Yeah we like waffles! We were already excited to discover that the diner around the corner would make a waffle big enough for us to share for $4. But then the more enthusiasm we got for waffles, the more we needed to make them at home so that we can eat them and watch Degrassi. But this presented a problem.
I love our kitchen, but its pretty small. I would say at maximum capacity it fits two small ladies, a chihuahua and a big burly man. Anything else and its a clown car. We like to cook (alot!) so we’ve become very adept at moving appliances around, as we have very little in the way of counter space and not nearly enough cabinet space. It is probably good that this is true, as it prevents me from being the crazy lady with all the kitchen appliances. If we are going to introduce a new toy into the kitchen it needs to be small and its needs to be essential.
Enter our new waffler!
Our waffler (for real that’s what it’s called) has made us so joyously happy. It calls for parties (Saturday) and the invention of new kinds of waffles. We made pumpkin ones for our inaugural use of the machine. All that were missing were the flax seeds.
Preheat your waffler and spray it with cooking spray. In a bowl (obviously), mix the wet ingredients first and then add the dry. We learned that if you accidentally add too much vanilla extract it does not matter in the slightest. Pour it in the waffle maker and try to contain your excitement for just a few minutes. Probably about 4 minutes, but on the waffler a green light goes on to say its done. This made like 6 servings. By the way, pancake syrup is not allowed. Go buy yourself a jug of real maple syrup. You won’t be sorry.
In my last post I talked about the amazingness* of UK television. I take it back.
Today I accidentally watched Univision for the first time where everyday at 6pm, Walter Mercado tells you your horoscope. I didn’t even know I believed in horoscopes, but anyone wearing sparkles will make a believer out of me. This video doesn’t really do him justice. Today he was wearing a large pink sparkly cape. I don’t speak Spanish. The person I watched this with today told me Walter said that I’m going to have a lot of money and am very intelligent. Awesome.
When I lived in the UK, I watched alot of tv. What else is new? The same programs as at home, but with an announcer with a different accent. Having done alot of traveling and meeting people from all over, I firmly believe that the international language is not love. Its Joey, Ross Chandler, Homer, Bart and Lisa. I also love countdown shows about the shocking moments of football, rugby and cricket(and maybe one day I”ll be able to follow a cricket game), and naked people on at like 9pm and the equivalent of basic cable. But of course what I love the most is commercials. Scientific fact: jingles stopped in american television commercials in 1995. We now have lots of snarky commercials that are sometimes funny. I miss the days when the tv sang to me about chocolate being scrumptious when it crunches, or that we should kiss a little longer. There are plenty of singing adverts in the UK. They will still sing you about the joys of making your own french fries at home:
It is a little bit ironic that I am posting this now, since my household has had a significant setback in this arena this year. For over a year now we’ve been raving about the moral and physical benefits of our CSA, or Community Sponsored Agriculture, which I found via JustFood.org, queen-pin of all urban-agriculture hippie-sites. If you’ve been in earshot of any of the enthusiasts, you have probably experienced our lengthy sermons about what a mind-expanding experience it is to have amazing, fresh, local produce delivered to you every week, and the constant adventure of finding ways to cook the novel grub.
Things I’d never known existed before — garlic scapes, pea shoots, purslane — and those I did but never considered purchasing — beets, winter squash, sweet potatoes — are suddenly my favorite foods. Since signing on for the fruit share, I’ve discovered the breathtaking complexity of flavor in a New York State apple (NOT to be confused with those bland supermarket Red- and Golden Deliciouses! But that’s a whooole other post, my friends).
The fact that you pre-pay for the food and get whatever happens to be harvested that week makes you work a little harder planning your meals, maybe, but I can’t think of anything more worth the effort than the feeling (and flavor) of having prepped a totally local, totally delicious meal for yourself. Worried about not knowing how to cook all these exotic plants? Generally the CSA newsletter will give you a couple of handy tips for prep and storage, and frankly you’d be surprised how many things you can just throw in a frying pan with some oil & garlic.
Nobody really taught me how to cook, specifically, I’ve always just had to figure it out as I went along. And having the CSA has done more for this process than my 6 months as a student in London when the daily cooking lesson was “101 ways to prepare white rice, the only food you can afford.”
So yes, we’ve become veg-evangelical about the farmshare. Which brings me to the irony: we kind of dropped the ball on it this year and didn’t sign up in time. By the time we got our forms in order, all the shares were taken. Truth is I’m reading people’s Tweets about what they received in their shares this week and drooling with envy. Sigh. So until next year, it’ll be the Greenmarket for me, and the solace of becoming Captain Vegetable to those around me.
