Woman vs. Waffle Iron: Another Kitchen Victory

While munching on my whole wheat banana blueberry pancakes on Tuesday morning, my loving husband asked me, "Why don't you ever make waffles?"  I smiled and responded, "I don't know - I guess I just don't really think about it."

The truth is, however, I have a love-hate relationship with my waffle iron.  Why?  Well, when Shannon and I got married, we received a waffle iron as a gift.  Naturally, I was excited about this.  After all, who doesn't LOVE waffles, and when done well, they look very impressive on the breakfast table.

However, I soon discovered that the waffle iron was not just another kitchen tool to use and enjoy - the waffle iron had to be mastered.  My first experiences with my waffle iron left me cleaning up gobs of goo where the batter had seeped out and goobered onto the kitchen counter, not to mention in every crevice and crack the waffle iron had.  Apparently, I was using too much batter.  So the next time, I was extra careful, but my waffles turned out puny and burnt.  This time, I wasn't using enough batter.  Then, there was the sticking factor.  The instructions that came with my waffle iron said that I didn't have to grease the iron between waffles.  BIG mistake.  There is nothing worse than opening your waffle iron and finding half of the waffle on the top of the iron and the other top on the bottom, and it's stuck, everywhere.  Finally, there is the ADD factor.  I'm an easily distracted individual.  Thus, I have found myself getting carried away washing dishes, mopping the floor, or even taking a shower - completely forgetting that the waffle iron doesn't turn itself off when the waffle is done.  Yeah, there's not much that's tasty about burnt waffles.

In recent days, however, I have slowly, step by step, conquered my waffle iron.  I've discovered that 1 heaping cup of batter is generally perfect to make the perfect waffle.  I used a measuring cup for awhile, but then got frustrated that more of the batter was ending up on me than in the waffle iron.  Finally, I discovered my medium-sized soup ladle - PERFECT for measuring and pouring waffle batter.  :)  Next, regardless of what the directions say, SPRAY that waffle iron GOOD every time you are about to pour batter into it.  Don't be stingy - just SPRAY.  There's nothing quite like a waffle sliding gently out of your waffle iron onto your plate.  Your food was made to be eaten, not chiseled from the cooking utensil.  Finally, and there's no easy way to do this, but stand close by your waffle iron and keep an eye on that little light.  If you're in the market for a waffle iron, I highly recommend spending a few extra dollars and buying the waffle iron with the built in beeper.  But, in my case, I discovered that it was about a minute and a half for my waffles to be done, so I set the kitchen timer for one minute and fifteen seconds.  When the timer goes off, I stand guard over my little waffle iron and am armed and ready with my spatula for the waffle do be done.  A little extreme?  Maybe, but hey - it works for me.  :)

If you can conquer your waffle iron, it will do all of the work for you.  You'll have delicious waffles with little mess, and you'll make it look so easy.  :)

And so, this morning, I took my husband's little "hint" in stride and searched my favorite website, allrecipes.com, for the perfect waffle recipe.  I found their recipe, "Blueberry Oat Waffles" and decided to make a few modifications of my own.

Today was my first day making these waffles.  They tasted great - crunchy on the outside and really warm and soft on the inside.  The oatmeal adds a nice texture and health-factor - plus oatmeal helps you feel full all day.  The blueberries add the perfect hint of sweetness.    It was really easy - the ingredients are basic and it only took a few minutes to throw them together and pour them in the waffle iron.

Enough babbling - here's the recipe!  Enjoy!  :)

1-1/3 cups Whole Wheat Flour
1 cup quick oats (you can use traditional oatmeal, too, but I would recommend putting it in your magic bullet or food processor to chop it up a bit, just like the pancakes!)
2 tablespoons Brown Sugar
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/3 cups Milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract (Imitation is fine)
1 cup frozen (or fresh) blueberries - (but don't thaw the berries if they're frozen - that will make them gooey!)

1. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
2.  Combine the liquid ingredients in a small bowl, then add to the dry ingredients.
3.  Fold in the blueberries.
4.  Pour into that pesky waffle iron (show it who's boss) and wait for them to be done!!

Til next time, folks.  :)

Heather