Strawberry Shortcake Waffles – A Recipe

After hinting about strawberry shortcakes for dinner, I decided to see what Google had to say about strawberry shortcakes in waffle form.  Mostly?  I was a little baffled.  Do people really use that much sugar?

When I’m thinking about strawberry shortcakes in waffle form, I want something that hints, no, winks at the desert without full on embracing it in a make out session.  This pretty much disqualified everything that came up – not to mention laughs in the face of a certain yum-o-like-chef’s recipe that calls for a box of pound cake mix to start.

Yeah.

In the end I started with a recipe from Heather Likes Food with the intention of ending up with something a bit less like desert and a bit more like breakfast dinner.  You would have to with a recipe that calls for 1 cup of sugar for only 4-5 waffles.  Egads, my dear Heather.

I suspect that if I had left the recipe as it was written, it may have turned out reasonably waffle like.  I found, though, that I had much better results by adding in additional liquid.  This resulted in a waffle that spread in the waffle iron much more completely and was a great deal less…dry.

I must tell you, my husband has declared these the best waffles he has ever eaten.  I had gone into the kitchen the morning after to find a piece for a morning nosh only to discover that there wasn’t a crumb left.  I asked my son if he had eaten them which is when my husband must have heard it and let us know.  From across the house.  He yelled from the other side of the house…you’ve got to know they’re really that good.

I’m flirting with a few changes to the recipe including separating the egg yolks from the egg whites and folding the whites in at the end.  Unlike my usual base waffle recipe (I’ll have to share that one another day), this is not a quick and easy meal.  It will require some work on your part – it calls for the stand mixer for goodness sakes.  So plan it for a leisurely meal complete with bacon and a cup of the most fabulous coffee you can find.  I guarantee it’s worth it.

Strawberry Shortcake Waffles
inspired by Heather Likes Food

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup plus 2T sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1t vanilla
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2t baking soda
1/4t salt
1/2-1 cup buttermilk

Directions:

1. While the recipe is not overly time-consuming it is a bit more so than your standard waffle.   Preheat your waffle iron right now anyway.  It’s not going to hurt anything and that way you won’t forget (I know I would).  While you’re at it get your eggs out of the fridge so that they can warm up.  Do the same with your buttermilk and sour cream (pour it into your measuring cups first, though).
2. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl.
3. In the bowl of your mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time, mixing completely after each addition.  Don’t forget to scrape down the sides of your bowl periodically.
4. Add in the sour cream and vanilla and mix again until it is completely incorporated.
5. Add in the flour mixture, alternating with the buttermilk.  You’re aiming for a cupcake/muffin batter consistency.  Be careful not to overmix.  Some lumps are better than none.
6. Spray your waffle iron with a bit of non-stick spray.  Add in about 1/3-1/2 cup of batter.  Close the lid and cook until done.  In my waffle iron this is 5 minutes, but yours may vary.  Be sure to check your manufacturer’s directions.
7. Remove from waffle iron when done and top with strawberries and slightly sweetened whipped cream.

When I make strawberry shortcakes, I like strawberries that are slightly sweetened with just the hint of sugar (no more than a tablespoon or so for a pound).  This macerates the berries ever so slightly and creates the most wonderful liquid to seep into every nook and cranny of your shortcake.

Also, for the whipped cream?  Whip with just the slightest splash of maple syrup – it complements both the cream and the strawberries nicely.  If you want to go all out, whip up the cream by hand.  I suppose only I’d be crazy enough to do this, but I think the whipped cream tastes that much better when you do it.  It’s probably all in my head, but at least it’s a good workout.

Notice the amount of sugar (not) used in this recipe?  Let’s not overwhelm the strawberries, folks.  Less in this case really is more.  You’ll have a greater appreciation for the strawberry’s natural flavor, which, let’s face it, is really what strawberry shortcake should be all about.

The next challenge?  The apple cider donut waffle or cinnamon and sugar donut waffle.  Donut waffle…hmmm….

Sunday at the Flea

I’m sitting in the basement because I have to. Not because I want to. It’s far too warm and breezy upstairs to do so willingly. My husband hates this weather, but I love it. For once I’m warm. I’m going to enjoy it while the thought, “I’m warm,” brings me joy instead of dissolving into “Why does it have to be so damn humid outside?”

It was an early morning preceded by a late night because all of my best thinking takes place after 11pm. Nothing good happens before then, the occasional blog post being the exception, though I’m paying for it with the slightest bit of a headache circling around the back of my head.

Today’s been full of plenty of unusual things and semi-weighed down by annoying questions like, “Did I pay too much at the Flea Market for that yellow Fiesta butter dish?” Or, “Should I go back to school?” The answer to the first one is, “No, I got a good deal.” The later requiring much more mental reserves than I currently have available, though it’s been a lingering question for more than a year at this point. The possibilities for change are interesting to say the least. My husband and I switching places with him staying home with our children isn’t even the biggest. Is a second degree worth it? Will anyone hire me given my late start? What about the current student loan market? Is it wise to borrow money for education when you can’t afford it otherwise? The questions seem easy enough to answer on their face, but to be brutally honest, I don’t know that making any decision before the next Presidential election is wise. Romney hasn’t exactly shown himself a friend to people like me when it comes to college and don’t even get me started on Scott Walker.

Instead, I’ll file it all away at the back of my mind and get on to more pressing matters like finding the perfect pre-camping trip muffin recipe and figuring out what we’ll have for dinner on nights two and three of the trip. I should also probably work out my to-do list for the coming week and put away some laundry.

And bread. Did I mention bread? It seems to me that this weather almost requires one make bread. It won’t bake or rise today (should have made bread yesterday), but the thought of future prospects certainly is appealing.

Of course, there’s always mowing the lawn and the most pressing question of all. Can one consider strawberry shortcake a sufficient dinner?  What if I make it into a waffle and serve it with sausage links?  Weighty matters all.

Dinner Invite

The kids have taken to eating outside for every meal.  We have this kids’ picnic table we bought when our oldest was a toddler that gets pretty heavy usage from May until somewhere along September.  The kids eat just about every meal outside and I enjoy a slight break from sweeping as there’s far less food on the floor.

On the other hand?  Dinner can get a bit lonely.  Today is not the first time that I wished I had someone else to invite over for dinner.  These nights happen on occasion when the kids’ plates come back in the house largely untouched.

I made chicken fajitas and they were delicious.  The chicken was moist and tender and the grilled veggies (zucchini, green pepper, and onion) were perfect.  You would have loved it, dear reader.  You would have asked for seconds and smiled happily as you pushed your plate away from you.  I would have enjoyed your witty repartee as we talked about the recall and why Governor Walker simply must go.  We’d nod our heads as we remembered walking around in the snow last year and pause at the impossibility of it all.  Maybe we’d even laugh at a joke or two.  Ole and Lena anyone?

I’m betting you would have even stopped me as I headed to the sink with the dishes and insisted, “Oh, please, let me do the dishes.  You’ve worked so hard to make this that I’d be honored if you’d let me clean up.”

I would insist that I was the one who was honored.  No one else ever does the dishes around here.  They sit in the sink were it not for me.  I’d remind you, “Don’t forget the stove!” as I took my iced tea out to the front step to enjoy the warm evening.

Did I not mention the stove before you offered?  See, a few months ago someone stole the gas tank off our grill.  I could have borrowed one from a family member (those things aren’t cheap, you know), but I didn’t think far enough in advance.  I had to use the cast iron grill on the stove instead.  That thing is fantastic (makes a mean panini, too), but hoo-boy, did it ever make a mess.

It really was so generous of you to offer, though, dear reader.  The floor steamer mop-thingy is hanging up on the basement landing in case the floor needs some attention.  I can’t begin to thank you enough.

Who knows, there may have even been desert involved (strawberry shortcakes, if the kids hadn’t eaten them all yesterday) and a cold beer because sometimes-picky-children not withstanding, I’m a terrific hostess.

If only.

Music for the Solstice

Merry Solstice Eve!

As the Wheel of the Year spins again, may you and your family be filled with the wonder and magic of Yule.  Most of all, may your new year be filled with light and love. Blessed be!

On Being Thankful

For my family, the Thanksgiving weekend is just another work week.  While everyone else was spending the day with their friends and family, eating themselves into oblivion, my children watched as their father got ready for work.  While most were sitting down to watch football in their post-lunch stupor, they were standing at the door and waving goodbye.

So, in honor of families like mine – the public employees who patrol our streets, sit on call in case a deep fryer sets a house on fire, or the nurses and residents who care for patients in the hospital or nursing home – I wanted to say thank you.

This holiday season, I’m most thankful for those who go to work while everyone else is off to play.  On holidays, weekends, and nights when the rest of the residents in our state are sleeping in their beds, these workers are on the job with nary a thought from those they serve.  They have been vilified, blamed, and otherwise maligned by those in power and by thoughtless citizens who want what they will not pay for.

My deepest gratitude goes out to public employees, for all that they do and for spending so many weekends, evenings, and holidays away from their families in service to our cities, counties, and state.  As a society, we do not value your contribution anywhere near enough – so, from my family to yours, thank you.

Snow

First snow in 2011 – November 9th

Rewind

I’ve been sitting here the past few hours going over the last year trying to get my Yuletide plans in order as is my tradition.  That lead me to reading over my defunct family blog and all of the many posts I had made last year, one for each day in Advent.  There are so many things we did.  So many fun things, so many hopes for the future, such big dreams for what was to come.

From there it was a short jump to February.  Shit this year has been one helluva chain of days.  Samhain closes out one turn through the wheel of the year, but it’s all flooding back.  Each step and all those things that have changed.  2010 was the last great year and shit just about sums up 2011.

I’m counting down the days to the solstice, to the end of the year, and the end of a contract.  So much uncertainty lurks around the corner.  My American Dream was supposed to come true, but I was served the proverbial foreclosure notice.  There is no good way forward and swinging back through January, February, and March seems like more than I can handle.  Can I pause the year here?

I think the only thing I can count on is regardless of what happens, who betrayed us along the way, or the things we’ve let go, home really is wherever I’m with you.  Next time we get married, let’s do it in the middle of a forest on the autumn equinox.  Just you and me, the officiant, the kids, and the leaves.  Maybe a few special guests, but skip the grouchy sister, the crappy groomsman, and all the rules.  Do over?

A Different Way to See Fall Colors

Fall