The Woods at Whippoorhill: Homemade Belgian Waffles

Jewell had a half dozen of her homeschool co-op buddies over for a sleepover last night. Yes, I'm aware that I have (on more than one occasion) sworn to never have more a couple at a time. And, yes, I know that I've had six or more twice now in the last month! But, alas, the kids are growing up and actually need less supervision these days. Plus, all these girls are so well behaved...I didn't have a single problem with any of them!

I did take a pass on making a big dinner since we were at co-op all day yesterday. Instead, Gerald picked up pizza on the way home. The girls were anxiously awaiting his arrival! He barely made it in the door before being mobbed.

Mainly they hung out in Jewell's room. We usually have glow sticks left over from our Halloween party. Jewell took them and hooked them around her ceiling fan blades and made her own disco ball! This picture was actually taken in the dark. I had no idea what they'd be doing when the flash went off!

They did venture out again for more food. Jewell has become a master at making PaPaw's midnight snacks. These sweet and salty creations were invented by my daddy when we were little. They're a family favorite. You can get the recipe here.

Surprisingly, the girls were up by about 8:00 am. I asked them what they wanted for breakfast and got several requests, so I decided to do scrambled eggs, homemade Belgian waffles and bacon. Gerald didn't hunt this morning, so I got him to handle the bacon. That left my hands free for everything else!

Belgian Waffles

2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 large eggs, separated

1 1/2 cups milk

1stick butter, melted and cooled

1 teaspoon vanilla

I began by melting a stick of butter over medium heat. When it was about halfway melted, I pulled it of the heat. It continued to melt, but cooled as well. Preheat your waffle maker.

In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar and baking powder. Set aside.

Lightly beat the two egg yolks.

Add milk, vanilla and then the melted but cooled butter.

Use a whisk to combine the dry ingredients.

Add wet to dry and mix until combined. Make sure to break up any large lumps.

Beat the two egg whites until they form stiff peaks. This took me about five minutes on medium speed with my hand mixer.

Add whites to batter.

Fold in gently. Don't worry about those puffs of egg whites. They'll make the waffles nice and fluffy. Just fold in until there are no white streaks.

Spray the waffle maker (top and bottom) and using a 1/3 cup measuring spoon, add batter to each section. (Make sure to respray each time before adding more batter.) Lower the lid and set a timer for 4 1/2 minutes. This recipe will make about a dozen.

Each machine is different, so you're going to have to figure out how long it takes in your machine. I don't like them to get too brown. Here's why...when they come out of the waffle maker, they're pretty soft - almost like pancakes. Some people like them that way. I like to let them cool as I make more, then I pop mine into a toaster to get it brown and crispy. Any leftovers (only one this morning!) I drop into a Ziploc freezer bag and then just pop it into the toaster when the kids want one.

These are sooooo much better than the ones you buy! Trust me. You MUST try this recipe!