Buttermilk Belgian Waffles

Buttermilk Belgian Waffles
(cooling before wrapping & freezing)

Do you have 1 and 3/4 Cups of Buttermilk in your fridge?  Do you have 1 Cup + 3/4 Cup Milk?  That small amount of Buttermilk is the beginning of a delicious breakfast!

About a month ago after opening the door to one of my kitchen cabinets, suddenly I "spied" my Belgian Waffle Maker!  It's only been "untouched" for about 6 years!  Other than taking it down when cleaning the cabinet shelves.  Remembering that I had Buttermilk in my fridge, the next step- King Arthur Flour's website.  There it was- a recipe for Buttermilk Belgian Waffles!  The photo looked so yummy & I had the Buttermilk!

• I use King Arthur Unbleached Flour whenever I make pancakes.
• My less cholesterol habit:  Substitute Olive Oil for sauteing & baking for Butter.
• Another less cholesterol habit:  Rather than 2 whole Eggs, I'd use 1 whole Egg + 2 Egg Whites.

I was on my way to make a very yummy breakfast.  By using the Olive Oil, no butter/ margarine was needed at our table either- only a topping.  What delicious waffles!  The second time I prepared these waffles for breakfast, defrosted strawberries were a great topping!
 
No, we did not devour the entire batch!  The extra waffles were cooled & wrapped in plastic wrap/ placed in Freezer bags for even quicker breakfasts other mornings.  My method of reheating:  my microwave.

The holidays are in our future!  If you are looking for a quick, easy & absolutely yummy breakfast to serve your overnight guests Buttermilk Belgian Waffles are great!  Take out your waffle maker!  If you don't have one, that small appliance would be a great gift to receive!  My waffle maker is at least 15 years old.  Make & try these.  They are so good!

Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside!

Buttermilk Belgian Waffles
             makes 8 Waffles
             adapted from King Arthur website

Ingredients:
1 + 3/4 Cup King Arthur Unbleached Flour
4 teaspoons Sugar
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt

1 Whole Egg + 2 Egg Whites
1 + 3/4 Cups Buttermilk or 1 Cup Buttermilk + 3/4 Cup Milk
1/2 Cup Olive Oil for sauteing & baking 
2 teaspoons Vanilla

PAM

Method:

1. In a large bowl combine Flour, Sugar, Baking Powder, Baking Soda & Salt.
2. In a smaller bowl beat 1 Egg + 2 Egg Whites.
3. Add Buttermilk, Olive Oil & Vanilla.
4. Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients, stirring until almost smooth.
5. Spray Belgian Waffle Maker with PAM before preheating, only when making 1st waffle in batch.
6. When Waffle Maker is hot, use 2/3 Cup batter to make waffle.
7. Close lid. Cook for 2- 3 minutes - until steaming stops.
8. (With my Belgian Waffle Maker cooking time is 2 Minutes, 30 Seconds.)
9. Carefully remove & continue.

***One AM I had only 1 Cup Buttermilk, so I also used 3/4 Cup Milk & the waffles were also oh, so good!

Using the Olive Oil, no butter/ margarine is needed.  Maple syrup or Strawberries are our fave toppings!  What will yours be?

Enjoy!
Yummy!

   

~Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes~

I like to try to plan ahead.  I like to try make things easy, whenever possible, if possible.  With all of the FuN activities going on this weekend and early next week, the dilemma of a great Christmas morning breakfast needed an answer.  A food that we all enjoy and is also hearty.  A food that also can be prepped easily on a very busy morning.

Well... I only needed to check out my own blog to find the answer quickly.  In the top right hand corner of my header is a plate containing a large amount of Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes.  I remember the day I snapped the pic before I packaged and placed the delicious light pancakes in the freezer. 

If I took a vote in my fam, this would be their fave breakfast.  These pancakes freeze very well and also taste so yummy after reheating in the microwave.  A package of Blueberries was defrosted in the fridge overnight.  A fresh quart of low fat Buttermilk was purchased yesterday.  King Arthur White Bread Flour is now my flour of choice when making these.  1 Egg + Egg Whites, Olive Oil for sauteing & baking + 1% Milk.  Add in a little Cinnamon and a little Nutmeg!  This is definitely my kind of recipe, because I've lowered the cholesterol content!  2 Egg Whites = 1 Whole Egg when cooking. 

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes
(File Photo)

Needless to say, after I prepped a batch this morning my DH & I enjoyed them.  After the remaining Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes cooled slightly, each pancake was placed in a sandwich bag.  Little stacks were then placed in Ziploc Freezer Bags, labelled and then found their place in our freezer.

These Blueberry Pancakes with Buttermilk are so good! 

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

- adapted from BURYGOLD on allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

3 Cups White Bread Flour (can be all purpose Flour)

3 Tablespoons Sugar

3 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 and 1/2 teaspoons Baking Soda
3/4 teaspoon Salt (I use a little less.)
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg

1 Whole Egg + 4 Egg Whites
3 Cups Fat Free Buttermilk
1/2 Cup 1% Milk
1/3 Cup Olive Oil for Sauteing & Baking

2 Cups Blueberries (can be fresh or defrosted & drained)

Method:

1. Heat griddle over medium heat.
2. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Lightly beat Egg + 4 Egg Whites in another bowl.
4. Add Buttermilk, Milk and Olive Oil. Beat.
5. Pour wet mixture into dry mixture in large bowl.
6. Stir just until blended. Make sure all dry ingredients are mixed in, but do not over stir.
7. Allow about 1/3 Cup of batter for each pancake and place on griddle.
8. Add 8-9 Blueberries to each pancake.
9. When brown on one side flip over.
10. Brown other side.

This will be a great surprise for my fam this weekend!  Do you use Olive Oil for sauteing & baking?  Do you cook using Egg Whites?

Enjoy!
Yummy!

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!!!

 

The Lorax

Theodor Seuss Geisel was born on March 2, 1904 in Springfield, MA.  He wrote so many wonderful stories for children (of all ages) using the name Dr. Seuss!  Dr. Seuss' inspiration for his stories came from Springfield! 

Every time I walk onto the grounds of the Springfield Museums, The Lorax greets me.  He stands seriously ...staring. 

At the opposite end of the grassy green, across from the G.W.V. Smith Museum, the gigantic bronze statues of Horton the Elephant, and Thing 1 and Thing 2 (to name a few) are within the area of the bronze statue of Dr. Seuss as he sits with The Cat in the Hat ... contemplating.  It is really cool to view!

Dr. Seuss with Cat in the Hat

Often I've thought of taking photos.  I never bring my camera.  However, on Monday afternoon after my Springfield History Docent lecture in the Museum of Springfield History, I ventured over to the Memorial Sculpture Garden and snapped photos.

Looking at the bronze statue of Sam-I-Am with Green Eggs and Ham reminded me of the Green Scrambled Eggs I served my sons for breakfast - so many years ago celebrating Dr. Seuss' birthday!  They tasted ... like Scrambled Eggs, but they were green.  Normally, I do not add food coloring to anything, but that one day I did.  For years I've used Egg Whites + Whole Eggs when making Scrambled Eggs.  Two Egg Whites = 1 Whole Egg, when baking.     

Scrambled Eggs

For each Breakfast portion I use 1 whole Egg + 2 Eggs Whites.  (There is less cholesterol going on here.) 

1. Place needed amount of Eggs + Egg Whites in bowl. 
2. Add 2 Tablespoon Milk to the Egg Mixture in the bowl.  (I use Soy Milk.)
3. Beat with fork. 
4. I also add 2 cut up slices of American Cheese for that "Oh, so cheesy flavor." 
5. Pour into skillet and stir over Medium Heat, until done. 
6. Enjoy! 

The Quadrangle (Springfield Museums) is one of my fave places.  History and Art are so fascinating!  This is where I get my weekly, and sometimes more, dose of Culture!

Rolls Royce were made in Springfield, MA for a period of time.  Breck Shampoo,  Absorbine Jr., The Indian Moto(r)cycles,  and the Merriam-Webster Dictionary all have Springfield roots!  The Duryea Automobile and Good Housekeeping Magazine, too.  James Naismith invented the FuN sport of Basketball at Springfield College - the Basketball Hall of Fame is located here in Springfield.  :)  The list goes on ... and on!

It's FuN to think about and read Theodor Seuss Geisel's stories - especially this week!  What is your favorite Dr. Seuss Book?  Mine is Green Eggs and Ham! 

Enjoy!

                  

What’s for Breakfast?

This past week just zipped by. Each day was full of activities, so every evening before dinnertime I would open my freezer door to locate a previously prepared dinner. It was great finding labeled and dated Ziploc containers of previously prepared food that could be defrosted/reheated in my microwave. But that can only happen for so long. This morning’s breakfast needed some attention, because a visit to the grocery store was really necessary.

Well, two overripe Bananas were sitting in the fruit bowl, but you know my thoughts about eating Bananas first thing in the morn. That is, unless the Bananas are totally combined with other ingredients like in hot cereal. Today is Sunday – so no hot cereal today.

Looking on my counter and in the fridge, a partial loaf of Soft Oatmeal Bread, Soy Milk and Eggs were available. That could only mean one thing – soft tasty French Toast. By adding a little Cinnamon and a little Nutmeg to the Egg and Milk mixture Breakfast tasted yummy!

I was quickly able to take a photo – before my hubby devoured his. Almost missed that opportunity! :)

A trip to the grocery store came later in the day! Soy Milk, Eggs and Bread were on the list, too!
Now, the Bananas … I did use them while baking today. That is the next post. Stay tuned…

French Toast

Ingredients:
2 Whole Eggs
3 Egg Whites
1 Cup Milk (Soy or 1% Milk)
¼ tsp. Cinnamon + ¼ tsp. Nutmeg – as desired
Sliced Bread – whatever is available :)

Method:
1. Place Whole Eggs and Egg Whites in a rectangular container and beat with a fork. (I use a 1 & ½ Qt. CorningWare container.)
2. While beating mixture add in Milk and continue beating to combine.
3. Add Cinnamon + Nutmeg and beat with fork.
4. Heat non-stick griddle or skillet on medium heat.
5. Dunk each bread slice in mixture coating both sides and then place on the griddle/skillet. (Two or three browning at once.)
6. The underside will be golden brown when it is time to turn the bread slice over with a spatula.
7. Turn over and brown other side.
8. Enjoy with Maple Syrup!

Yummy!