Good Moms Make Waffles

Photo Courtesy of groovehouse

Hey, I didn't say how often they make waffles!

Yesterday was one of those days where it was dreadfully snowy outside, several children slept in, and I started knitting and sewing before breakfast, which always leads to my being distracted and no one eating for awhile. Soon enough, it was 11am and everyone was complaining about being hungry. (Kids are so demanding, aren't they?!)

I decided to pull out the 'let's have a special brunch' card. This works very well for turning the work of two meals into one. And, better yet, the kids think you are great! The only stipulations are: it has to be something out-of-the-ordinary and relatively substantial and you have to offer some kind of half-decent snack in the mid-afternoon.

What could be more special than waffles?

I normally avoid making waffles, save once or twice a year, because I am too lazy to do all the work of beating egg whites and 'folding' them in. However, I found the ultimate lazy-mom's waffle method yesterday. Everyone LOVED them. They were completely whole-grain and extremely easy, but they didn't taste grainy at all. The recipe is from my MOMYS cookbook. We found this was enough for us with 4 1/2 waffles leftover. So, if Steve had been home and our baby was eating more, I think it would be about right for eight people. I love leftover waffles because they can go in the freezer and then I can knit instead of get the kids something to eat!

Blender Batter Pancakes or Waffles
(submitted to the cookbook by AnnMarie in Florida)
4 c. Buttermilk or Milk with 1T. yogurt (I used lemon juice)
1 c. Whole Millet
1 c. Whole Brown Rice
1 c. Oats (I used steel cut)
1 c. Soft Wheat Berries or other grain
1/3 c. Oil (I used unmelted butter -- I'm not a huge fan of seed/vegetable oil)
2 Eggs (I used three)
2 t. Baking Powder
1 t. Salt
1/2 t. Baking Soda

Place milk, oil/butter and grains in blender. Blend at highest speed for 4 minutes. If this is too much for your blender (ours is a Vita-Mix with a 2 litre capacity), reduce recipe. If the mixture does not hold a vortex, add a bit more milk. Cover this and let soak overnight or proceed to next step (I didn't soak the grains overnight). Add eggs and blend 1 minute. Add baking powder, salt and baking soda and blend briefly to mix in leavenings. Prepare pancakes or waffles from batter.

I used about 3/4 c. batter per waffle in our Belgian waffle maker. I let it cook 3 mins and they turned out perfectly. I served them with home-canned peaches and maple syrup.