Food: Belgian Waffles

Most of the time, for breakfast, I eat rather simply; but sometimes I get a craving for waffles. I especially like Belgian waffles. Even if I don't happen to have any fresh fruit in the house,I can use canned pie filling (like cherry or blueberry).

A couple dollops of sweet cream on top, some crisp bacon on the side. Yummy!

This is my Belgian waffle recipe that I've used for years. I like how the egg whites are added separately at the end; it really makes the waffles puff up nicely!

Belgian Waffles:

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

4 large eggs, separated

2 Tbl sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

4 Tbl butter, melted

2 cups milk

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt.

In a second bowl, use wooden spoon to beat together egg yolks and sugar until sugar is dissolved and eggs are pale yellow. Add vanilla extract, melted butter and milk and whisk to combine. Combine the egg/milk mixture with the flour mixture until just blended.

In a third bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Using a spatula, gently fold egg whites into waffle batter.

(This recipe says it make 8-10 waffles, but I'm not sure what they count as *1* waffle; My Belgian waffle iron is round and makes one big waffle with four quadrants. I'm not sure if they count each quadrant as *1* waffle? Anyway, I suppose it depends on your waffle iron and how big they are.)

Thanks for stopping by!

More Easter Decorating....

I stop in occasionally at Goodwill to drop off and donate clothes and shoes and other household items (whenever I get something new or new to me, like vintage dishes, small appliances or other things, I donate the 'old' stuff. For instance, I had a set of modern Pyrex nesting bowls in plain clear glass that I'd had for about 10 years. When I received a set of vintage Pyrex in the Butterprint pattern (HERE) for Christmas, a set that I had been desiring forever, the clear glass ones went to Goodwill. I don't keep what I don't need.)

 Erik and I are also slowly replacing our cookware in the kitchen. Most of my pots and pans are cheap stuff I've had forever...some of them are his as well, from his old bachelor apartment. We really like All-Clad stainless cookware, but it's very expensive, so we buy one pan at a time when we can afford it. When I get a new pan, the old one goes to Goodwill. I also go to Goodwill to shop for clothes, table linens, dishes and glass ware. I've found some great deals there, especially buying jeans. Although I have a million pairs of jeans, I always seem to want or need more of them and I can always find really cute jeans for cheap at our local Goodwill. I just bought a darling pair for $4.99 this week!  Of course, I'm always looking for shirts that have a vintage look, or pants that I can make into bellbottoms for Erik's band costumes as well.

This week I stopped in at Goodwill, looking for short-sleeved shirts with a vintage look for Erik for his summer gigs, and found a couple of cute things to add  to my Easter/Spring decor:

I saw these bunny and lettuce head Salt & Pepper shakers for 49 cents each and had to get them for my Easter table. So cute!

I also spotted a cheese dome with a white marble base, and snatched it up so I could use it as a cloche and make cute vignettes under the glass like I see so many other folks doing on their blogs. I love how cute and versatile they can be and was envious of everyone who had one!  For now, I put the nest I found in my yard last year (with faux eggs) under the glass and placed it on my silver tea tray. The cheese dome was $3.99

Some of my other Easter decor that I already have, which finally made it's way down from the attic:

My silver snail is now living in the mossy basket which made up the table centerpiece for last year's Easter table.

I bought these paper flower sheep last year after Easter on clearance at JoAnn's.

My simple spring centerpiece is ready to be part of my Easter table with the addition of some branches with yellow, pink and purple flowers.

My bunny wearing a Victorian schoolgirl dress recently got new pink ribbons for her ears and sash.

Many years ago when I was a young woman of twenty, I sewed this dress from a pattern I bought. The middy collar is simply a square Battenburg lace doily with a slit in the middle and sewed onto the neck opening. The muslin rag doll bunny was purchased as is. I actually bought several of these bunnies (they were sold by the same company as the dress pattern, which had been designed especially for this project) and I made several of them with different patterns of fabric and gave them as gifts. Two of them went to my grandmothers. This was the one I made for my Grandma Helen, which she kept in her bedroom; she passed away about a year later and then it went to my mom for a long time. Some years ago my mom asked me if I wanted it back, as a keepsake and I gladly said yes. I thought that I had lost or gotten rid of the dress pattern, but recently it turned up when  I re-organized my craft closet.

Thanks for stopping by! Today I'm joining The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays and
Marty at A Stroll thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday!

Easter Table Redux

I have an Easter tablescape planned, hopefully, for next week's Tablescape Thursday. Until then, I thought I'd re-post the table I did for Easter 2010  because I just loved it so much and it came together so nicely.

Erik and I will be hosting Easter dinner here at Le Beau Paon for his family and I am very excited for it. I can hardly wait to put together my tables. Yes, tables. I will have two tables set up since there will be 10 people and our dining room table only seats six comfortably. We are actually hosting Easter a week early, on Palm Sunday, because my in-laws are going to be traveling to Australia and are leaving the Thursday before Easter Sunday.

For my Easter table last year, I used this mossy basket as a centerpiece. I bought the basket at a charity booth at a local antique store, added the ribbon, some faux eggs and a resin "chocolate" bunny.

I used a color palette of green, cream, brown and a little yellow.

Each place setting got a chocolate Beatrix Potter bunny as a favor, purchased at the Dollar Store.

For fun: a slow gravy boat to China, filled with chocolate Peeps bunnies!

Thanks for stopping by!

I'll be linking to these parties:

Tablescape Thursday hosted by Susan and Between Naps on the Porch

Show & Tell Friday hosted by Cindy at My Romantic Home

Feathered Nest Friday hosted by Courtney at French Country Cottage

A Little Bit of Spring.......

So sorry for the dearth of posts in the last week here; I actually ran out of space for pictures for my blog, so I have some fixing to do!
We also were quite busy with some other necessary things this week; yard work, taxes...all that horrid stuff called "real life" that intrudes on my blogging time!
We also were meeting with some landscapers to discuss the possibility of putting in a patio this summer in our back yard. Unfortunately we learned that our entire back yard needs to be graded first and that to do things the right way, we should have the retaining wall and fence replaced at the same time that the yard is graded. The retaining wall and fence was planned for spring of 2012, so it looks like the patio will have to wait until next year now.
I'm all for trying to do things the 'right way'. I've learned from past mistakes (especially when it comes to big projects like this) that I should listen to the experts on things like this, even if it means I have to wait another year to have my patio.

In the meantime; we finally had a day when the temperature reached 50 degrees and the sun actually came out for a few hours. I used the time to start some spring cleaning in my flower gardens and inspect my perennials.
I also added a few spring decorations indoors to give my house a feeling of spring!

Some pillows with a green leafy pattern add a welcome spring feel to the living room.

A pretty green and white tassel with a white bird hangs on the china cabinet doors in the dining room. I bought this lovely tassel a year or so ago from Melanie at The Old White Cottage from her Etsy store.

I added some flowers and a bird to this twig and faux moss birdhouse which is sitting on the entry hall fireplace. Later I tucked a couple of faux bird eggs inside.

A sweet silver snail on a leaf ! ( Ugh, look at the spots where one of the previous owners spilled paint thinner on the mantel! Not a great picture!)

Of course, this is what it looked like outside on the day I took these pictures. Fortunately, it all melted the next day.

Olive wasn't too thrilled with the cloudy day; lying on her window perch without the sun slanting in is just not as fun.

Thanks for stopping by!