It's all About the Waffle

I love getting invited to a good party. The invitation itself is a gift, that's when the anticipation starts.

So when I received an email from Kim of the blog Feed Me, Seymour, I was pretty excited. She's always been passionate about waffle week but this year decided to invite some friends along for the ride. 

 Graphic by Christie of A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures

Everyone was to come up with their own unique Waffle Recipe. So really it was a party AND a challenge. Yup, I'm in.

But what to make? I have to admit that a few options went through my head, but ultimately I have to admit that the idea of Chicken and Waffles stuck. I believe initially it was a southern dish and although I'd heard of it, I'd never had it. Then this past fall, when out to breakfast while visiting my son PurDude at college, he ordered it. It sure did look good. I think the seeds of this recipe were planted in my mind then. But how to change it up and make it my own?

I decided to see if I could adapt my Cheddar Mac Squares into a waffle. Either it would be crunchy and gooey and delicious . . . or a huge mess . . . a recipe-fail blog post in the making. And since PurDude was home for the summer, I'll use my Honey Bunches Chicken, which he loves, as the chicken element. 

I love the nod to breakfast through the bacon bits in the mac and cheese waffle and the chicken coated with cereal. But really, this recipe could easily be breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner. Perfect.

I started by adapting my mac and cheese recipe to make into the waffle. I stuck it into the fridge while prepping the chicken.

Mac and Cheese Waffle Mixture

Just a note, the chicken could easily be made a day ahead of time and reheated for this meal.

Honey Bunches Chicken

Next was the moment of truth. Whether or not I could make the mac and cheese mixture into waffles.

Mac and Cheese mixture in the waffle iron

And I could! Mac and Cheese Waffle success! Guess I'll have to save that recipe-fail blog post for another day.

Mac and Cheese Waffles

Now just to plate with the chicken and serve with a side of Maple Syrup.

Mac and Cheese Waffles with Honey Bunches Chicken

I know what I'll be making again.

Be sure to check out all of the other unique waffle recipes brought to the party. Hope you try them all:

Appet-affles

• Waffled Polenta Crisps with Caponata by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Cheese & Pear Waffle Appetizer by The Freshman Cook

Breakf-affles

• Churro Waffles by A Nerd Cooks
• Coconut Flour Waffles with Macadamia Nuts and Spiced Pineapple Syrup by Aloha Flavor
• Orange and Dark Chocolate Waffles by Cookie Monster Cooking
• Buckwheat Waffles Benedict by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
• Honey Bacon Waffles by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Peanut Butter & Jelly Stuffed French Toast Waffles by The Spiffy Cookie
• Pumpkin Waffles with Butter Pecan Maple Syrup or Chocolate Waffles by With Salt and Wit
• Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Chocolate Pecan Waffles by Rhubarb and Honey
• Toasted Coconut Belgian Waffles by Chef Next Door
• Pumpkin Waffle Sandwiches with Apple Butter and Brie by Go Go Go Gourmet
• Potato Waffle Eggs Florentine by Eats Well With Others

Waffl-ides

• Cauliflower Cheese Waffles by Food Lust People Love
• Sweet potato waffles with horseradish sauce by Our Good Life
• Mac and Cheese Waffles with Honey Bunches Chicken by Baking In A Tornado
• Buttermilk Fried Chicken & Belgian Waffles w/ Chili Whipped Butter & Maple Glaze by Blue Crab Martini
• Hummus Waffles with Sausage and Sun-Dried Tomatoes by Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Sweet & Savoury Sausage & Apple Waffles by Fuchsia Freezer
• Brown Sugar Chicken and Waffles by GirlCarnivore
• Chicken and Spiced Sweet Potato Waffles by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Dessert Dish-affles

• Homemade Waffle Cones by Eva Bakes
• Pumpkin Pecan Waffles by Feed Me, Seymour
• Apple Pie Waffles by Spiced
• Red Velvet Waffles with Bourbon Cherry Syrup & Cream Cheese Drizzle by Cooking In Stilettos
• Pumpkin Pie Waffle Cake by Cookie Dough and Oven Mitt
• Chocolate Strawberry Waffles by Dinner at the Zoo
• Banana Split Waffles by Cravings of a Lunatic

Mac and Cheese Waffles with Honey Bunches Chicken

                                                                        ©www.BakingInATornado.com
 
Printable Recipe
 
Ingredients:
1# package of elbow macaroni
2 eggs
3/4 cup half and half
2 cups sharp cheddar, shredded
1/3 cup cooked bacon bits
1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp paprika

Honey Bunches Chicken, recipe HERE
Maple Syrup

Directions:
*Cook macaroni according to package directions. Rinse 2 or 3 times with cold water to stop the cooking process and cool it down. Drain well.
*Mix all the rest of the mac and cheese ingredients into the macaroni. Cover and pace in the fridge while preparing the chicken.
*Make the Honey Bunches Chicken either according to the recipe or by slicing the chicken breasts into 3 fingers instead of 3 chunks. You can make the sauce to serve over the chicken and waffles or just use maple syrup as I did.
*When you put the chicken into the oven, grease and heat your waffle iron. Spread a cup and a half of the mac and cheese mixture over the face of the waffle iron. These waffles will not spread so the size of the waffle going in will be the size of the waffle coming out.
*Close the waffle maker and allow to cook. They will take longer than a batter waffle. Mine took 6 - 7 minutes cooked on medium. They're done when you lift a small section and the bottom is brown and crusted.
*Remove the mac and cheese waffle from the iron by working your way around it with a heat safe spatula until it releases. Plate and keep warm while making the rest of the waffles. Be sure to grease and fully reheat your waffle iron each time.
*Serve the Mac and Cheese Waffles with the warm Honey Bunches Chicken and Maple Syrup.

Blog With Friends: BTS Traditions

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, crafts projects, book review and/or a technology post all related to the theme of the month.

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:

This month our theme is Back to School. Let me tell you, this whole time of year has changed for me.

Back when I first started blogging, I wrote a post about my favorite holiday, B-T-S. I talked about how I celebrated this beloved holiday every year by hosting a champagne brunch. I even, in a later post, admitted to the time we celebrated a bit too long, lost track of time and almost forgot about our little angels at the end of the school day. 

Fast forward to now. My boys are college aged. My oldest son is local, but my younger son goes to school 700 miles away. My bucket of champagne has been replaced by a bucket of tears.

Two things about Back To School have not changed. First, I always bake treats for the boys and their friends for that first day. Last year when PurDude went off to the dorms for the first time, I brought about 10 dozen cookies, 3 different varieties. I hoped it would help bring kids into his room and start friendships. It was a success.

Second semester of freshman year PurDude moved into his frat. So this year, even though he just moved back into his frat where he already has friends, cookies made the trip again.

The other tradition takes place at home the whole week leading up to school starting. I cook and bake all of the boys' favorite foods. Most of them have already been posted on this blog but today, 2 weeks after having left my youngest far away for the second year in a row, I'm drying my tears and sharing our newest favorite treat, Kit Kat Brownie Bars.

Kit Kat Brownie Bars

I went to a place I often go for inspiration, the candy aisle. I found a package of Kit Kat White Minis. Both boys love Kit Kats. Yup, I can work with that.

I decided to go with something chocolate because . . . well . . . actually, no explanation is necessary. I started thinking cookie, but I was afraid if I cut up the Kit Kat pieces I'd just end up with cookie pieces in a cookie. I wanted to keep them whole, and they're too big to place whole in a cookie. So I went to brownie. That'll do.

But something just didn't seem right. I wanted more than just candy in a brownie. A crust seemed like the perfect solution to pull this idea together. Shortbread crust, brownie center, and Kit Kat White minis. Perfect.

Which is exactly how it came out!

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 all of this month's other Blog With Friends projects:
Stacy of Stacy Sews and Schools shares a sewing project, her Cozy Cover for a nap mat.

Lydia of Cluttered Genius shares a list of her Favorite Web 2.0 Tools From an Online Teacher. 

Melissa of Home on Deranged shares some valuable tech advice: Apps to Use and Apps to Lose for the School Year.

  Rabia of The Lieber Family Blog shares projects and Tips for an Organized School Year. 

 Eileen of Eileen's Perpetually Busy shares how to make a Summer Vacation Memories Map.

Robin of Someone Else's Genius shares her tutorial for a Simple Back to School Wreath.

Joy of Evil Joy Speaks shares how she made a Back to School Homework Table.

Kit Kat Brownie Bars

                                            ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
3/4 stick butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 stick margarine
1/2 stick butter
3/4 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 cup flour

8 oz package of Kit Kat White Minis

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 X 13 dish with non-stick spray.
*Beat the 3/4 stick of butter with the brown sugar and egg yolk until smooth. Mix in the flour and salt. 
*Form this crust into a ball with your hands and firmly pat into the bottom and partially up the sides of your prepared dish.
*Bake until the crust has set, about 12 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
*In a microwave safe bowl, melt the 1 stick of margarine and 1/2 stick of butter with the unsweetened chocolate for one minute. Stir. Continue to microwave at 10 second intervals, stirring in between until completely smooth.
*Stir in the vanilla, then the sugar. Whisk in the eggs. Once incorporated, mix in the flour.
*Pour the brownie mix over the crust.
*Press the Kit Kat Minis into the brownie mixture to but not through the crust.
*Bake for 30 minutes or until the brownie is completely cooked.
*Cool completely before slicing.

Secret Subject Swap: Eau de Tornado

Welcome to the September Secret Subject Swap. This month 16 brave bloggers picked a secret subject for someone else and were assigned a secret subject to interpret in their own style. Today we are all simultaneously divulging our topics and submitting our posts. Read through mine and at the bottom you’ll find links to all of today’s other Secret Subject participants.

My subject is: Surprise! A world renowned perfume and cologne designer is an avid follower of your blog. They've decided their next scent must be an eau de you! They want to create a custom scent that is you. What scents combine to create your signature scent? What do you name it?

It was submitted by: Jules of The Bergham's Life Chronicles.

Holy cr@p. Are these people nuts? A scent that is me? Must be all the baked goodies that influenced that decision. 

How about sugar and spice and everything nice. Damn, that's been done before right?

Truth is, this post took a bit of soul searching. I mean what scents really would embody the true me? Didn't seem like any of the classics would do.

Florals? No, I'm more strong than delicate. And I'm pretty sure rocks don't have a scent.

Citrus? The more sour of the fruits isn't really how I want to be represented.

Earthy? Incense and Patchouli. I'm no bad trip.

Nutty? Hey, I know what you're thinking. Shut up.


Fruity? Doesn't really describe me. Unless chocolate is a fruit.

Chocolate Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies

Eau de Tornado. Final answer.

Perfumes, or so I'm told (thank you Google and Wikipedia), are made up of 3 layers. Top notes are what you smell initially. They give way to the next layers quickly, but they function to pull you in.

My top notes:

Chambord, Grand Marnier and Patron
Wait, is this a perfume? Or a cocktail recipe?

Chocolate
Any kind. Don't want you to think I'm too picky.

Middle notes have an important job to do. They provide a burst of something pleasant to mask the initial impact of the base notes, which can take some getting used to.

My middle notes:

Cheetos dust
Well, it IS usually stuck to the front of my shirt.

Base notes are where you get the full impact of the true personality of the scent.

 
Dirty laundry
Ummm . . . let's make that laundry detergent for these purposes.

Nail polish remover 
I swear I take nail polish off more often than I put it on.

And now for the design of the bottle. I'm thinking maybe it should be in the shape of a clothes pin?

Here are links to all the sites now featuring Secret Subject Swap posts. Sit back, grab a cup and check them all out. See you there:

The Momisodes  
The Bergham's Life Chronicles

Stacy Sews and Schools
Dinosaur Superhero Mommy

Spatulas on Parade

Sparkly Poetic Weirdo 
Southern Belle Charm 
The Angrivated Mom 
 Confessions of a part time working mom
The Lieber Family Blog 
Cluttered Genius 
The Diary of an Alzheimer's Caregiver 
Someone Else's Genius 
House of J Chronicles 
Climaxed 

Chocolate Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies

                                                                          ©www.BakingInATornado.com
 
Printable Recipe
 
Ingredients:
1 stick butter, softened
1 stick margarine, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour
1/3 cup baking cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup quick oats
1 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:
*Cream butter, margarine, brown sugar, sugar, egg and vanilla.
*Starting on the lowest setting until incorporated, beat in the flour, cocoa, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and oats. Last, mix in the chocolate chips
*Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or up to a day.
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover baking sheets with parchment paper.
*Roll the dough into approximately 1 inch balls. Gently flatten slightly with the palm of your hand.
*Bake for 12 - 14 minutes. Allow to cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes before removing to cool completely.