the best wedding gifts we received, that we didn’t register for, was a fancy, shmancy, Waring Belgian Waffle Maker. Tyler’s dad introduced us to this recipe for buttermilk waffles that is to die for. It comes from the All-Clad recipe booklet that came with his All-Clad waffle iron.
The Best Buttermilk Waffles
3 eggs, separated
1 3/4 cup buttermilk
1 stick of butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar
In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar together. Combine and set aside.
In a larger bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Then, whisk in the buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla.
Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients; whisk together until smooth.
In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to bring the egg whites to a stiff peak.
Carefully fold the egg whites into the batter using a rubber spatula.
Pour about 1/3 cup of batter into the waffle iron and cook until golden brown. We melt a small pad of butter on the iron before placing the batter in it for that little extra crisp! Serve hot, with a delicious cup of coffee, and you’ve got yourself a great morning.
Summer is amazing because you can find delicious fruit for insanely cheap! For this batch of waffles, we had a TON of blueberries, so we threw some into the mix.
To top it off, we grabbed some fresh mint from the garden and simmered down some blueberries to make a compote.
Blueberry Mint Compote with Orange Liqueur
2 cups fresh blueberries
1/4 cup sugar (if your blueberries are ripe and sweet, use less and add sugar to taste)
2 tablespoons orange liqueur
orange zest
5 or so mint leaves, torn into small pieces
Combine all ingredients into a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Simmer for a couple minutes until the liquid thickens. Slather on top of those waffles!
Happy Fourth of July! Here are some festive ice cubes to keep your freedom drinks cool. They add just a splash of sweetness to sparkling water or some tones of fruit to your 7 Up.
Red, White, and Blueberry Ice Cubes
frozen raspberries
frozen blueberries
coconut milk
Puree some of the raspberries to make a red liquid base. Fill your ice cube trays a third of the way. Drop whole raspberries in the trays as well. Freeze until solid (about 3 hours). Next, add a layer of coconut milk and freeze. Lastly, puree some of the blueberries to make a blueberry liquid base. Fill your trays almost to the top with the blueberry puree, and drop in some whole blueberries. Bring them out of the freezer and celebrate!
This tasty salad can be dressed up with some seared ahi or teriyaki chicken, or eaten as is. It is a sweet and tangy combination of flavors that is perfect for a hot summer day.
Orange Wonton Salad
1 head of romaine lettuce
1 head of kale
4 ripe naval oranges
2 scallions, whites + green parts
2 large carrots
10 wonton wrappers
olive or canola oil to deep fry wonton wrappers
1/4 cup sliced almonds
sesame seeds (sprinkled to preference)
Wash, spin, and chop the romaine lettuce and kale.
Chop the oranges into chunks, omitting the peel. Reserve the juice from the oranges for the dressing.
Chop the scallions.
Using a vegetable peeler, remove and discard the outermost layer of the carrots. Shred the remainder of the carrots.
Combine all of the above ingredients into a large salad bowl. Add the sliced almonds and sesame seeds.
Heat enough oil in a pan to run about 1/2 inch deep to about 300ºF. I prefer to use a small cast iron skillet.
Slice the wonton wrappers into strips, about 1/2 inch thick. Place the wrappers into the oil so that they do not touch. This may take several batches. Using tongs, turn the wrappers once the underside looks golden. Remove from the oil when the whole piece becomes golden. Place cooked wonton wrappers onto a plate lined with a paper towel to soak up any excess oil while you finish cooking the other wonton strips.
Top your salad with the wonton strips, toss with dressing (optional), and enjoy!
Dressing
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1/4 cup extra light olive oil or canola oil
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger zest
1/2 teaspoon – Orange zest
1 tablespoon – Sesame oil
Orange juice reserve from fresh oranges in above recipe
Combine all ingredients, and enjoy!