Good news, you guys! I've finally downloaded some of the food-related pictures I took over the last few days. There aren't many, but check out the entry titled, "A winter meal with a Texas twist..." for a few snaps of the butternut squash soup and salad topped with baked butternut squash seeds.
I decided to serve these waffles with a cup of comforting, homemade hot chocolate. There's a background story behind this, by the way. I first made this hot chocolate at a housewarming party Yan Ping and I had a few months ago. I was nestled in my bed taking an afternoon nap the day before the party when I had a dream. I had a dream! I had a dream that I made hot chocolate from scratch at our party. I had a dream that we all sat around drinking hot chocolate around a warm, crackling fire, while making s'mores! So, that's exactly what we did, folks. As soon as I woke up, I smiled, rummaged around for my phone, and gave my roommate a ring. "Are you home?" I asked (knowing full-well that I could have just opened my bedroom door to check...it was cold that day! Why get out of the covers when you don't have to?). "No, I'm at the store," Yan Ping replied. "Ok, well let me tell you about the most amazing dream I had!!"
...and so hot chocolate was served that night. And we sat by the fire and made s'mores. They were delicious, by the way. Below is the recipe for the hot chocolate:
Ingredients:
-4 cups of milk (2% is the best compromise between being creamy and not going overboard)
-brown sugar
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-2 large cinnamon sticks
-Any chocolate you might have on hand, preferably bittersweet or semisweet dipping chocolate (this is the stuff we used); typically you want to use 1.5-2 oz of chocolate per person. *Note: I've heard you can also use Andes mint chocolate in this recipe as well, although I would recommend using half Andes and half regular chocolate if you're going for a mint hot chocolate.
Preparation:
-Combine all ingredients in large saucepan.
-Heat mixture on stovetop at medium-high heat until milk begins to boil. *Note: You need to constantly stir to prevent the chocolate from sticking to the bottom and encourage it to melt.
-Remove mixture from heat when milk as boiled and and serve in your favorite coffee mug while hot.
Last night, I decided to change the waffle recipe mentioned earlier. Again, I used the Hungry Jack waffle mix (I really need to venture to find my own quality waffle recipe, especially since they're easy to make) and added a dash of cinnamon before pouring it into the iron. I then topped each waffle with cinnamon butter, fresh maple syrup (guys, just get the real stuff...it's a tad more expensive, but it really just tastes SO much better and a lot better for you), and a combination of persimmons, blackberries, and pomegranate seeds. Below is the recipe for the cinnamon butter, plus a few pictures of the finished project. The waffles turned out pretty well, by the way! Of course, the cinnamon butter made the waffle that much more comforting to eat. Topping it with a mix of beautiful, colorful fruit added a sweet freshness to the dish, and the pomegranate seeds actually added an interesting crunchy texture. I hope you all enjoy!
Cinnamon Butter:
Ingredients:
-1 large tablespoon of homemade ghee
-Dash of cinnamon
-1 tablespoon of brown sugar
Preparation:
-Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and heat on the stove for about 15 seconds.
-Serve over waffles while warm for ULTIMATE comfort. :)
 |
| The ULTIMATE comfort food during the winter: warm waffles topped with butter, maple syrup, and fresh fruit. |
I decided to serve these waffles with a cup of comforting, homemade hot chocolate. There's a background story behind this, by the way. I first made this hot chocolate at a housewarming party Yan Ping and I had a few months ago. I was nestled in my bed taking an afternoon nap the day before the party when I had a dream. I had a dream! I had a dream that I made hot chocolate from scratch at our party. I had a dream that we all sat around drinking hot chocolate around a warm, crackling fire, while making s'mores! So, that's exactly what we did, folks. As soon as I woke up, I smiled, rummaged around for my phone, and gave my roommate a ring. "Are you home?" I asked (knowing full-well that I could have just opened my bedroom door to check...it was cold that day! Why get out of the covers when you don't have to?). "No, I'm at the store," Yan Ping replied. "Ok, well let me tell you about the most amazing dream I had!!"
...and so hot chocolate was served that night. And we sat by the fire and made s'mores. They were delicious, by the way. Below is the recipe for the hot chocolate:
Ingredients:
-4 cups of milk (2% is the best compromise between being creamy and not going overboard)
-brown sugar
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-2 large cinnamon sticks
-Any chocolate you might have on hand, preferably bittersweet or semisweet dipping chocolate (this is the stuff we used); typically you want to use 1.5-2 oz of chocolate per person. *Note: I've heard you can also use Andes mint chocolate in this recipe as well, although I would recommend using half Andes and half regular chocolate if you're going for a mint hot chocolate.
Preparation:
-Combine all ingredients in large saucepan.
-Heat mixture on stovetop at medium-high heat until milk begins to boil. *Note: You need to constantly stir to prevent the chocolate from sticking to the bottom and encourage it to melt.
-Remove mixture from heat when milk as boiled and and serve in your favorite coffee mug while hot.
Stay tuned for my next post -- moist pumpkin muffins and homemade egg nog. You'll be in for a real treat, y'all; this recipe for pumpkin muffins is absolutely to die for. It was passed down to me by a dear friend of mine, who got it from her mother, who probably got it from someone else. And, guys, if I can't mess up this recipe, NO ONE can. Trust me. I am a complete failure when it comes to baking ANYTHING sweet...except this recipe.
Oh, and sorry about the date/time stamp on the images. I've been using my parents' camera and I need to figure out how to turn that feature off.
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