Waffles. They're not just for Breakfast.

My children love Waffles. They love them, because I make them. I don't make them love them, I make the waffles, and it's eat or don't eat.... Well, anyway, you get the picture.

So one night, after much grumbling about not wanting anything I suggested I make for dinner, I threw my hands in the air and said, "I'm making waffles!"

And so, I did. These ones. And I served them with Hot Chocolate.

To make them extra tasty, they should be served BEFORE the canned whipped cream melts,and the snowman starts sweating chocolate. The recipe is simple:


1 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. each salt and baking soda


Mix thoroughly.
Add:
1 c. milk
2 tsp. lemon juice
2 T melted butter or vegetable oil - whichever you want. I use the oil because it's faster.


Combine that well, then add 1 beaten egg.


Pour batter onto hot waffle iron, wait for the beep, take it out, put some canned cherry pie filling on top, squirt some whipped cream, and drizzle with Hershey's Chocolate Syrup. The kind you make into Chocolate Milk.


If you want these to be exactly the way I made them, have your husband surprise you with a professional waffle iron like they have in hotels - because he just "brought it home from work - the people didn't want it anymore."




For the Hot Chocolate - it's a homemade mix courtesy of Dadola.


8 c. powdered milk. I use Morning Moos brand - it's tasty, and mixes well.
3 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. cocoa powder (you can add 2 c. if you want more of a dark chocolate type)
1 c. non-dairy creamer - I usually use french vanilla flavored, but plain is fine
1 large package chocolate pudding (you can substitute vanilla if you want).


Mix all that thoroughly and store in an airtight container. To make, mix 2-3 T powder with 8 oz. hot water. I add whipped cream and drizzle chocolate over the top. To add some fun, sprinkle cake sprinkles on the top. Any flavor is fine. 


The snowman mugs came in a set of four from Williams Sonoma YEARS ago, I haven't seen them since. I'm still looking though...


Enjoy this anytime you need to gain a few extra pounds. Or for any special occasion. The children dubbed this one, "THE BEST DINNER...EVER!"


 - Linda

Homemade Raspberry Ice Cream and Fudge Sauce

Today is my sister, Linda's birthday! Happy Birthday!! In honor of her special day, I thought I'd post the very best homemade ice cream recipe in my world.

I call this...drum roll, please...

"The Very Best Homemade Raspberry Ice cream I've Ever Made".

(I modified a couple of recipes that I found somewhere online to come up with creamy frozen sensation.)

Here you go:

The vanilla base:

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups whipping cream
• 2 cups half-and-half cream
• 2 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 
  
• In a heavy saucepan, mix together the first five ingredients. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat a metal spoon and reaches at least 160 degrees F. (I actually used a candy thermometer for the first little bit, and then got bored and took it out so I'm not really sure how hot mine got.) Remove from the heat; cool quickly by setting pan in ice and stirring the mixture. (I think this is an important step because it stops the eggs from cooking more, thus preventing an eggy taste.) Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• 
  
• Raspberry stuff:
• 4 cups raspberries
• 1 C sugar
• 1 C water
• 
  
• Simmer raspberries, etc. on the stove until the juices release and it starts to boil a little. Strain the seeds using a sieve or something better, if you've got it. (This takes FOREVER, but it is definitely worth the time when you aren't eating seeds.)
• 
  
• When ready to freeze, pour custard, vanilla, and raspberry stuff into the cylinder of an ice cream freezer. Freeze according to the manufacturer's directions. It took us two batches because of the size of our ice cream maker. Freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight (I recommend holding out a night. It will be hard. But it's worth it).

Then, top with homemade hot fudge. Oh, you don't have a really yummy hot fudge recipe?

That's okay. I've got one:

Ben and Jerry's Hot Fudge (from my mother-in-law's Ben and Jerry cookbook)

4oz unsweetened chocolate

1/2 C butter

3/4 C cocoa powder

2 C sugar

1/2 C milk

1/2 C heavy cream

Melt chocolate and butter, stirring frequently, in the top of a double broiler over simmering water. Add cocoa and whisk until dissolved. Gradually stir in sugar. (The mixture should look like wet sand.) Cook, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes. **Don't let your water simmer completely away...it won't smell very nice if you do. Gradually stir in milk and cream and keep stirring until completely blended. Continue cooking, stirring, and checking the water for 1 hour. The fudge is ready when it is completely smooth and all of the sugar has dissolved.

Comments: Adding a tablespoon or so of corn syrup will keep this fudge from getting grainy when you reheat it. Add the corn syrup towards the end of the hour of cooking. Also, if you don't have unsweetened chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate will work just fine. Just subtract 1 T of sugar per ounce from the recipe. Then, when you do heat this yummy stuff up, just take what you want from your (refrigerated) jar and heat at 1/2 power. This is also good by the spoonful whenever.