What is better than a thick, warm, waffle? How about a thick, warm, chocolate waffle! So delicious and decadent. Chocolate waffles make a perfect dessert treat with some ice cream, but today they were a special breakfast treat for my son. I thought I had some strawberries in the house to top them with to make it seem somewhat healthy, but I’ll just have to get some fruit into him later.
Waffles might seem like a difficult thing to make, but they are actually quite easy. The only reason I don’t make them more often is because I have to go get the waffle maker from “down cellah” as us Bostonians say.
So let’s make waffles!
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sugar
3 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup milk
2 large eggs
4 tbsp. butter, melted
mini chocolate chips, optional
Sift together the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. As I always say, make sure to sift when using cocoa powder because it really makes a difference.
Whisk in the milk, eggs, and melted butter until smooth.
I added a few mini chocolate chips because that’s how I roll. Honestly, when are chocolate chips ever a bad thing? Right?
Spray your waffle iron with cooking spray and heat per the manufacturer’s instructions.
Once heated, ladle the batter into the iron and let cook for about 4 minutes. I used a fork to remove them.
I spread the batter out a little more for my second batch.
Serve warm with fruit, ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream, or whatever you like. Yum, yum, yum!!
Chicken and waffles are another Southern dish that I have been craving lately. Not only had I never even tried them, but I had never even heard of chicken and waffles being served together until a few years ago. Despite its increase in popularity in restaurants, it just seemed like such a strange combination to me. I mean syrup on chicken? Really? My family has ordered it at restaurants and loved it, so I thought why not give it a try.
Actual fried chicken is not something I ever cook because I am not a big fan of meat on the bone, and if using boneless chicken I just prefer to have it “oven fried”. It helps with eliminating a large amount of the fat and calories to bake the chicken as opposed to frying it.
My chicken turned out moist inside with a really tasty crunchy outside. It was delicious! Here is how I make oven fried chicken.
Ingredients:
2 lbs. bonesless chicken breast
2 cups of buttermilk (I use milk and lemon juice)
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
1 tbsp. parmesan cheese
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper
2 eggs
water
1 cup flour
My chicken was a little thick so I decided to pound down some of the pieces. I didn’t want them as thin as I would for cutlets, but just all the same thickness. To do this I cleaned and cut the chicken, then pounded them with a wooden mallet in between some plastic wrap.
I made two cups of buttermilk and let the chicken marinate in it for about 30 minutes. Longer is better if you have the time.
To make buttermilk I just add a tablespoon of lemon juice to the two cups of milk and let it sit for a few minutes. I know there are other ways but that is the way I learned growing up.
You will need three bowls. In one bowl combine breadcrumbs, cheese, parsley, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
In another bowl put the flour, and in the third bowl combine the beaten eggs with an almost equal amount of water.
Dip each piece of chicken in flour, then in egg, then coat with breadcrumb mixture and place on a greased baking sheet.
Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked.
Top the fresh waffles with the chicken, add a little syrup, and enjoy!
If you would like to see how I made my waffles, here is the link to my waffle blog:
There is nothing like a thick, soft homemade waffle, and a waffle iron is not a bad appliance to have in the house. They are not only great for breakfast with syrup and butter, or with strawberries and whipped cream, but make a perfect dessert sundae! One of my children’s favorite ice cream places is a waffle sundae shop, and since I was making chicken and waffles for dinner I decided to make a few extra for a treat for the next day.
My son loved his treat, who wouldn’t?
I have made chocolate waffles in the past for ice cream sundaes, but I stuck with regular waffles this time. Especially because chicken doesn’t really go well with chocolate waffles. Here is a picture I had taken of the chocolate waffle and it looks so good that I think I need to make these again soon.
I have also made gingerbread waffles from a Stonewall Kitchen waffle mix which was quite good.
Ok, I am digressing and getting very hungry, let’s get back to the waffles I am currently blogging about.
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour
4 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3 eggs
2 cups milk
Cooking spray
Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
In a small bowl beat the egg yolks. Add the milk, and then add egg milk mixture to dry ingredients.
In another small bowl beat the egg whites until foamy, and then add them to the other mixture.
Heat your waffle maker and cook waffles per the instructions. Mine cooked for about 3 minutes.
As we approach the weekend, I thought what better time to talk about brunch. Brunch isn’t something I eat often, actually by the time I usually get around to it it’s lupper (lunch + supper). I usually try to be somewhat good when I go out for breakfast or brunch, and order an egg white omelet with no toast. I may say no to toast, but I never say no to home fries. I like to justify that potatoes are vegetables and do not care if they are or aren’t, in my world they are and it’s not up for discussion.
So when I go out and get an egg white omelet with no toast, I’m usually wishing it was something else and therefore don’t take a picture of it. My husband probably does because he is one of those “yum, healthy foods” type of people. I do not get excited when I choose egg whites over hollandaise sauce, trust me. So if you are also one of those “yum, healthy foods” types of people that are hoping to see pictures of melons, you can just stop reading right now, because there will be no melons in this brunch blog.
The photo above is the Avocado & Sweet Potato Fritter Tartine at Tatte Bakery & Café in Harvard Square. I’ve been on an “avocado toast” kick lately, and this one was really good. I’m a huge fan of sweet potatoes, and this was a really good combination of flavors. Although both floors of this café were packed, it had a nice atmosphere and their stairs made me smile as I walked up them. They didn’t make my husband smile when someone bumped into him on the stairs and he spilled his coffee all over himself.
I also really love the Avocado Toast at The Friendly Toast, it’s nice because both pieces are different. One side has this really yummy garlic aioli which is kind of like a distant cousin of hollandaise sauce in my opinion. Oh look, I lied! There is melon in one of my pictures. I didn’t eat it, but it was there. My husband probably ate it. The Friendly Toast is just cool with all the vintage random stuff all over the place, there is always something fun to look at. I haven’t tried the waffles, but I know my daughter loves them and she is a “waffle girl”.
Speaking of waffles, we recently tried two places where I ordered waffles, both of which were great. The first was Amrheins Restaurant in South Boston, which I learned is the oldest Bar is South Boston and I find those things interesting. The Belgiun Waffle was excellent, really light with great flavor and the honey cream was delicious. The other was Zinneken’s Belgian Waffles, we went to the location in Harvard Square. It was a sweet waffle with caramelized sugar. It was delicious! More of a dessert type waffle, and if someone wants to put chocolate on my waffle, I’m sure as heck not going to stop them.
Now let’s get to the good stuff, hollandaise sauce. I just took a moment of silence for whoever the person was that created such creamy goodness. For years I would order the eggs benedict at the Arlington Diner. I haven’t had it in a number of years, but I am going to assume it is still worth getting. Their other breakfasts are great, and that is usually where I order the egg white omelet with spinach and feta, no toast, but yes to their delicious home fries.
Two that I have had recently were at Sound Bites in Somerville, and at Olde Magouns Saloon also in Somerville. At Sound Bites I ordered the Greek Eggs Bene, which had spinach, tomato, and feta cheese. It comes with their version of home fries which is a grilled mashed potato type of thing. It was good, not my favorite, but good. The other was the Blue Ribbon at Olde Magoun’s Saloon, which comes with eggs and pulled pork on top of biscuits. Let me just stop for a second and say “oh my goodness”, crazy good. Anything at Magoun’s is good, brunch, lunch, dinner, whatever, it is amazing. You should just go there all the time.
After seeing all of these photos I can almost guarantee I will be going out for brunch this weekend, and not ordering egg whites. Or melon.
