You’ve Been Waffled

My uncle bought my grandmother a waffle iron for mother’s day. I’m not sure she thought it was the coolness he thought it was. I was mystified by the four-clover leaf design and could not wait until we made these Belgian waffles that were all the rage!

I loved it. I was hooked the moment the batter hit the iron and the sweet aroma filled my nostrils.

“Get away from there,” Mami warned me. “And don’t touch it, it’s hot!”

As I remember, my grandmother had two waffle recipes. One was pretty much a pancake batter. The other contained corn flour and those waffles were really crispy.

In the past year or so, I have seen waffles used in sandwiches (instead of bread), and a host of recipes for non-waffle stuff you can make in a waffle iron – none originating in Belgium.

Mami’s little waffle maker, with the green top, drowned a horrible death after a hurricane hit Puerto Rico and the river overflowed. In the same manner the river stole one of my dolls decades before, it absconded with Mami’s waffle iron.

In my own kitchen, my George Foreman grill includes waffle plates and I highly recommend it.

We recently replaced the unit, and these recipes seem like great ways to use the little grill (which remains one of my favorite gadgets for its ease of use and removable/interchangeable plates that help keep it clean).

There are at least a handful of non-waffle things I want to try:

Bacon

Hash browns

Churros

Brownies

Falafels

There are plenty of waffle variants to make for breakfast, brunch, snacks or desserts. Breakfast for dinner is a fun possibility: making eggs in the waffle iron or a breakfast quesadilla (there are a few different recipes in the Pinterest board I create for your reference)…

Queso frito. Crab cakes. Soft pretzels. Philly Cheesesteak. Ramen. Oh yes, ramen. Mash potato waffles with cheddar cheese and chives. Pizza!

There’s even a book called Will It Waffle?: 53 Irresistible and Unexpected Recipes to Make in a Waffle Iron. I do not own a copy yet, but it is on my wishlist as it includes a recipe for calamari salad.

My vegan and gluten-free folks get at least one recipe they can play with.

Of course, if I find other recipes that look palatable, I will add them to the Pinterest board, FoodGoddess: Waffled.

The beauty of the recipes I have collected is that most are relatively easy and novice cooks can look like geniuses. If a cook gains experience and confidence in the kitchen, I love it!