Chocolate Waffles!

Greetings from Idaho! This is Becca again, just reporting on my latest cooking craze.  Living in Idaho can get... dull... sometimes, so you have to come up with crazy fun stuff to occupy your time.  Such as dying your hair, running through potato fields, or... turning everything you cook into chocolate!!!! So lately, I've been cooking a lot out of this cookbook, Chocolate Never Faileth.

It is really amazing, because anything you can think of is in there, chocolate style.  And who doesn’t love chocolate?  So yesterday morning, my husband and I made chocolate waffles together.  (And when I say we made them together, that basically means that I ordered him around the kitchen.  For example, “Don’t add too much salt dear,” “You have to spray the waffle iron with Pam first!” and “Don’t stick the batter up your nose honey.”  Ok, that one didn’t really happen. But you never know with Zach.)  And you know how when you make new recipes, they never really turn out how they look in the cookbook?  Well this one did!

And it tasted fabulous.  We drizzled some chocolate syrup over the top, but you could pile strawberries on top with some whipped cream, or some caramel topping would be good… the possibilities are endless!

Chocolate Waffles

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1 c. milk

3 Tbsp. oil

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 c. flour

1/3 c. cocoa

2 Tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

In a medium bowl, beat eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; set aside.  In a smaller bowl, combine dry ingredients.  Add to wet ingredients and stir until blended.  Beat for about a minute to give the eggs a little loft.  pour the correct amount into your waffle maker and cook until the iron stops steaming.  Makes about 8 small waffles.  Note:  For a less intense chocolate flavor (more of a milk chocolate than a semisweet), decrease the cocoa to 1/4 C. and increase the sugar to 3 Tbsp. (This is what we did, and it turned out to have a really nice flavor.)

Zucchini Nut Loaf (from page 78 of mom’s Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book)

Last summer we had so many zucchini's from our garden that I was constantly searching for recipes to use them up. This has to be my favorite zucchini recipe. This summer we decided not to plant zucchini, because I was so sick of them. I thought I'd put this recipe up anyway, just in case any of you run into the same over-abundance of zucchini problem or just want some yummy bread to snack on.

Zucchini Nut Loaf

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon baking powder

1 cup sugar

1 cup finely shredded unpeeled zucchini

1 egg

¼ cup cooking oil

¼ teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel (optional)

½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Oven 350 degrees

In a mixing bowl stir together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and baking powder; set aside.  In a mixing bowl beat together sugar, shredded zucchini, and egg.  Add oil and lemon peel; mix well.  Stir flour mixture into zucchini mixture.  Gently fold in chopped nuts.  Turn batter into a greased 8x4x2-inch loaf pan.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 55 to 60 minutes or till a wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean.  Cool in pan 10 minutes.  Remove from pan; cool thoroughly on a rack.  Wrap and store loaf overnight before slicing. Makes 1.

I got famous one summer with my siblings with this recipe.  It really is better to wait a day before eating it, but who can ever do that? 

Hey! I'm Becca, Carissa's favorite sister!!!  She graciously allowed me to post some of my meager recipes... even though she knows I'm the better cook. Haha Just kiddin. I wanted to start out with the recipe I've been using/craving a lot over the past few weeks.  Homemade Mac & Cheese!!! I use any excuse I can to make this dish.  For example, my half birthday is coming up, and I figure that's a special enough occasion.  Also, when I beat my husband at a video game, that's a pretty special occassion as well.  (Hint: You can always manipulate situations to be "special occassions" if you're craving something delicious.)  I got this recipe from my husband's mom. 

Mama Terri's Mac & Cheese

Ingredients:
1 1/2 - 2 c. uncooked elbow mac (it's a little runny if you only do 1 1/2)
3 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
dash of pepper
2 c. milk
2 c. cubed cheese (I always use mild cheddar, but it would probably be good with any kind of cheese)

Directions:
Cook mac. Drain.  In saucepan, melt butter.  Blend in flour, salt, and pepper.  Add milk all at once; cook and stir till thick and bubbly.  Add cheese; stir till melted.  Stir sauce into mac.  Pour into 9x13 baking dish (you can use any size, really).  Bake at 350 till heated through, 30-35 minutes.  Makes 6 servings. 

Oh! And you can also add onion to the recipe, but my husband doesn't like it. He says, "It just adds a weirdness."  He also says, "It's my favorite mac & cheese recipe there is!"  So... there you go. My husband endorses it. And so do I!