my favorite waffles!

this is a tweaked version of the recipe we discovered in our "america's test kitchen baking cookbook"...and i must tell you that i HIGHLY recommend that particular cookbook. we LOVE it! the batter has a few steps and is more time-consuming than some...but i think the result is WELL worth it. (this recipe is for a double batch--around 30+ 4 inch square waffles)

4 cups flour--i use half white, half whole wheat
4 Tbsp. cornmeal (odd...but it adds some crispiness...leave it out if you think its too strange!)
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
3 1/2 cups buttermilk (i use milk and add a couple Tbsp. of vinegar to "curdle" it)
1 stick butter--melted and cooled to room temp
4 eggs, separated
pinch of cream of tartar
finely chopped fruit of your choice (i've been known to use frozen mixed berries...today i finely chopped fresh strawberries and blackberries with my food chopper)kroger this week!)

*Heat your waffle iron while you are mixing the batter...this ensure it will be plenty hot!
1. Melt the butter and let it sit to cool.
2. In a large bowl whisk together flour, cornmeal, salt, and baking soda--set to side.
3. In a medium bowl whisk together buttermilk, cooled butter, and egg yolks (put egg whites the side, you will use them in the next step!)
4. In another medium bowl (trust me...use a medium sized bowl...otherwise you will have egg whites everywhere--ask me how i know this!) beat egg whites and pinch of cream of tartar with an electric mixer on medium low speed until frothy. Then beat on high speed for another couple of minutes until stiff peaks form.
5. Whisk buttermilk mixture into dry ingredients until moist but still lumpy--don't overmix...lumps are our friends! Then fold in egg whites with a rubber spatula...and finally, fold in the fruit.
6. Cook according to waffle iron instructions. We leave ours a bit "soft" when we are planning to freeze them...they crisp up in the toaster when you reheat them.
7. Cool on wire racks until completely cool to the touch. Bag in ziploc freezer bags...and voila, a quick, inexpensive breakfast--and much healthier than Eggos--not to mention tastier!

pigs in a blanket

click here for a super tasty recipe for pigs in a blanket...i used hebrew national kosher beef hotdogs (because we're kind of hotdog snobs around our house...and because our costco stocks these and we can get a great deal!) and replaced half of the flour in the recipe with whole wheat flour. YUM! i made them this morning to stock up the freezer for quick lunches after the baby's arrival...and they came out of the oven right around lunchtime, so we ended up scarfing some down for lunch. the whole family approved.

i would make one suggestion. on my second batch i divided the dough into three balls instead of two, and it made for a more proportional pig to blanket ratio! :) the first batch was a bit over-breaded in our opinion.

i also made a variation and tried putting lil' smokies in some....hoping they might make a quick grab-n-go breakfast for VBS this week (and for mike in the mornings as he rushes out the door to work!)...and they worked great. i put two smokies (kind of staggered them) per "blanket"...you could surely use links as well. i just had picked up the lil' smokies on a whim since i had coupons that made them less than fifty cents a package! (and since elizabeth might have LOVED them during our boat-in pancake breakfast last week--we obviously don't buy them regularly, as that was the first time she had ever tasted a smoky link!--poor deprived girl...)

chicken teriyaki

6 lbs. (about 8-12 breasts) chicken--I chopped these into "tender" size pieces
24 oz. pineapple juice
1 cup soy sauce
4 1/2 T sugar
1 1/2 T ground ginger
3 T canola oil
4 1/2 T molasses

Assembly: Mix all ingredients. Bag and freeze.

To Serve:
Cover and cook on low in crock pot for 1-2 hours...serve over hot rice. (Or bake for 30 minutes in oven at 350).

polynesian barbeque pork marinade

3 lbs. pork (tenderloin, chops, whatever you desire)
3/4 cup bbq sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 T olive oil
1 T ginger
1/4 cup brown sugar

Place marinade in freezer bags with desired amount and cut of meat. To serve, thaw and grill (or bake or pan fry).

honey mustard marinade

1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup dijon mustard
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, crushed (i use jarred minced garlic)

Place marinade in freezer bag with chicken (or desired meat). Thaw and grill (or bake) to serve.

cremy chicken breast casserole

this recipe makes 2 8x8's--multiply as desired

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup (or whatever cream of soup you desire)
1/4 cup white cooking wine
2 cups herb stuffing mix
1/2 cup butter--for serving day

Before Cooking Day:
1. Dice raw chicken into bite size pieces and package to take to cooking day.

On Cooking Day:
1. Place chicken in baking dish and cover with cheese.
2. Combine cooking wine with soup and spread over chicken and cheese.
3. Place stuffing mix in plastic baggy with butter and tape to baking dish. (or just keep in your pantry!)

To Serve:
1. Thaw completely.
2. Melt butter in skillet. Stir in stuffing mix to moisten. Spread stuffing on top of casserole.
3. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.

burrito casserole

this is the recipe for 2 8x8 servings...multiply as desired.

1 lb. ground beef
2/3 cup chopped onion
2 cloves minced garlic
2-4 tsp. chili powder
12 flour tortillas
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
1 can refried beans
1/2 cup flour
4 cups hot water

Before Cooking Day:
1. Brown ground beef with onion, garlic, chili powder, salt, and oregano.
2. Package to take with you on cooking day.

Cooking Day:
1. Combine ground beef, beans, flour, and water in a large skillet...let simmer to thicken.
2. Spray pans with PAM.
3. Layer tortillas, meat mix, and cheese...top with layer of tortillas and cheese.
4. Label and freeze!

Baking:
1. Thaw completely. Bake at 325 for 20 minutes. Serve with lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, etc.

breaded ranch chicken

this recipe yields 8 chicken breasts...scale as desired!

3/4 cups crushed cornflakes
3/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix
8 boneless chicken breasts (i tend to cut these into smaller strips or pieces...just my preference)
1 stick butter

1. Combine cornflakes, cheese, and ranch dressing mix.
2. Divide into small ziploc bags--I divide this into 4 bags...and use 2 chicken breasts per meal.
3. Place chicken breasts in a quart sized freezer bag...then place chicken, cornflake mix, and butter (divided depending on how many servings you made) in a large freezer bag.

To Serve:
1. Thaw mix and chicken breasts.
2. Dip chicken in melted butter and roll in cornflake mixture to coat.
3. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.