BUTTERMILK WAFFLES FOR TWO

Some people might just think this post is a bunch of fluff. If the result wasn't so delicious and attractive, I might agree with them, but it is both so I don't.

When I bought this darling little personal - sized waffle maker at an estate sale months ago, maybe even a year ago, I never imagined it would produce such a delightful treat for Wayne and me. 

I just thought it would make a smaller waffle that I might cook for my MO grandchildren sometime.  That was more of a dream that I have about my time with my grandkids than reality since I dream more about doing things with them than I actually do.

The other day I saw the little maker when I was looking for something else, of course. Isn't that the way it always is. Anyway, I brought it up to the kitchen and it has sat on my counter for several days waiting for me to inspired.

Yesterday was that day. We woke up to snow on the ground with more coming down...a fine mist of snow. Saturday evening it started sleeting first leaving a thin sheet of ice on everything outside. 

It was supposed to change to snow during the night or at least that was the forecast. I woke up around 3:30 and thought I would check out the window, but there was no snow, just the layer of ice. The next time that I woke up and looked out the window, I saw the snow. (It continued the fine mist of snow the rest of the day as forecasted but I don't think we got the 5 to 12 inches they were calling for. Maybe 5 though. Considering how difficult it is to forecast the weather here in Kansas City, I guess they did pretty good.)

When I got up I decided I wanted something different than my usual Greek yogurt and decided it was time to try out the little personal-sized waffle maker. I was going to use some boxed pancake and waffle mix, but didn't have any. That meant I had to look for a recipe. 

Most of the recipe called for milk, but we haven't started buying milk in a 2 - quart size because it doesn't take up as much room in our refrigerator. (When we replaced our fridge we downsized slightly and so I have less room in it.) I found one that used buttermilk but not quite enough so I just finished the cup with skim milk. It was fine.

When I finished making the little waffles, I remembered  a tradition that our dil Sara brought to the family when she and Jeffrey were married. In our family we have a New Year's Day tradition of eating blacked-eyed-peas to bring us good luck for the year. In Sara's family, they had waffles with cherry pie filling on top. We learned about her tradition one year when we were with them on New Year's Day. Well, I love cherry pie filling so enjoyed my waffle that day. I don't think we have repeated her family tradition again and yesterday wasn't New Year's Day, but since I had some leftover cherry pie filling in the fridge, I topped our little waffles with some on mine and some strawberry pie filling on Wayne's since he loves strawberries, to surprise him.

I cut the recipe in half so if you want more waffles or use a larger waffle maker, just double the recipe. After we finished eating, I went on and made up the rest of the batter and made 5 more waffles. I quick froze them in the freezer. When we want to eat them, we will just pop them in the toaster to heat up. 

PRINT RECIPE.

BUTTERMILK WAFFLES

1      cup flour

1/2  teaspoon salt

1      teaspoon baking powder

1/2  teaspoon baking soda

1      tablespoon sugar

1      large egg.

1      cup buttermilk

1      tablespoon oil

Whisk together the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside.

In another bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, and oil.

Pour the wet mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients.

Stir gently just until combined.

Cover the batter and let it rest for 5 minutes while you preheat the waffle iron.

For my personal sized waffle maker, I measured two level scoops of batter or about 3 tablespoons. If you are using a larger waffle iron, you will use more.

Close the lid and bake until the light on the iron signals the waffle is ready.

Remove and keep warm until you are ready to eat.

I made two for each of us and after buttering them, I spooned some pie filling on each.

So pretty and very delicious!

I cooked the rest of the batter, quick froze them, and

then put them in a freezer bag until we are ready to eat the rest. Will pop them in the toaster to warm up. 

Here is  my cute little waffle iron...

PUMPKIN CRANBERRY BREAD

 2025 is now a couple of days old. Each year seems to go by faster than the previous year, but that seems to be said by even younger people than just "old" people. It does seem like time is on fast speed to me. I hope 2025 will be a healthy year for me and my husband and we can experience some memorial occasions with family and friends.

Friend Phyllis made this Pumpkin Cranberry Bread for her Sunday school class and dropped a plate off at the Cafe at church back in December. It was so delicious so I made sure I got the recipe from her.

This weekend we are forecasted for some cold temperatures and even some snow so I'm not sure the Cafe will be open Sunday for church, but I decided I would make the quick bread because it would freeze easily if we can't make it to church. Local weather forecasters on television that this area is the most difficult to forecast in the country. I believe them. It always depends on what happens to it just west of us. It can turn south and miss us or turn north and miss us. My husband thinks it's because the Missouri and Kansas Rivers come together and cause splits.

The recipe made 5 mini-loaves and I just may keep one for us to enjoy because I was able to eat one slice when Phyllis dropped it off. It is really good.

PRINT RECIPE.

PUMPKIN CRANBERRY BREAD

3         cups flour

2-1/2  teaspoons cinnamon

2-1/2  teaspoons ginger

2         teaspoon baking soda

1-1/2   teaspoon salt

1          can of pumpkin

3         cups sugar

4         eggs

1          cup oil

1/2      cup orange juice

1          cup chopped cranberries

1          cup toasted chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans or five mini-loaf pans. Set aside.

Combine the dry ingredients by sifting them together into a large bowl. Set aside.

Combine the sugar, pumpkin, eggs, oil, and juice in another bowl with a whisk until blended.

Add to the flour mixture and stir until just moistened.

Add the chopped cranberries and nuts if you are using. (I didn't add the nuts.)

Divide between the baking pans.

Bake for 60 to 65 minutes for the large loaves and about 40 minutes for the mini-loaves. Cool in pans for at least 10 minutes before removing.

Remove from the pans and cool completely before slicing.

CANDY STRIPE COOKIES

 

Candy Stripe Cookies! So adorable and so delicious! What can I say? Want to impress everyone? They would never guess how easy these are to make and you won't give your secret away either.

These are another awesome treat that Cafe Treats Baker Dorene made for the Sunday before Christmas. I have to say that really fast. It is so hard to believe Christmas is only a couple of days away. Where has the month gone?

We have already celebrated with our CO son and his family for Christmas and also with our MO son and his family. We will still attend church on Christmas Eve with our MO family and then just the two of us for the 11 pm Candlelight service later that night.

I guess I am getting used to it and have learned that you can celebrate anything anytime you want to, but it would be fun though to be able to have a Christmas like I had growing up when the whole family - maternal aunts and uncles and their kids got together on Christmas Day at Grandma and Granddaddy's house. My paternal grandparents were divorced and lived out of state so I didn't see them very often.  My paternal granddaddy died when I was eleven. My mother's family was very close.

PRINT RECIPE.

CANDY STRIPE COOKIES

1/2     cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature

1/2     cup butter-flavored shortening

1-1/2  cup sugar

1         large egg

2        tablespoons milk

1         teaspoon vanilla

3        cups flour

1/4     teaspoon baking soda

1/2     teaspoon salt

1/2     teaspoon mint/peppermint extract

red food coloring (or green would be pretty also)

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, shortening, and sugar until light and fluffy.

Beat in the egg, milk, and vanilla.

Combine the flour, baking soda and salt and then add to creamed mixture. Stir just until combined.

Divide the dough in half. Flavor one half of the dough with 1/2 teaspoon the mint or peppermint extract and tint with the red food coloring.

Line a loaf pan with waxed paper.

Divide each portion in half.

Press one of the red tinted portions in the bottom of the pan.

Top with one of the white portions and then the other red tinted portion. Finally press the other white portion on top. 

Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until thoroughly chilled.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Invert the pan and remove the waxed paper. Cut the dough in half lengthwise. Cut each half in 1/4 - inch slices; place slices 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 10 to 12  minutes or until edges begin to brown.

Cool on a wire rack.

Whatever holiday you might be celebrating, I hope it is a blessing for you and that 2025 blesses you also.

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER PIE

 I think I have finally found a comparable Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie as with a local cafe that we eat at often serves. They chop up some Reese's peanut butter candy and places around the crust edge.

Friend Fran has started back hosting our quilters canasta group after dealing with some health issues. Since I have always made the dessert for her to serve us, that means I had the opportunity to make something truly awesome again for us to enjoy.

And I scored a big hit with this truly awesome Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie. I found the recipe in my The Best of Mennonite Fellowship Meals cookbook by Phyllis Pellman Good and Louise Stoltzfus. Winnifred Wall from Freeman, South Dakota made a Peanut Butter Delight in a 9 x 13 - inch pan but I made a few changes and ended up with two 9 - inch pies. I served one and froze the other one. I also used Zero sugar products when I could and 1/3 less fat Neufchatel cheese. I do this often with great results.

PRINT RECIPE.

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER PIE

1/2    cup peanut butter

8       ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1        cup powdered sugar

1        cup whipped topping from an 8 - ounce carton

2      small packages of instant chocolate fudge or chocolate pudding + 1-3/4 cup milk for each package

1        cup of whipped topping for topping, if using

2       pie crust (9-inch baked or graham cracker crumb crust)

If using a regular pie crust, bake as directed and allow to cool.

 

Cream together the peanut butter and cream cheese

until smooth.

Add the powdered sugar and

mix together.

Fold in the cup of whipped topping.

Divide the mixture evenly and spread over the crust using.

Set aside.

Prepare the pudding mixes in separate bowls using 1-3/4 cup milk. Whisk until pudding thickens.

Top the creamed cheese mixture in each pie with a pudding.

Cover and refrigerate to firm up. I refrigerated mine overnight.

When ready to serve, top with the rest of the whipped topping.

I ended up freezing the one using the graham cracker crumbs. I covered it with the plastic lid that comes with the crust and closed it down all the way around. Then I wrapped the pie with two pieces of foil. It fit in a gallon freezer bag so I did that next. When I am ready to eat it, I will remove it from the freezer the night before and place in the refrigerator. I may or may not top it with whipped cream. I made one pie using a Zero sugar chocolate fudge instant pudding mix and then a Zero sugar chocolate instant pudding mix for the second one. We loved the chocolate fudge one so I hope we like the chocolate one too.

 

MINCEMEAT COOKIES

 Mincemeat is one of those food items that is  misunderstood by so many. It dates back to the 1400's in England and did originally contain meat. Now though it contains no meat but instead includes finely chopped dried fruits like apples,  raisins, currants, etc. 

My mother liked to make a mincemeat pie at Thanksgiving or Christmas. She ate more of it than anyone else, but it was really good. 

Last week Cafe Treats Baker Dorene made some mincemeat cookies that I couldn't eat just one of. Some people hesitated selecting one but that was because of the misunderstanding of "mincemeat". After I told them what was in them, they would chose one. They were all gone by the end of the worship services so I didn't get to enjoy a third one. I definitely need to make some for us.

PRINT RECIPE.

MINCEMEAT COOKIES

3-1/4   cups flour

1/4       teaspoon salt

1           teaspoon baking soda

1           cup butter

1-1/2    cups brown sugar

3          eggs, well beaten

1-1/2    cups mincemeat

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper. Set aside.

Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.

Cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy.

Add the well-beaten eggs to the creamed mixture and beat until smooth.

Stir in the mincemeat.

Gradually add the flour mixture.

Drop by a full teaspoonful and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes.

Separate with wax paper to store or freeze.

PUMPKIN SNICKERDOODLE SCONES

 I love scones. Almost as much as I love biscuits. Probably if I didn't have my own recipe for Buttermilk Biscuits, I could say I love scones more.

I think my all-time favorite scone is a scone we ate on Prince Edward Island at the House of Green Gables Farm. It was an orange, cranberry scone. It was just about perfect. This Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Scone though comes in second and since I don't have the recipe for the scone I got in Canada, that moves the pumpkin one to the top of scones.

You can find my one attempt to duplicate the Green Gables scone HERE,  but this winter hopefully I can try some more recipes for them. I do have plenty of cranberries frozen. Stay tuned ...

I plan to make this Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Scone recipe but cut the dough into small circles instead of the 8 wedges for the Cafe Treats. I was going to do it this past Saturday, but I stayed so busy all day and then was too tired to make them in the evening. I think they will be a big hit with the Cafe Treats patrons.

The first one we ate, I cut in half for Wayne and me to share . We had had our breakfast and didn't feel that hungry. We were also expecting someone who was dropping by for us to sign some papers. As soon as he left, Wayne said he thought he would eat another scone that it tasted pretty good. I laughed and told him I was going to eat another one also. They were whole.

PRINT RECIPE.

PUMPKIN SNICKERDOODLE SCONES

2     cups flour

1/2  cup sugar

1      tablespoon baking powder

1/2  teaspoon salt

1      teaspoon cinnamon

1/2  teaspoon nutmeg

1/2  cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into small pieces

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

1      large egg

1      teaspoon vanilla

Cinnamon Sugar (1/4 cup sugar + 1 teaspoon cinnamon)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a large bowl add the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Whisk together to blend. 

Slice the butter into thin slices and break apart before adding to the dry ingredients. I do about 1/4 of the stick of butter at a time.

Cut into dry ingredients to reduce the size of the butter "chips". After I had the whole stick cut in,

I used my fingers to break up the bigger pieces of butter. It's okay if some of the pieces are a little bigger. (You can see in my picture before I cut them into 8 wedges.)

In a smaller bowl, add the pumpkin, egg, and vanilla and whisk together until well combined.

Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients working with a spatula and

then your hands to incorporate all of the dry mixture.

It took a bit to do this, but when it all came together it was perfect. I kneaded it a few time as you would bread dough but didn't take a picture of the circle I made.

Form a circle 1 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. 

Place the wedges on the prepared cookie sheet and then

sprinkle the wedges with the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown and baked.

 Cool a few minutes before enjoying.