Friday, September 21, 2012

Buttermilk Blackberry Waffles with Quick Homemade Butter


Around my house, waffles for dinner is a huge hit!  I had a bunch of blackberries (grown organically in my backyard) in my freezer.  I decided that instead of blueberries, blackberries would make delicious waffles.  Then I took it a step further and decided that in lieu of the standard recipe, I would make buttermilk waffles.  My daughter loved them so much that she declared them to be, "the best waffles she's ever eaten," and she at twice as many as she normally would.  I'd say that this recipe was a success!  It's a pretty standard, buttermilk waffle recipe from my BHG cookbook, with the addition of the blackberries and quick butter.

Waffles

You will need:

  • 1 3/4 c. unbleached AP flour
  • 2 T. sugar
  • 1 t. baking powder
  • 1/2 t. baking soda
  • 1/4 t. sea salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 c. buttermilk
  • 1/2 c. melted butter
  • 1 t. real vanilla extract
  • 1 c. blackberries (fresh or if frozen make sure they are thawed and allow the juices to drain)

Make it:

  1. Combine dry ingredients thoroughly in a medium to large mixing bowl.  Make a well in the center.
  2. In a separate, small bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.
  3. Add wet ingredients all at once to the "well" in the flour mixture and stir just until ingredients are incorporated, there should be some lumps.  
  4. Gently fold in the berries.
  5. Cook in your waffle maker according to its normal directions.  Since all waffle makers are different, yours probably does not cook the same as mine.

Quick Butter

This is not a replacement for the butter that you buy at the store.  My daughter did this project at school and was so excited about it that she wanted to do it at home with me.  It is a very simple process and yields a very tasty product.
  • Pour heavy whipping cream into a container that has a tight fitting lid.  I would not recommend more than 1 cup at a time.
  • Shake vigorously until the cream thickens into butter.  For 1 cup of cream it took us about 15 minutes.
It really is that simple!  This does not work well in recipes, but to top bread, toast, waffles, pancakes etc it is VERY yummy!

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Jalapeno and Cheddar Corn Bread

 When I discovered how easy it is to make corn bread from scratch, I vowed to never buy a "corn bread mix" again.  It is every bit as simple to make from scratch as it is to make it from a mix.  My inspiration for this corn bread comes from a restaurant in Branson, MO ... White River Fish Co.  Most restaurants serve a french bread or dinner rolls, but they serve jalapeno corn bread.  I started with the basic corn bread recipe, added in some fresh organic jalapenos from my garden and then thought of how well cheddar pairs with jalapenos ... so I decided to add cheese to the recipe.  Hubby said it was great!  :)

You Will Need:

  • 1 c. corn meal
  • 1 c. flour
  • 2 T. sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 c. milk
  • 4 t. baking powder
  • 2 to 5 chopped jalapenos (depending on your taste)
  • 3/4 c. shredded cheddar
  • 1/2 t. salt
  • 1/4 c. oil

Make It:

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
  2. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl
  3. Pour into a greased 8x8 pan and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until golden and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean

The Slow Roasted Italian
- See more at: http://www.theslowroasteditalian.blogspot.com/2013/02/best-ever-cocktails.html#sthash.EJpwswc7.dpuf

Monday, September 10, 2012

Sunset

Last night I had a feeling that the sunset was going to be vibrant.  I grabbed my camera and drove across town to the top of a hill where I could get a good vantage point.