food week, day 1: breakfast

Happy Food Week! I'm excited to get started. So, let's jump right in. Here are the participants:

Vickie, mothergoose, sebrina, Sarah C, Alli, Stacey J, Ingrid, and ELK. If you'd like your name added, or if I've made some other error in the list, please let me know, and I'll "fick-its", as Phillip says.

Often on the weekend, we make a big batch of either waffles or pancakes, and freeze most of them between waxed paper to pop in the toaster on weekday mornings. I picked up a fantastic waffle iron on Freecycle (I know I've mentioned it here several times) and love using it. My favourite recipe that I've tried is from The Joy of Cooking - it makes light, delicious, fluffy butter-vehicles. I mean waffles. One of the things I love about the recipes is that you can use anything for toppings - fruit, jam, maple syrup (of course), butter, whipped cream or anything else that you enjoy.

Basic Waffles

Use 4 tbsp butter for a reduced-fat waffle, 8 tbsp for a classic light and fluffy waffle, or 16 tbsp for the crunchiest, most delicious waffle imaginable.
Preheat your waffle iron.
Whisk together in a large bowl:
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour (I usually add in some whole wheat)
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Whisk together in another bowl:
3 large eggs, well beaten
4 to 16 tbsp butter, melted (I use somewhere between 4 and 8)
1 1/2 cups milk

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Gently whisk them together. If you wish, fold in 1/2 cup of anything from blueberries to bacon to cheese. Cook on waffle iron, and enjoy!
This is the fish dinner we had last night; it was supposed to be fish tacos, but someone (*my hand is raised*) forgot to write 'red cabbage' on the grocery list, and I thought they would not be so swell without. So I made up a breadcrumb mix with cayenne and some spices, pan-fried the fish in a teensy bit of olive oil. The salad is just a bunch of chopped up things in an olive oil dressing I whipped up. It turned out really well - a tidge of horseradish and some maple syrup made it very pleasant.

And it's been a little while since I posted a picture of Mr P - I thought these were good ones for food week. (Also because I thought you might like to see them, Annie!) I love how he stuffs his little face.