Blueberry Waffles

Waffles are for sunny mornings, or mornings I wish were sunny. Blueberries make waking up a little easier, and flaxseeds make me feel better about pouring maple syrup over everything. Omega-3s, y'all.

My breakfast simply isn't breakfast unless I have coffee. If I don't have coffee, it's naptime at precisely 2:00PM. My breakfast is a better breakfast if it has crispy-tender-fruity waffles.


Real. Maple. Syrup. It's the only way. If I'm going to pour liquid sugar over my breakfast treat, I want it to come from a tree.


Waffles can be easy. Flour, buttermilk, eggs, ground flaxseed (optional), sugar, baking soda, salt, blueberries, melted butter, and vanilla extract.


Dry ingredients get a gentle mixin' just to distribute everything.


I really love egg yolks. For realz. I just think they're really pretty. And the fresher the egg the prettier the yolk. Which reminds me that I need to go buy some farm-fresh eggs ASAP.


I also love the way milk and eggs mix together. Is that weird? I'm going with no, but I'm probably not the best gauge.
 
We're so close to having waffles! Gently mix the wet and dry ingredients together. Lumps are totally acceptable in this situation.


And the real star: blueberries. Just fold them in a bit. Heat your waffle iron and brush with a little vegetable oil. I like to use a 1/2 cup as a scoop. I took pictures of this step, but quite frankly I didn't like the looks of any of them. There's no big secret to this. Scoop the batter into the hot waffle iron and close the lid. Like really close it. I didn't have the top down all the way on my first couple of waffles and they came out a little soggy. So just make sure it's on there tight.


And a few minutes later you have a crispy waffle with a tender middle. The blueberries might make a little mess, but what's life or breakfast without a little mess?

And for that matter, what's a waffle without syrup and butter? It's a sad waffle, that's what it is. That waffle you see there? A happy waffle. A supremely happy waffle.

There may have been a time I would've been concerned that I give waffles feelings and share that with the world. To be clear, I've always ascribed human feelings/traits to inanimate objects and most especially food. That's not new. I just don't mind y'all knowing about it. The Internet lowers inhibitions, y'all!

Blueberry Waffles (amount may vary depending on your waffle maker ---I got 6 from mine)

Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens

1 3/4 c all-purpose flour
2 tbs sugar
1-2 tbs ground flaxseed (optional)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 c buttermilk
1/2 c butter, melted and cooled
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 pint blueberries, rinsed and picked over
Vegetable oil, for brushing

• In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, flaxseed, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 
• In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs just to break them up a bit. Stir in the buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla extract.
• Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in egg mixture. Gently stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until dry ingredients have been moistened by the egg mixture. The batter will be lumpy and that's just dandy. Gently fold in the blueberries.
• Heat your waffle maker according to its instructions. Brush with oil and pour in between 1/3 and 1/2 cups of batter. Don't overfill the waffle maker, so if you need to use less, use less. Firmly close the waffle maker and cook until golden brown. Repeat with the remaining batter until you have a mound of beautiful waffles. 
• Serve with pure maple syrup or a dusting of powdered sugar. Bacon is recommended.

1 Minute Breakfast: Greek Yogurt with Granola

Fact: When I wake up in the morning, I'm starving. I could eat all the things. Even though I'd rather have a biscuit with jelly and some sort of ham/bacon/sausage, I try to make my breakfasts on the healthy side. Unless it's the weekend. Then it's game on. But just because it's healthful doesn't mean it has to be bland or boring. Joy the Baker made a dessert version to angry-eat without making yourself feel bad, and I thought why not just use Greek yogurt and make it breakfast?
                                      
Give yourself a generous serving of Greek yogurt in a cartoon bowl from your childhood. I prefer Fage 0% Plain. Low calorie, full of protein to keep you going.

Sprinkle on your favorite granola. I got this vanilla almond granola from Fresh Market because it was 30% off.

Drizzle on some maple syrup for a little extra sweetness because plain Greek yogurt is tart.

Perfect for busy mornings. Perfect for making you feel like you're indulging without actually indulging. That frees up space for brownies and pumpkin scones.

1 Minute Breakfast: Greek Yogurt with Granola (serves one)
Inspired by Joy the Baker

1/2-3/4 c plain Greek yogurt
1/4 c granola
1 tsp maple syrup

• Combine the yogurt, granola, and maple syrup in a fun bowl. Eat with gusto.

Pumpkin Scones

Have you ever imagined having a conversation with someone but then it doesn't turn out at all how you pictured it? Yeah that actually didn't happen to me the other day. See, I bought a Reese's cup shaped like a pumpkin because you know the seasonal Reese's are the best and are never weird and powdery because they can't sit on the shelf that long. Will and I have talked about this before (probably because we're both weird), so I thought he'd appreciate that there's a seasonal Reese's cup out. I also knew that when I mentioned that it was pumpkin-shaped he'd think it actually had pumpkin in it. And let's just say pumpkin does not top his list of favorite foods.

Quick Pumpkin Custard with Maple Walnut Topping

I feel like I've been in a whirlwind of activity. I made this carrot cake into cupcakes for my grandmother's birthday, cut my hair supershort, had my favorite Mellow Mushroom pizza to date (Holy Shiitake pie omgggg), tailgated and watched my Gamecocks whup Missouri, and spent a day on the lake with wonderful friends. Phew. I wouldn't trade it for anything, but it definitely makes a girl guzzle pumpkin spice coffee.

I used to say I only liked pumpkin pie once a year, and that was on Thanksgiving. Um, things change. I'm the only one in my house that actually likes pumpkin pie, though, so what's a girl to do? Solution: Leave out the crust, make individual servings, and top with mapled walnuts. P.S. The compu-dictionary says mapled isn't a word. I say false.