Favorite Things: Day Twenty One

You know what one of my truly favorite things is? Waffles. No, not the crappy toaster waffles that have been foisted upon us since childhood (and I now foist upon my children), no honest, made in a waffle-iron waffles. Those are one of the few things that make waking up prior to noon on a Saturday or Sunday worth it. Anyway, if you don't believe me, drop the $15-$20 on a waffle iron and make some yourself. The absolute best recipe for these is from the Joy of Cooking, a book you really should have on your shelves, even if you don't cook that much. Seriously, if they sell it at your grocery store, most likely, there's a simple, easy recipe in there to make something delicious out of it. Here's the recipe:

Basic waffles

(adapted from the 1997 version of The Joy of Cooking)

makes 12 6-inch waffles

This recipe is adaptable: you can use as little as 4 tablespoons or as much as 16 tablespoons of butter. You can also add more eggs and reduce the milk for even richer, lighter waffles. One-half cup of raisins, ripe banana chunks, nuts, crumbled bacon or berries can be added after the wet and dry ingredients are mixed.

1 3/4 cup flour

1 T. baking powder

1 T. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

3 large eggs, well beaten

8 T. butter, melted

1 1/2 cup milk

Step 1: Preheat the waffle iron

Step 2: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl.

Step 3: Whisk together the eggs, butter and milk in a second bowl.

Step 4: Add the liquid ingredients to the flour mixture and stir briefly. The batter should be slightly lumpy. Err on the side of undermixing.

Step 5: Spoon 1/2 cup batter onto the hot iron and spread it within 1/4 inch of the edges with a spoon.

Step 6: Close the lid and bake until steam stops emerging. Keep warm as above or serve immediately.

While the recipe states that it is adaptable for the amount of butter you want to use, really, if you love yourself, you'll go with the full, two sticks of butter. Even as your arteries clog you'll have a beatific grin on your face, knowing the shortened life span was worth it.