SingPrayBake

These waffles are my take on a breakfast staple.  I love a good Belgian waffle, but don't always feel like whipping egg whites and folding them in just so!  These are simple, and simply delish! 

Ingredients:

1-1/4 cup of self rising flour

1/4 tsp salt

2 Tbs brown sugar

1 cup milk (I use an Almond/Coconut milk blend because...YUM)

1 large egg

1-2 tsp pure vanilla extract 

4 TBS melted unsalted butter (I love using Kerrygold or Plugra)

Directions:

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. In a liquid measuring up, measure the milk and then add the egg, vanilla, and melted butter; whisk together until thoroughly combined.  

(the vanilla extract is already in the melted butter in this pic)

Next, add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until JUST combined.  Your batter will be a little lumpy and that's ok!  If you overwork it your waffles will be rubbery and....ew! 

At his point, turn on your waffle maker set to medium-high and let the batter sit while it heats up.

Now cook up some yum!

Lightly butter your preheated waffle iron (yes, butter...I mean these are waffles...not a Green Juice!) 

Sorry about this blurry pic, but cooking and snapping pics is a little tricky!  I use my "Ice cream scoops" for EVERYTHING!  I have 5 different sizes and they are just so handy.  You can use a scoop, a ladle, or even just pour your batter in to the iron.  Close the lid and cook your waffle to your preferred "doneness".  A good tip I learned is that the waffle is done once you can no longer see steam rising from the waffle iron!

Yield:  About 4 large waffles depending on the size of your waffle maker.

ENJOY!

August 14, 1964.  50 years ago.  FIFTY!!  These two cuties, my parents, said I do!  In this day and age this is rare and definitely a cause for celebration!  

I honor you today mom and dad...

For teaching me to love God above all else.

For loving each other in sickness and health, in good times and bad.

For making marriage look easy when now we all know it is NOT.

For making me feel like I grew up rich even though times were sometimes tough.

For NEVER letting on when times were tough.

For my three awesome siblings.

For raising me to believe I can do anything.

For believing I can do anything.

For teaching me to appreciate the different cuisines of the world.

For letting me loose in the kitchen when I was 8.

For SHOWING me how to love and nurture my own husband and kids.

For raising my children along with me...it really DOES take a village!

For not only being my parents, but also my friends.  I longed for that day when I was younger and it is better than I even imagined.

For still letting me "be the baby" when I need to be.

For helping with the kids, cooking us meals, driving me to appointments, cleaning my house, listening to me cry and complain and just BEING there this past 8 months of my health "challenges."

For just being you.  You're mine and I LOVE you!  

Happy anniversary mom and dad.  You've come a LONG way and I pray the next 50 years are even better than the first.

Love, 

Okay, not me maybe....but someone VERY special to me is!  

You ever meet someone and think "you're going to be a part of my life forever!"?  It has only happened to me a handful of times.  The Fall of 2005 was one of those times.  I had recently given birth to my son Jaden (now almost 9 years old!) and we were attending a church in Sanford, Florida.  Jaden was only 2 weeks old and I was eager to get back to church and worship!  On one particular Sunday I brought Jaden to the church nursery where he was received with open arms by a beautiful lady named Brenda and her daughter Heather who was 13 at the time.  And history was made.  They fell in love with my son and I fell in love with them.  

A little down the line my husband and I began volunteering with the youth.  Truth be told, it was more he than I as I'm not a huge fan of taking care of (dealing with) other people's kids!  Hey, just being honest here!  In fact, there were MANY times when I asked if he was "sure" he really wanted to be working with the middle/high schoolers because DANG can that age group test a soul!!  Ok, I digress.  So, that's how I felt..BUT...there was Heather.  I used to joke that if the youth group was made up of 100 Heathers I would gladly attend every week!  Don't get me wrong...there were some GREAT kids there, but this Heather...she etched herself on my heart.  Inextricably.  She was kind, funny, smart, and so very helpful.  She ADORED my children. She looked up to me and I knew it so I made sure to be the very best example I could be.  She became the ONLY person I would leave my children with besides my family :-)  She became one of us.  My "white" child.  Still call her that today!  LOL.  

NINE years have passed since I met that kind-of-awkward girl.  She's 22 today!!  She's a hard working college student with a gorgeous boyfriend who treats her like the princess she is!  She loves to come for "family dinner" when her busy schedule allows.  She's content to climb up on my giant bed and just "be" with me when I'm feeling crappy.  My three kids are the little siblings she never had (she has three older brothers!) and they love her like they share the same blood. To my Jasmin she is the BEST big sister!  I love her like she's mine (I hope Brenda doesn't mind too much!) 

Happy birthday mamita.  You bring sunshine to cloudy days.  EYE love you....more...and I thought the world should know.