Dark Days Challenge: Week 8

Waffles!!!

This week, I was struggling to come up with a Dark Days meal. All the dinners I made this week turned out to be about 75% local, but there was always one major thing that wasn't local, so that ruled out those meals as a submission for the week. Sunday afternoon, I had to work, so I made the most of a lazy Sunday morning with a delicious breakfast, coffee and the newspaper with the hubs. And, I stood back and realized this was my local meal for the week. Ha! It didn't have to be dinner, silly Jennelle. It was breakfast!

This is actually the recipe that came with my Kitchenaid stand mixer. It makes 12 to 14 waffles, which is way to many for 2 people, and I used to cut the recipe down. But then I realized I could make the waffles and freeze them. They taste just like Eggo.

Kitchenaid Waffles

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons of sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, seperated

1 1/4 cup skim milk

1/4 cup butter, melted

Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in mixer bowl. Add egg yolks, milk, butter. Attach bowl and a flat beater to mixer. Turn to medium speed and mix until ingredients are combined, about 30 seconds. Stop and scrape bowl. Continuing on medium speed, mix until smooth, about 15 seconds. Pour mixture into another bowl. Clean mixer bowl and dry completely.

Place egg whites in mixer bowl. Attach wire whip to mixer. Turn to high speed and whip until egg whites are stiff but not dry. Gently fold egg whites into flour mixture.

Spray waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray. Heat waffle iron. Pour about 1/3 cup batter for each waffle on the iron. Bake 3 to 5 minutes, or until golden brown.

Berry Syrup

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

1/2 cup cold water

3/4 cup crushed berries (blueberry, blackberry, rasberry or whatever you like)

2 Tbsp. honey

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

Dissolve cornstarch in water. Mix in remaining ingredients except lemon juice. Boil over medium heat until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.

You don't need a stand mixer to make these. In fact, it's probably easier with a hand mixer. You would be able to skip the step of pouring the batter in another bowl and washing out the mixer bowl to beat the egg whites.

Sources: Flour - Reed's Mill Flours in Monroe County; sugar - Mate Factor organic muscavo sugar (not local); eggs from Breezy Knoll Farm in Monroe County; milk and butter from Homestead Creamery in Wirtz, Virginia; blackberries picked by the hubs last summer on his lunch break in Prenter, West Virginia (I assure you, they are not contaminated--it's just the water. I digress.); honey from Crihfeld Farms; baking powder, salt, cornstarch and lemon juice from Kroger's--boo!