Coffee and Bacon Wake Up Waffles for Waffle Week

It's Waffle Week and I'm so excited to, once again this year, be celebrating with a talented group of bloggers. 

Last year at this time I was contacted by a friend, Kim, who was looking to see if she could put together a waffle celebration. Oh hell yeah, I'm in. The end result was a post I was so proud of for many reasons. More than 25 bloggers created recipes that covered everything from soup to nuts (well, appetizers to desserts actually).

My contribution was Mac and Cheese Waffles with Honey Bunches Chicken, and they turned out amazing . . . if I do say so myself. I had so much fun that a few days later I shared my Banana Bread Waffles with Cinnamon Banana Glaze.

I have to admit that I was disappointed to find out that Kim had stopped blogging. Fortunately the celebration she started is continuing and this year and I, once again, am so happy to be joining in with a unique recipe of my own for #WaffleWeek2016.

Here's a peek at what we all came up with. Individual pictures and links are at the end of this post.

As for my recipe, hoping to create a recipe completely different from what I did last year, I started to think of breakfast. What are some favorite breakfast flavors? Well, for me, coffee is first and foremost. And nothing gets my family out of bed faster than the smell of bacon cooking. So there you go. I had my idea, Coffee and Bacon Wake Up Waffles!

Coffee and Bacon Wake Up Waffles

I started with a basic waffle recipe and went from there. To add the coffee element I replaced some of the milk not just with coffee, but for added flavor I included hazelnut creamer. I beat the wet ingredients before whisking in the dry to make the batter a little more fluffy.

Last, I mixed in the bacon bits. I used packaged bacon bits (real only, not artificial) because I had used up all of the bacon in the house and had a partial package in the fridge.

Be sure to grease and heat your waffle iron according to the manufacturer's directions. Place the batter in the center of the waffle maker. All this is essential to a perfectly made waffle.

Now comes the hard part. All those delicious smells coming from that little appliance but resist the urge. Don't open till it's done!

But if you just have to indulge in a taste of that first one while the others cook? Well, I won't tell.

As always, any time you make one of my recipes, feel free to post a picture of it to my Baking In A Tornado Facebook Page. I'd love to see it!

Be sure to visit these blogs for more Waffle Week recipes:

Terri of Our Good Life shares Waffles Gone Wild.

Lauren of Sew You Can Cook shares Buttermilk Cornmeal Waffles with Blackberry Syrup.

Lauren of A Nerd Cooks shares Sweet Potato Waffles with Candied Pecans.

Kaitie of Fuchsia Freezer shares Pumpkin Spice Waffles.

Hope you try them all. You know I will!
Happy Waffle Week.

Coffee and Bacon Wake Up Waffles

                                                                          ©www.BakingInATornado.com
 
Printable Recipe
 
Ingredients (makes 6):
1 stick butter
2 cups flour
1 TBSP brown sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup brewed coffee, room temperature
1/2 cup hazelnut coffee creamer
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup cooked bacon bits

OPT: warm maple syrup for serving

Directions:
*Melt butter and set aside to cool a bit.
*Whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt.
*Beat the eggs. Beat in the coffee, creamer and milk. Beat in the melted butter.
*Grease your waffle iron. Heat according to manufacturer's directions.
*While the waffle iron is heating, whisk the dry ingredients into the wet. Last, add the bacon bits.
*When the iron is hot, scoop about 3/4 cup of the batter into the center. Close gently and allow to cook.
*When the waffle iron indicates it's done, check to be sure the waffle has browned. If not, allow to cook another minute before removing to a plate. Keep warm.
*Repeat with the rest of the batter. 
*OPT: top with warm maple syrup.

Fly on the Wall, It's All About the Food

Welcome to a monthly Fly on the Wall group post. Today 14 bloggers are inviting you to catch a glimpse of what you’d see if you were a fly on the wall of our homes. Come on in and buzz around my house. At the end of my post you’ll find links to this month’s other participants’ posts.

PurDude: Mom, how come every time you’re cooking in the kitchen these days I’m constantly hearing you yelp?
Me: The lower oven stopped working while you were away at school.
PurDude: Aaaaaand?
Me: I’m too short for the upper oven.
PurDude: OK, aaaaaand?
Me: Every time I open the door and try to reach in to grab the food I burn my boobs.
PurDude: {{blink,blink}}. {{eyeroll}}. Only MY Mom . . .

I had been reading in my “trending stories” on Facebook about a man arrested for beating his wife with a McChicken sandwich. You can’t make this stuff up, folks.

But it had obviously been on my mind when this conversation occurred:
Me: I’m not going to keep doing your laundry if after I fold it you just throw it on the floor of your room.
College Boy: What do you care if they get wrinkled? I’m the one wearing them.
Me: You better watch how you talk to me or I’ll beat you with a McChicken sandwich.
College Boy: {{blink, blink}}.
Lesson learned:
If you beat someone with a McChicken sandwich you’ll get arrested.
If you threaten to beat someone with a McChicken sandwich, you may just shut them up!

 

 

Proud parenting moment #7846: extortion:
PurDude: I have to go take a management class tomorrow for my job this summer. It costs $60 and I was wondering if you'd pay for it.
Me: you waited until the night before the class to ask me to pay for it?
PurDude: Will you? Please? I've got another semester of school and my spending money is getting tight.
Me: OK, I'll pay the $60 if you call me every day from school when you go back.
PurDude: I'll call you at least once this semester.
Me: I'll give you $1 towards your class.
PurDude: I'll call you once a month.
Me: I'll give you $5.
PurDude: You know I call you every time I do laundry, I'll keep doing that.
Me: You're still at $5.
Silence . . . 20 minutes later . . .
Me: So . . . what's the story with the class?
PurDude: I'll call you twice a week. Final offer.
Me: Sold.

In the past month both boys were at school, College Boy was living at home and commuting for the semester. Finals time was stressful, but I think I was more nervous than the boys were. This was a conversation we had the night before the semester ended:
College Boy: I need to go out after dinner tonight to a play at the school. I have to write a paper on it.
Me: Really? When’s the paper due? The semester’s over already.
College Boy: We had the option of attending many events over the course of the semester and writing papers about it. I have one more paper I haven’t done yet so I have to go to this play.
Me: You’re really cutting it close with this last paper aren’t you?
College Boy: No, not at all, what do you mean, I’ve got 24 hours .  . .

It's not just core requirements and computer science that PurDude is learning in college. Apparently he's become an expert in "flattery will get you everywhere". 
PurDude: Mom, will you make me a Pumpkin Pie?
Me: You were just home for Thanksgiving 3 weeks ago and I made one then.
PurDude: But Mom, I love your Pumpkin Pie, I can never get enough. You make THE Best Pumpkin Pie. 
Guess what I made 3 weeks after Thanksgiving. . .

THE Best Pumpkin Pie

I was making latkes one afternoon and Hubs came into the kitchen to make himself a sandwich. Before taking his sandwich down to the man-cave, he put it on a plate with a napkin over it and went to clean his knife. While he was at the sink, I snuck a latke onto his plate under the napkin.

He started to walk away and I angrily started yelling at him: “did you steal a latke? I’m making them for New Year’s Eve appetizers and I need them.”

He turned and looked at me, shocked: “no, I didn’t take any, look . . .” He took the napkin off of his sandwich, saw the latke and started to stutter: “I didn’t do it, I didn’t take it . . .”

It wasn’t till I started laughing that he stopped and thought about it: “you put that there and started yelling at me? Why would you do that? You had me reacting like a naughty kid.”

Gotta get your laughs where you can get them, folks.

PurDude: Mom, can I borrow your car?

Me: Sure, I’m not going anywhere right now.

So PurDude leaves in my car and College Boy comes down the stairs.

College Boy: Mom, can I borrow your car?

Me: Your brother just left in it.

College Boy: You need another car.

Me: No I don’t, I don’t have anywhere I need to go right now.

College Boy: But I do. . .

Me: That stupid cell phone company has started sending me an email towards the end of every month saying I’ve used 75% of my data plan and should buy a larger plan.

PurDude: How much data are you using?

Me: Almost none, I’m mostly home so I’m using our wifi.

PurDude grabs my phone, looks at it, rolls his eyes, presses a button: No, NOW you’re using our wifi.

Me: And this is why you can’t go back to school.

PurDude: Why, so I can make sure you’re always hooked up to our wifi?

Me: No, so I can make sure you’ve always got someone to roll your eyes at.

. . . and PurDude rolls his eyes yet again.

For years now, since the boys started driving, I've been having the same conversation almost every time I climbed into my car to go somewhere.
Me (angrily): OK, who left my car with no gas in it?
College Boy: Not me.
PurDude: Not me.
But this was the conversation I had this past month:
Me (angrily): OK, who filled my car with gas?
College Boy: Not me.
PurDude: I did. I was out last night and it was running low.
Me: Oh, honey, I didn't want you to spend your money filling my gas tank while you're here on vacation.
College Boy hums the theme song to "Night Gallery" then narrates in a deep voice: You have entered a parallel universe . . . nothing is as it seems . . .

As you can tell from the stories included today, we flew PurDude home for winter break. It was great having him here.

Before he left, I had a talk with him about keeping in touch. I try really hard not to bother him, to let him initiate communication when he has the time and has something to say.

But sometimes, when I book his flights home, for instance, I need to get in touch with him. It’s easier for him if I text or email, so that’s what I do.

He, though, doesn’t always respond. Often there’s something I’ve told him that he needs to do (like print a boarding pass) and I need to know that he got my text and did what I asked. I told him that whenever he hears from me, to respond, even if it’s just an “OK” so I know he got the message.

PurDude went back to school and I texted him about some furniture we were looking at for his room. I was hoping to get his opinion.

Weeks before, when he was finishing up his first semester, he had texted me about something inconsequential and I had responded to him at the time. I texted him a second time to add to my response. So when I texted about the furniture, there were 3 texts from me in a row, the two from a month ago and then the current one about the furniture. To which he responded:

“OK”

immediately followed by a second text:

“OK”

and then a third:

“OK”

Smart-Ass kid.

Now click on the links below for a peek into some other homes:

Spatulas on Parade

Follow me home

Menopausal Mother

Stacy Sews and Schools

Dinosaur Superhero Mommy

Juicebox Confession

Battered Hope

Eileen's Perpetually Busy
Go Mama O 
Someone Else's Genius 
The Sadder But Wiser Girl 
Just A Little Nutty 
The Momisodes 

THE Best Pumpkin Pie

                                                                          ©www.BakingInATornado.com
 
 
Printable Recipe
 
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups gingersnap crumbs (gingersnap cookies put through the food processor)
1 1/2 TBSP melted margarine
2 TBSP sugar

1 16 oz can pumpkin 
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup eggnog  NOTE: If you can't find eggnog, you can use heavy cream
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice mix

1/4 cup brown sugar
2 TBSP flour
2 TBSP cold butter

1 cup heavy cream
2 TBSP sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
 
Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 10 inch pie dish with non-stick spray.
*Combine the crust ingredients until moist and press into the bottom and up the sides of the pie dish.
**Whisk together the next 11 ingredients and pour into crust. Bake for 25 minutes.
*While the pie is baking, mix together the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar and flour. Cut in the butter until it starts to form small balls. Sprinkle over the pie and immediately return the pie to the oven. Bake for another 40 to 50 minutes until the center is just set.
*Cool completely. Store in the refrigerator.
*When ready to serve, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Beat in the sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.
*Serve with whipped cream.

Blog With Friends, The Brrrr Brigade

Today’s post is the next in our series of Blog With Friends theme collaborations. Each month a group of bloggers get together and each publish a project based on a theme. What I love about this partnership is that it’s not bloggers with similar interests or strengths, but a diverse group coming up with a variety of posts. In any given month we may have a recipe, sewing tutorial, crocheting, crafts projects, book review and/or a technology post all related to the theme of the month.

This month’s theme is “winter”. There will be individual project pictures and links to what everyone else has to offer at the end of my post, but here’s a peek at what we all came up with:

I grew up in New England and when I was in high school, our family went on a ski vacation. We stayed in a house on a mountain in Vermont and spent the week really learning to ski. Surgarbush remains, to this day, one of my favorite places to ski.

I lived within a day’s drive of many ski mountains, mostly in Vermont and New Hampshire and often on weekends would take ski day trips with friends. Later, when I was working in Connecticut, I met my (now) husband who owned a ski house with his dad in New Hampshire.

Part of the whole ski experience was sitting by the fire after a long day of working the slopes; muscles aching, ears numb, chatting and laughing and always sipping a hot cocktail.

Spiked Raspberry Cocoa with Orange Whipped Cream

I haven’t skied much since I moved to the Midwest. I did have a friend with a ski house in Breckenridge, Colorado and we taught our kids to ski there when they were young, but it’s been years.

With those memories in mind I decided to develop a recipe for a new hot drink. And in honor of the love of the raspberry and chocolate flavor profile that started with my mom and continues not only with me but my younger son as well, I’ve come up with a Spiked Raspberry Cocoa with Orange Whipped Cream. Now this is gonna warm you from the inside out.

I started off making the whipped cream and sticking it in the fridge so it would be ready when the cocoa was hot. Contrary to what my close friends will think, I didn’t choose the touch of orange flavoring for the whipped cream just because Grand Marnier is my favorite liqueur, but also because I didn’t want to alter the chocolate/raspberry balance I’d achieved in the drink and felt that the touch of orange would be a nice compliment.

The chocolate part starts with a basic hot cocoa recipe: unsweetened cocoa, sugar, salt and milk. I just added a few ingredients to . . . you know . . . make it mine.

The result will be a staple in my home on cold snowy days this winter.

Be sure to visit all of this month’s other Blog With Friends projects:

Eileen of Eileen’s Perpetually Busy shares her I Love Minions crocheted hat with ear flaps.



 Robin of Someone Else’s Genius posted a jewelry making tutorial, DIY Charmed Snow Globe Necklaces.

  Stacy of Stacy Sews and Schools shares a sewing project, her Minecraft Creeper Hoodie tutorial.

Sarah of The Momisodes bring us Story Time.

Lydia of Cluttered Genius tells us how to how to use essential oils in the winter to boost our mood and spirit.

Spiked Raspberry Cocoa with Orange Whipped Cream

                                                                                  ©www.BakingInATornado.com
 
Printable Recipe
 
Ingredients (4 servings):
½ cup heavy cream
2 TBSP orange liqueur
3 TBSP powdered sugar
½ tsp orange zest
 
4 cups milk
2 squares (approx. ½ oz each) Ghiradelli Dark and Raspberry (candy) Square
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2/3 sugar
Dash salt
3 TBSP raspberry liqueur
1 TBSP whipped cream flavored vodka
 
Directions
*Beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Beat in the orange liqueur, orange zest, and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Place in the refrigerator while making the cocoa.
*Heat the milk and chocolate squares in a saucepan until warm, whisking as it heats. Whisk in the unsweetened cocoa powder, sugar and salt.
*Watch the pot carefully, continue to heat, whisking now and then, until the mixture is hot but do not allow it to boil. The best way to check temperature is to stick a spoon in the hot cocoa and taste it.
*Remove from heat. Wisk in the raspberry liqueur and the whipped cream flavored vodka. Top with a dollop of the orange whipped cream.

Blog With Friends: Celebrations

Ever have an idea in your head for something you want to try; a recipe, craft or DIY and in execution it comes out pretty much as you’d pictured it? Well, not me. Until now.

I’d been working this idea around in my head, based just on the nonpareils I had, and couldn’t come up with something to use as the tree. I spied some ice cream cones way in the back of my pantry and had a V8 moment. {{Smack, right on the forehead. Of course, ice cream cones.}}

I’ve learned in the past that just because I have an idea and supplies does not mean that it’ll come out the way I’d envisioned.  In fact, 99.99% of the time it doesn’t. I’ve become adept at faking it {{“ummm, yup, that’s exactly what I’d been going for”}}.

Not this time. The holiday fairies were smiling down on me and dare I say it? About time. Where have you guys been my whole life?

Welcome to December’s Blog With Friends post presented to you by The Jolly Jinglers. This is a monthly theme based blog post I do with a group of talented friends. We all come up with different types of recipes, projects and information based on the monthly theme. 

This month’s theme is the Holidays, of course, and I’m offering instructions for making a Holiday Tree using edible ingredients. Check it out, then at the end of the post you’ll find links to the Jolly Jinglers' projects all of my talented friends are sharing this month.

Although these trees were made with all edible ingredients, I have to admit that it’s really more of a craft than a recipe. It involved assembly but not cooking or baking. Although you certainly can eat them if you want, we didn’t. No matter what you call them or what you end up doing with them, this project was fun to make.

The first thing I did was just to make the stars for the top of the tree. I have a star stencil, which made this pretty simple, but you can freehand them too, stars aren’t hard to draw. Be sure to turn the parchment paper over so you’re not applying food directly to the ink you used.

Once the candy stars were made and in the fridge setting, the rest of the assembly was pretty simple. Many times when you coat an ingredient in melted chocolate you want it to be smooth. In this situation it’s not because you’re coating a surface (the ice cream cone) that isn’t smooth and it works well, it gives the tree texture and depth.

Decorating with the mini nonpareils and mini M&Ms is the most time consuming part of this project, but it’s what gives the tree that holiday look.

Hope you give these holiday trees a try. Store them in the fridge and use them as a fun decoration.

As promised, here are links to all of this month’s other Blog With Friends projects:

Shellybean of Follow me home shares a craft, How to Make a Cloth Christmas Tree. 

Lydia of Cluttered Genius shows us how to make a Twisted Paper Angel.

Sarah of The Momisodes has joined us with book reviews. This month it's Christmas Story Time. 

Robin of Someone Else’s Genius shares a Festive Wreath Tutorial.

 Stacy of Stacy Sews and Schools shares an Elf Hat and Shoes Tutorial.

Melissa of Home on Deranged shares High Tech Stocking Stuffers That Won't Break The Budget.

Christy of Uplifting Families shares a craft for children, a Hand Print Christmas Wreath.

Edible Holiday Trees

                                                                     ©www.BakingInATornado.com
 
Printable Recipe
 
Ingredients:
3 oz any color candy melts or melting bark you want to use for your stars
Multicolored nonpareils
6 rolos
6 oz green candy melts
3 ice cream cones (the kind that come to a point)
3 butter cookies (or any cookie that the wide portion of the cone will sit on)
mini nonpareils
mini M&Ms
 
Directions:
* Draw or trace at least 6 small stars onto parchment paper. Turn the paper upside down and be sure you can still see your stars.
*Melt the 3 oz candy melts you’re using for your stars. Once melted completely, put into a plastic bag, seal, snip the corner, push all of the melted candy into that corner and use it to trace the stars. Fill in the centers and immediately sprinkle with multicolored nonpareils. Refrigerate
*Dip the thinner end of a rolo into the melted candy and attach to the thin end of a second rolo. Repeat with the rest of the rolos so you have 3 sets of 2 attached rolos.
*In a separate dish, melt the green candy melts until smooth. Place the 3 cookies (flat side down) on a piece of wax paper and, using a pastry brush, paint the top with the melted candy. Gently place an ice cream cone, wide side down, on each cookie and “paint” the cone with the melted candy as well. It doesn’t have to be even or smooth.
*Immediately press two of the previously made stars onto the very top of each cone. Hold for a second until you’re sure they’re secure. Dipping each nonpareil and M&M in the melted chocolate, rim the cookie at the bottom of the cone in whatever design you choose. Starting at the top of the cone and angling down, dip nonpareils and M&Ms in the melted candy and attach to the cone to resemble tinsel and lights. You may need to re-melt the candy melts for a few seconds if they harden before you finish.
*Dip one side of each double rolo in the melted candy and place (melted candy side up) on wax paper in the fridge. Gently place the trees on top of the rolo “tree trunks” in the fridge and allow to set.

November Funny Friday

Today’s post is November’s Funny Friday, a regular feature published on the last Friday of every month. Funny Friday is a collaborative project. Each month one of the participants submits a picture, then we all write 5 captions or thoughts inspired by that month’s picture. Links to the other bloggers’ posts are below, click on them to see what they’ve come up with. I hope we bring a smile to your face as you start your weekend.

Here’s today’s picture. It was submitted by The Momisodes:

My five captions:
1. Dog to his owner: “NOW do you believe I want a sex change?”

2. Dog to his owner: “Trick or treat.”

3. Dog to his owner: “OK, I’m ready, lets go for our walk. Can we go by that Mastiff’s house?”

4. Dog to his lawyer: “I want to sue my family for mental anguish and duress.”

5. Owner to the dog: “What exactly do you do all day while I’m at work?”

Click on the links below and let some other bloggers make you smile:

Cluttered Genius

Stacy Sews and Schools

The Bergham's Life Chronicles

Follow me home

Someone Else's Genius

Confessions of a part-time working mom

The Momisodes

Sanity Waiting to Happen

And now for something yummy:

Sweet-Hot Veggie Bread Grilled Cheese

Enjoy your weekend!

Sweet-Hot Veggie Bread Grilled Cheese

                                                                               ©www.BakingInATornado.com
 
Printable Recipe
 
Ingredients (per sandwich):
2 slices of Veggie Bread  (recipe HERE)
1 ½ tsp Stone Ground mustard
1 ½ tsp apricot jam
2 slices Pepper Jack cheese
1 TBSP butter, divided
 
Directions:
*Put bread slices into the fridge for an hour before making the sandwich. Wisk together mustard and jam.
*Remove bread from fridge and gently spread mustard mixture onto the slices.
*On one slice of bread, place the 2 slices of cheese.
*In a frying pan, melt half of the butter over medium heat. Place the slice of the bread without the cheese (mustard side facing up) into the pan and gently swirl around just so the bottom is buttered, then immediately remove from pan. Place (buttered side up) onto the sandwich.
*Melt the other half of the butter in the same pan. Place the sandwich into the pan (buttered side up). Allow to cook until the bread browns and the cheese starts to melt. If the bread browns too fast, you may need to turn down the heat a bit.
*Using a large spatula, carefully flip the sandwich over so the buttered side is now browning.  Leave in the pan until the other side has browned and cheese is melted.