Showing posts with label waffles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label waffles. Show all posts

Friday, November 16, 2012

Pumpkin Waffles with Apple Cider Syrup

Thanksgiving plans are all about the main event. 

Turkey. Check.
Ham. Check.
Mom's dressing. Check.
Crescent rolls. Check.
Homemade pies - pumpkin, pecan and coconut. Check, check, check.

These Pumpkin Waffles with Apple Cider Syrup add "special" to breakfast if you have guests coming for Thanksgiving.

On second thought, you don't need to wait for house guests, though you may need to make just half the recipe since it makes a lot. Or, you can make the entire recipe, cook up the extra batter and put the leftovers in the freezer for a quick breakfast treat that's way better than the typical waffles from the freezer case.

I made these waffles and syrup when Jill, Eric and Kinley were here earlier this month. It's our custom to have breakfast for our noon meal following church. Our kids got tired of it when they lived at home. Now, that's what they want. (I was like that about roast beef for our Sunday noon meal growing up. But, when I was at K-State, what did I miss about Sunday? Yep, the roast beef dinner.)

I actually grew up eating waffles for supper more often than breakfast. Morning, noon or night: Anytime is the right time for these. Even though the spices and pumpkin remind us of fall, buy a few extra cans of pumpkin on sale this week and keep this recipe (and other recipes featuring pumpkin) handy for special guests - or just because. And this homemade syrup is as tasty as it is easy. It is the perfect complement to the waffles - or for any pancake or waffle meal. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Waffles
with Apple Cider Syrup
Adapted from Kitchen Meets Girl blog

Waffles:
2 1/2 cups flour
4 tsp. baking powder
3 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 cups milk
4 eggs
1/4 cup butter, melted

Apple Cider Syrup:
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup apple cider
2 tbsp. butter

Preheat waffle iron. Combine the flour and ingredients through the brown sugar in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, stir together the pumpkin, milk and eggs. Add melted butter and stir.

Stir the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture just until combined. Cook waffles according to manufacturer's directions. Serve with syrup.

Apple Cider Syrup:
Stir together the sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon in a saucepan. Add the apple cider. Cook over medium heat until the mixture starts to boil; boil until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and stir in 2 tablespoons butter.

Here's another recipe, Pumpkin Cranberry Bread, for the extra pumpkin that you hide in the pantry for later baking endeavors or for your Thanksgiving treat table. I just made it again to sell at the UMW Bazaar.

Or try Pumpkin Bread Pudding.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Happy Vaffeldagen

Vaffeldagen is my kind of holiday.

What?! You've never heard of it?

Actually, I hadn't either, but today - March 25 - is International Waffle Day. The holiday originated in Sweden and was known as Varfrudagen (Our Lady's Day). The holiday coincides with the Feast of the Annunciations and the start of spring in Europe.

What does that have to do with waffles? It's all a misunderstanding. In some dialects, Varfrudagen was mispronounced Vaffeldagan. And Vaffeldagan means "the waffle day."

At the County Line, waffle day comes every Sunday. That's our go-to meal after getting home from church.

Jill and Brent got tired of having waffles every Sunday. Jill says that by the time she went to college, she never wanted to see another waffle.

But then again, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Nowadays, if they are home on a Sunday, waffles are on the menu ... by their choice. And by the time Jill was registering for wedding gifts, she wanted a waffle iron of her own.

In Kansas' Little Sweden today, the downtown Lindsborg eateries will celebrate Vaffeldagen with blueberry, strawberry and lingonberry waffles at breakfast, lunch and dinner. As Randy and I begin our 30th anniversary celebration, we plan to partake in the festivities.

If you want to try your own celebration, I have a syrup for you to try. This Cinnamon Cream Syrup is our attempt at recreating the syrup at the Pancake Pantry in Nashville, TN. When Jill was completing her dietetics internship at Vanderbilt, we usually had one meal at the Pancake Pantry during our visits.

I'm not a big maple syrup fan, so the Cinnamon Cream Syrup is a yummy alternative. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Cream Syrup
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 5-oz. can evaporated milk

In a saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, water and cinnamon. Bring to a boil over medium heat; boil for astir for 2 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes. Stir in milk.

Serve over pancakes, waffles or French toast.

De smakar mycket goda! (They taste very good!) Happy Vaffeldagen!