National Waffle Day

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By Diane Forrest

A friend of mine, who is not much of a breakfast eater, has been home recuperating from surgery the past couple of weeks.  During this time he has been eating breakfast regularly to help with his healing.  His breakfast of choice is waffles, so I thought he would be a great candidate to interview for National Waffle Day.   He prefers fresh made waffles from Aunt Jemima pancake and waffle mix instead of the frozen kind.  He also likes the regular waffles and not the Belgium waffles, because they are too deep, and I guess they hold too much syrup.

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One year my son asked for a waffle iron for Christmas.  I never made waffles while he was growing up, because I didn't have a waffle iron, so that Christmas he got 3 of them, and never made another waffle.  My husband loved waffles, but there was no place in town to get them, and I still didn't have a waffle iron, so when we went out of town, we would go to a waffle house where he would order waffles with either fruits and whipped cream, or syrup and pecans.  They looked more like dessert instead of breakfast.  When he was in the hospital, I had a hotel room at a nearby hotel because he was in ICU and I couldn't stay there with him.  The hotel offered free breakfast, and included was a make it yourself waffle iron, so I would get up and make him a fresh waffle once he was able to eat again.

Today is National Waffle Day.  This day was picked because it marks the anniversary of the first U.S. patent for a waffle iron, which Cornelius Swarthout received on August 24, 1869. The waffle dates back to the 1300s in Greece. Greeks cooked flat cakes between two metal pans. At the time, they topped it with cheeses and herbs.  Traditionally, waffles are served at breakfast. However, there are so many ways to enjoy them that you could eat waffles at any time of day. Chicken and waffles and corn waffles are just two examples of the numerous savory varieties that exist.

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So today, on National Waffle Day, celebrate the waffle by having some for breakfast or supper, or just a snack.  If you don't have a waffle iron, you can head to your nearest waffle house, or even pick up some frozen waffles and heat them in your toaster. There is no excuse not to have a delicious waffle today.

National Waffle Day

By Diane Forrest,

Today is National Waffle Day, it is a really huge celebration in Sweden, but not so big in other areas of the world. 

A waffle is a dough baked cake that is cooked between two metal plates connected by a hinge, with each plate connected to an arm with a wooden handle. The iron was placed over a fire and flipped to cook both sides of the wafer. The irons were used to produce a variety of different flat, unleavened cakes, usually from a mixture of barley and oats, instead of the white flour used today  .Waffles were first introduced to North America in 1620 by Pilgrims who brought the method from Holland. Thomas Jefferson brought a waffle iron from France, and waffle frolics or parties became popular in the late 18th century

The sponge cake recipe from yesterday is sometimes used to make waffles. The recipe I use comes in a yellow cardboard box and says Eggo's on the side. Growing up I don't remember eating waffles.  We usually had pancakes instead, and those were at suppertime.  My son however loves them, so much that one year for Christmas he got 3 waffle irons!  After that I don’t think he ever made another waffle!

When my husband and I would travel out of town, we eventually would visit a Waffle House.  That is a chain of small diners that are famous for their waffles.  He would always order a large waffle topped with strawberries and whipped cream.  Looked more like dessert than breakfast.  Of course you can eat waffles at any meal or even a snack.  Several places now offer a dish of chicken and waffles.

There is no better time like today to have some waffles...so if you don’t have time to make them yourself, head out for breakfast and have a great start to your day!

Waffle Recipe:

• 1 1/3 cups flour 
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 3/4 cups milk

Directions

• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients.
• Separate the eggs, adding the yolks to the dry ingredient mixture, and placing the whites in a small mixing bowl.
• Beat whites until moderately stiff; set aside.
• Add milk and melted butter to dry ingredient mixture and blend.
• Fold stiff egg whites into mixture.
• Ladle mixture into hot waffle iron and bake.

So how do you like your waffles?

National Waffle Iron Day - 2011

National Waffle Iron Day is an important date on the calendar of every real breakfast lover! Who doesn't love homemade waffles? They are easy and fun to make with a waffle iron. After you mix the waffle batter, simply pour the batter into the center of the waffle iron, cook until golden brown, and voilà! Delicious homemade waffles.

The origin of the waffle:  The waffle dates back to the 1300s in Greece. Greeks cooked flat cakes between two metal pans. At the time, they topped it with cheeses and herbs. Pancake syrup wasn't around back then.

And the fun part of making Waffles at home – adding your favorite ingredients such as blueberries, bananas, chocolate chips, pecans, strawberries, whipped cream, our just plain with good ole maple syrup.