Chocolate Belgian Waffle Recipe

I was in a funky mood.

My sweet daughter (my morning child... which she does NOT get from her mother) comes to my bedroom the other morning.  She sweetly asks me if I would like for her to make waffles.  I smile.  (I mean really! Who would not want someone else to make them homemade waffles from scratch..... seriously!)  She asks me, "Blueberries or no blueberries???" 

I look at her and think of the little containers of fresh strawberries I had bought the day before..... "Hey, sweetie.... Do you think you could make mine with some strawberries on top?"

She looks at me and says, "Sure, Mom."

Then I thought about the other things I had bought at the store, the days gone by when we could actually visit a restaurant that serves breakfast and had this incredibly wild hair.... "Hey, sweeeeetieeeee."  [with all the sweetness I could muster that early in the morning] 

She says, "Yeeesssss???"

I say, "What do you think about adding some cocoa powder in there and making them chocolate.  Then I could cut up the strawberries for a sauce on the top and then sprinkle it with powered sugar!"

She looks at me as if I had lost my mind.... [we do not typically serve sugar as a breakfast item around our house].... "What???" 

I crawl out of bed, tell her to get the ingredients out while I run a toothbrush over my morning breath, drag myself to kitchen,  and sweetie pie and I began our concoction.......

Chocolate Belgian Waffles

1 c. white rice flour

1 c. brown rice flour

1 c. corn starch (or potato or tapioca starch)

4 tsp. baking powder

3 Tbsp. cocoa (more or less to taste)

2 Tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. xanthan gum

1/2 c. oil

1 Tbsp. vinegar

2 tsp. vanilla

3 c. water

3 Tbsp. flax meal + 1 tsp. gelatin (heat this in a microwave and stir for about a minute)

Topping:

Strawberries (washed and chopped or make into a gel with some tapioca & water and puree)

Powdered sugar

Heat the waffle iron and coat with a cooking spray.  In a small bowl, sift together flours, baking powder, salt and sugar. 

Beat flax mixture (like an egg replacer) in large bowl.  Add in oil, buttermilk, vanilla extract, and the sifted dry ingredients.  Beat just until blended.

Pour 1/4 of the batter onto the heated waffle iron.  Close and bake until steaming stops.  Repeat with remaining batter.  Makes about 6 waffles (depending on the size of your waffle iron)

Note: you can also drizzle chocolate syrup across the tops instead of syrup.

Warning: Pretty much be prepared to have hyper children after this breakfast!

Crock Pot Roast & Cobbler

There's a nippy feeling in the air. I even saw a small flock of geese in their V formation flying over just the other day! Fall is coming. It makes me think of the fair, hay rides, wearing jackets in the morning waiting on the bus and running barefoot in the afternoons when the day warmed. Also, the last of the garden was usually coming in and grandma would make lots of soup. Mom would have that crock pot a bubbling.... the smells getting off the bus would make you run to the house to just get a taste!

I got so excited last week I ran out and change my lawn decorations then came in and threw a roast in the crockpot! 

Then I tried something I had wanted to for a long time.... Crockpot Cobbler!  It worked wonderfully. 

I threw it all in and we came home Sunday to a dinner my sweet grandmother would have been proud of!

My crockpot seems to be my best friend on busy days. One of the few things you can just leave running and come back in a few hours to enjoy! With not eating out very often I have come to appreciate this little device in so many ways in the last several years. So dearies.... pull that thing out of the back of your closet, remove the dust and crank it up! It's time for some yum!

Cobbler in a crock pot!

Easy Roast!
Roast
Salt
Garlic (opt.)
Onion
Carrots, celery, potatoes (or sweet potatoes!), green beans or other fresh veggie.
Water (apprx. 2 cups)

Brown the roast in a pan first with the salt, onion and garlic then place in the bottom of the crockpot.  Chop veggies and mound on top of the meat.  Pour water over the top.  Place on lid and turn it on.

3-8 hours depending on your crockpot settings!

Tip:  You can make cobbler in your crock pot too!  Just place the fruit and liquid in the bottom, pour on the topping, place the lid on and keep the setting low.  Fresh fruit or frozen fruit works best for this.

Cobbler pictures!

Apple cobbler with some rice/soy "icecream".

I finally got around to taking a picture of this dessert before the kiddies ate it all when I made it!  I've done a bad thing.... I've taught my kids to be fresh fruit snobs!  We eat a LOT of fresh fruit around here.  Therefore when fruit gets a little past it's "peak" my children tend to turn their noses up at it.  I've learned to not let them SEE the fruit sometimes before I prepare it.  It seems to help... but my little peeps are smart and catch on to me sometimes!

This is my "Whatever fruit is left over" Cobbler!

So I've learned to make cobbler!  Then they eat whatever I put in front of them.  Click here if you want to see the recipe.