Lost Waffles

We woke up this morning to beautiful Spring weather, so we had  to eat breakfast on the balcony.  After a long winter of hibernation, it seemed only right to make something new and fresh.  Scrounging through the fridge, we had a couple eggs, some bacon and a few frozen waffles. This combination led to a kitchen experiment - that's my favorite kind of experiment, you know.  

From the deep dark winter of the freezer emerged Lost Waffles, a play on Lost Bread, a.k.a. French Toast.  These Lost Waffles are soft and pillowy, with the hint of a crispy crust.  With a side of sweet and spicy bacon, eggs done your favorite way, and topped with whipped cream, I invite you to enjoy Lost Waffles, part of this complete breakfast.  

Lost Waffles

4 Frozen Waffles
2 Eggs
1/4 C. Milk (I used almond)
1/2 t. Cinnamon
1/2 t. Vanilla
Spoonful of Sugar (helps the Lost Waffles go down...)
Butter
Whipped cream

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Place frozen waffles on a baking sheet and bake until extra crispy.  

In a shallow bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, cinnamon, vanilla and sugar until well combined.  

Add a pad of butter to a medium skillet and heat over medium-high heat.  You want this pan to be HOT when the waffles jump in.  Quickly douse a waffle in the egg mixture, making sure the egg gets into all the nooks and crannies.  Add it to the skillet and let it sizzle away until golden brown and crispy.  (Don't dip the waffles in the egg until just before you put them in the skillet, or they'll become soggy).  Repeat with the remaining waffles.  

To serve, top the waffles with whipped cream and a side of your favorite breakfast accompaniments.  

Gifting :: Sugar & Spice

If you're like me, you enjoy gifting.  And I don't mean picking up a DVD and slapping a gaudi bow on it.  I mean brainstorming, searching, finding and disguising the perfect gifts that your friends will absolutely love.  I know, it's tricky and frustrating sometimes.  But, the look on their face paired with that cozy feeling of knowing you tickled them intrinsically is priceless.  This post is devoted to the ingredients of gifting food in the hopes that the next time you need a special gift for a foodie friend, you won't have to look too far.

:: Sugar ::

Can you really go wrong with gifting something sweet like cookies?  No, not really.  A homemade treat is always a great gift because your love and hard work is already inside.  But, take it to the next level with my suggestions for the perfect cookie goody bag.  These work well for little forget-me-not's, thinking of you's, teacher appreciation, bridal or baby shower goodies.

Here's what you'll need: 

cookies, small gift bags, raffia or ribbon, scrap book paper, 

regular paper, glue stick, marker, hole punch, scissors

1.  Glue a sheet of regular computer paper to the scrapbook paper.  

Allow to dry and then cut into small gift tags.  

2.  Using the marker, write the name of the cookies your gifting 

being sure to list any important ingredients.  Fold the gift tag in 

half and use the hole punch to puncture the top left corner of each tag. 

3.  Place a few cookies in each bag. 

4.  Tie raffia or ribbon around each bundle and thread it through 

the hole in the gift tag to secure it to the package. 

 Tie it in a bow for looks.

:: Spice ::

How many times have you been given spices as a gift?  I'm betting not many.  Spices are a unique way to literally "spice" up someone's present.  There are so many options, it's hard to go wrong.  And who would refuse some added flavor for their meals?  The spices in the grocery store tend to be pricey, so I recommend finding a spice shop (yes, you probably have one hiding near your home).  First, they have a much better selection and you can eliminate the cost of the container.  If you're not sure about which spices to choose, ask for help!  Here are a few of my favorites that you don't see everyday:  cardamom, smoked paprika, whole vanilla beans, black sesame seeds, spice shop special blends.  Give a few of these jars as a birthday present or single ones as dinner party or even wedding favors.  And if you happened to serve a dish that included the special spice, gift the recipe too!

Here's what you will need:

spices, sandwich bag, small jars, raffia or ribbon, 

scrap book paper, regular paper, glue stick, marker, hole punch, scissors

**TIP:  Craft stores like Hobby Lobby and Michael's have a great variety of glass jars and containers.  They also offer coupons on their website every single day to help save moolah.

1.  Empty your spices into sandwich bags.

2.  Roll a sheet of computer paper into a funnel and place into the jar.

3.  Gently pour the spices through the funnel into each jar. 

4.  For the gift tags, glue the computer paper to scrapbook paper.  

Allow to dry and cut into gift tags.  

5.  Write the name of the spice on each gift tag.  

6.  Fold the gift tag in half and using the hole punch, 

puncture the upper left corner.  

 7.  Tie the raffia or ribbon around the jar.  Thread it through the 

gift tag and tie in a bow for looks.  

There are many options for gifting food.  Some of my other favorites include toffee, citrus zested sugars and even little travel packs for my vacationing friends.  Think about the people you love and gift them with food this year.  Happy holidays.

Finnish Pulla Bread (Nisva)

Break some bread with Natural Sugar!  Bake some bread, that is.  Now don’t be afraid – if I can make bread from scratch, so can you.  It has scared me for a long time, but I was craving some home baked bread, so I garnered my courage, dug out my dear friend Kelly’s recipe and instructions and just did it.  Kelly is a great teacher, so if you follow her directions, you’re bound to come up with something delicious! 

I met Kelly in Flagstaff, Arizona, when I tutored her daughter in French.  After our lessons concluded, we became good friends and I was sort of adopted into their family.  Kelly and I would cook and bake together and when her daughter would join us, we would all practice French.  They are some of the best memories I have and I’m incredibly lucky to have learned my baking techniques from such an inspirational woman. 

This is one of Kelly's recipes from her time in Finland.  This warm, comforting bread reminds me of a cold afternoon in Helsinki or Jyväskylä.  It goes perfectly with coffee or even chili, if you can believe it! 

2 ¼ t. yeast (+ ½ t. sugar, depending on the yeast you use)

1 Stick of butter

¾ C. milk

2 Eggs

4-6 C. All purpose flour

½ C. Sugar

½ t. Salt

1 Scant T. Cardamom

Sugar & Slivered almonds for the top

Melt the butter and allow to cool.  Mix the yeast with 4 T. hot water (temperature around 115).  Set aside to “proof.”  It will puff up and be foamy.  (This will take 5-10 minutes).  Mix 2 cups of the flour with the sugar, salt and cardamom.  Scald the milk and after it has cooled slightly, add it to the flour mixture.  Mix well, using a stand or hand mixer.  Add the eggs and beat well.  Add the yeast and combine until incorporated.  Add the butter and mix well. 

Slowly add the additional 2-2 ½ C. of flour, beating until the dough starts to pull away from the edge of the bowl and isn’t sticky.  Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes, adding a bit of flour if the dough is too sticky.  When the dough “talks back to you,” put it in a warm place to rise.  A good place is your oven with the oven light on. 

After approximately 2 hours, when the dough has risen, punch it down.  Divide the dough in half.  Form each half into a loaf as follows:

§ Divide into 3 pieces

§ Form each piece into a snake

§ Squeeze the tops of the 3 snakes together

§ Braid the snakes and pinch the bottom together

Put the loaves on parchment paper-lined baking sheets and allow to rise again for 30 minutes. 

Heat the oven to 325.  Brush the loaves with beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar and slivered almonds.  Bake for 20-25 minutes turning half way through until they are ever so lightly browned on top.