The Week We Eat Cheese

 

You have probably seen this popular meme that is all over the internet every year at this time. I'm not sure who the original creator is so I can credit it. Does anyone know? 

This meme is so popular though, because it is so TRUE! For many people this week is time off from work, the days blend together, and we are snacking on all the leftover treats. 

We still have not made all of our holiday treats yet at our house though, we have one more holiday celebration and then New Year's Eve to plan for.  

**this post contains affiliate links 

This year we got some really cool new presents that I will be able to use to make yummy things, and share more recipes on the blog.  The one I am most excited about is our Gourmia Dual Basket Air Fryer. There are so many cool features that this air fryer can do.  It addition to being an air fryer, it can roast, bake, dehydrate, broil, reheat, and keep food warm.  Each of the dual baskets have their own controls, so you can make two things at once with different temps, or use both the same for an extra large batch. There are so many cool recipes in their booklet and online.  I can't wait to start using it, and and sharing my recipes on the blog. 

In the meantime if you are looking for a great air fryer recipe for New Year's Eve, here are two of my favorites. 

Air Fryer Stuffed Potato Skins

and Air Fryer Cheesy Stuffed Mushrooms

This gift came with raving reviews from my boyfriend's mom.  She liked her MyMini Egg Cooker so much that she bought us all one.  After we opened our gifts, she gave us a demo on how to make the perfect hard boiled eggs. (its simple and quick!)   This mini appliance also has a special tray to make omelets. I will be sharing some deviled egg and omelet recipes soon.  

The last gift was this Oster Diamondforce Waffle Maker. We really like waffles, but did not have a good waffle maker.  I used to have one several years ago, but I am not sure what happened to it. It's possible it is packed away with some of my things in storage.   A few years back I had a waffle week where I shared recipes you can make with a waffle maker. 

One of those recipes was this Bacon, Egg and Cheese Sandwich Waffle.  

Another interesting thing we tried was to make this Tater Waffle in the waffle maker out of tator tots. We really liked them this way, even if they did not stay together as one piece very well.  

Did you get any new presents that you are excited about? I would love to hear about them. 

   

Read More »

Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit Waffle

We love breakfast sandwiches at at certain well known fast food restaurant. What I don't love is the price. This past weekend, we brought out the waffle maker to see if we could make a similar, inexpensive version at home.  

Did you know that you can bake biscuits in the waffle iron?  I did not know until recently.  All you need to do is spray on a little cooking spray, and bake the biscuits for a few minutes. I did find in doing this that my waffle iron does not have the heat evenly distributed.  I wanted to make sure that the biscuit was cooked through, but not burnt, so I checked it several times. 

The only part of this sandwich that I did not make in the waffle maker was the bacon.   I put it in the oven and used the this method.  It was turkey bacon though, and I can never quite tell when turkey bacon is done. It turned out pretty good other than being a tiny bit too crispy on the very end.

The last step was to make the eggs.  I had never tried to make eggs in the waffle maker, but I knew it could be done.  I thought it might be easier to add the cheese in the eggs, instead of adding a slice of cheese later.  You will need to carefully add the egg, because it can easily overflow. (as we would find out on the second batch)  

A few minutes later we had an egg waffle.  It turned out really well, and was the perfect size for the sandwich.   It only took a few minutes to make, and was very filling. I am not sure if we will make them all the time, but it is great alternative to using the oven/stove.  I do like my square waffle maker, but I think the next time I get one, I think I will get a round  Flip Waffle Maker. (this is an affiliate link)  The one I have is not easy to clean, and I like the look of round waffles. 

What type of waffle maker do you have? 

Read More »

Tater Waffles

Recently I saw a video on Facebook with several things you can make in your waffle maker.  A lot of times videos like these make things look super easy, but when you try it at home, it just does not work. Since I have a pretty nice collection of appliances that I rarely use, I decided to break out my waffle maker,  and try out some of the ideas.   One that I knew my kids would really love was the first one I decided to try... Tater Tot Waffles 

When I bought my waffle maker I really thought I would use it frequently, whipping up healthy waffles for my kids.  Yea... that has not happened. Early in the morning, they only have a few minutes for breakfast.  When they do want to eat a waffle, they will grab an inexpensive frozen box waffle that takes a minute in the toaster.  I have even seen one of them be too impatient for the toaster, and eat them right out of the freezer. I know I could make batches ahead of time and freeze them, but that has not happened either.  I have only used my waffle maker a handful of times, so it will be fun to try out a few new ways to use it.  

In the video, the tater tots were randomly placed on a circle single size waffle maker.  Mine is rectangular,  and makes two waffles at a time. I sprayed on some cooking spray, and then placed the tater tots in some order, but they were not tightly placed.    It turns out that is not the best idea. I am not sure how the waffle in the video stayed together, but mine completely fell apart.  Not all was lost though, the tater tots still tasted great. 

The second time I lined the tater tots horizontally, and as close together as possible. 

This time it was a success!  There were  still a few places where the tots did not full touch, but the entire waffle stuck together.  I carefully removed them from the waffle maker with a spatula, and put them on the plate.  My waffle maker is just a basic model, so it does not have any fancy dials or timers.  I just watched the time for about 5 minutes, and checked them a few times to make sure they were not burning.   

We this experiment being a success, we will be making Tater Waffles again. 

Read More »