Oh Boy! Waffles!

I’m not quite sure why Better Homes & Gardens refers to these as “Oh Boy” waffles, but here’s a nice, simple recipe for some waffles that I jazzed up just a little bit with some spices I refer to as the “holy trinity” of comfort baking: cinnamon, all-spice, and nutmeg.  I also threw some Ghiradelli bittersweet chocolate chips in there just to make them nice and unhealthy.

And yes, I said, Better Homes & Gardens.  I am just traditional enough to firmly believe a cookbook collection isn’t complete with the red and white plaid of the Better Homes & Gardens cookbook. Our version is doubly hilarious because it’s a reprint of the original, so it includes incredibly out of date hosting rules and table settings.

But the recipes still work, in all their shortening filled glory.

“Oh Boy” Waffles

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups sifted enriched flour
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp all-spice
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 2 beaten eggs
• 2 1/4 cups milk
• 3/4 cup melted shortening, butter, or olive oil
• 1/2 cup bitter-sweet chocolate chips

Sift dry ingredients.  Combine eggs, milk and shortening.  Combine liquid and dry ingredients just before baking.  Beat until smooth.  Fold in the chocolate chips.  Bake in a hot waffle iron.  Makes between 16 & 18 waffles.

And also, I would be remiss to not include MST3K’s waffles tribute.

“Chicken” Noodle Soup For The Winter-Crushed Soul

At this point I wish that either the Skinny Bitches would come out with a new cookbook, or hire me for their PR team.  I think every vegan/vegetarian I talk cookbooks with is surprised to hear that the Skinny Bitches are both: vegan AND full of good recipes.  If they only they weren’t so obnoxious when they start talking.  Crap, there goes my PR job.

In case you haven’t heard, America is currently blanketed under a cold snap slash snow storm that many people are referring to as “Utter Bullshit!” I’m one of those people.  It should never be so cold that it both makes your eyes water and freezes those tear drops within the same 2 seconds.

And with the cold, comes the colds, the flus and the sinus infections.  I’m dealing with the later, while Katie is dealing with the former.  The past two weekends have consisted of grilled cheese, soup, and buying stock on Kleenex and Afrin.  Needless to say, winter in Chicago is just amazing…ly horrible.

But there are some bright spots, and this vegetarian chicken noodle soup is one of them.  The curry gives it just a bit of a kick and the flavor is probably the closest I’ve had to actual chicken soup in years.  Plus it’s a recipe that’s easily doubled, giving you enough soup to make a couple meals.

“Chicken” Noodle Soup

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 carrot cut into 1/4″ slices
• 1 celery stalk cut into 1/4″ slices
• 1/2 onion, cut into 1/2″ dice
• 4 oz white or brown mushrooms, cut into 1/4″ slices
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp curry
• 1 bay leaf
• 8 cups vegetable stock (or vegan chicken stock if available)
• 1 1/4 tsp soy sauce
• 8 oz vegan chicken strips (either Trader Joes or Smart Strips)
• 4 oz wheat pasta

Heat the oil in a 6-quart stockpot over medium heat.  Add the carrot, celery and onion, and cook, stirring occasionally until crisp and tender (about 2 minutes).  Add the mushrooms, salt, pepper and curry powder and cook until the mushrooms release their juices (about 2 minutes).  Stir in the stock, soy sauce and bay leaf.  Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil.  Add the chicken and pasta.  When the soup returns to a boil, reduce to simmer.  Cook until the pasta is done (time will depend on type of pasta used).  Remove the bay leaf and serve!

Makes about 9 cups.