Small Talk: Don't Tell Jeffrey!

[3pwood]

 

I actually saw an episode with Martha Stewart Cooking School where she featured corn this weekend, and she said that your preference for colors comes from where you grew up or live.  The east coast prefers yellow or bi-color, and the west coast prefers white.

 

I'm not about to argue with Martha Stewart, but I've found that the preference also has to do with one's age.  My husband & I are only a a few years younger than she & neither of us ever saw white corn as children or young adults, living in the midwest, the south, New England, & the west coast -- both of us prefer yellow because it tastes like the corn we grew up with. 

[annzeepark914]

I grew up in NYS and CT and as soon as I tried the white corn (wasn't it called Country Gentleman or "something silver"??), I discovered a new appreciation for corn on the cob.  However, eating corn on the cob has always bothered me due to my teeth being very tightly connected.  They'd ache afterward (despite brushing my teeth). That's why I love Ina's Confetti Corn--I can eat fresh corn w/o the misery that corn on the cob causes.

[3pwood]

 

That's why I love Ina's Confetti Corn--I can eat fresh corn w/o the misery that corn on the cob causes.

 

Or the need to wash butter off your face & out of your hair afterward.

[Lura]

I've lived on the West Coast for most of my adult life, and I don't see any preference for white corn out here.  Judging from what I see at the supermarket and the farmers market, yellow corn and mixed (yellow and white) seem to be what they carry.  I've eaten white corn, and I think it's delicious, but I disagree with Martha saying that it's a West Coast thing.  Sorry, Martha.  Nothing personal.

[annzeepark914]

Last night I caught the last 10 minutes of a new show: Bite This!  It's Nadia G (who used to cook on Bitchin' Kitchen).  I guess you could say it's a take off on Guy Fieri's Diners & Drive-ins or whatever that awful show is called.  She was in Burlington, VT, visiting restaurants, watching them prepare menu items they're known for.  I've made a note to watch it on Mondays at 10 PM.  We get a big kick out of Nadia and her unusual pals (especially the spice agent with the purposely unpronounceable name :)

Edited July 23, 2014 by annzeepark914

[chessiegal]

Dang, I forgot about Nadia's new show. She's such a hoot. I'll make a note to record it.

[LuckyBitch]

I also disagree with Martha about the corn. From an article about the first corn harvest one farmer had in NJ this year (in June):

The gamble has paid off again. His crop has good-sized full ears of white kernels, not the puny yellow ears often produced by some early sweet corn varieties.
 
"It's a nice tasting corn," DePalma said. "It took me a few years to find a good variety."

Also:  http://www.rt23.com/jersey_corn/index.shtml

One of the most delicious summer crops in New Jersey is the sweet white corn.
 

Sweet Corn is a delicacy found at the many farm stands that spring up every year along the highways and back roads of North Jersey. The silver queen hybrids are the most common type. They measure nine to ten inches long and have tight rows of milky white, small kernels. Sweet Corn begins appearing at roadside farm stands in New Jersey in late June.

 

Sweet corn needs a fertile, well-drained, moist soil. New Jersey's clay loam is ideal for sweet corn. Sweet corn ready to pick when the kernels are full and "milky" and the ear silks are drying and browning. Usually the corn is ready 18-24 days after silk first shows.

 
The unusual sweetness occurs because the silver queen and other sweet corn varieties do not turn the sugar into starch during growth. Sweet corn hybrids are produced to slow the conversion of sugar to starch after harvesting.

 

[annzeepark914]

Silver Queen!   Thanks LB...now I remember that corn, along with Country Gentlemen.  Loved 'em both!

 

Lawdy...for folks heading to Las Vegas, you may want to take a pass on the new Giada restaurant (interesting posts at the Giada forum!)  Now, in that vein, I wonder what an Ina G restaurant would look like.  For one thing, she wouldn't have phonetic pronunciation lessons in her menu!  I think Anthony Bourdain ought to open his own restaurant.  He could serve what he liked and ensure that the busboys, cook line folks were treated properly.  I read his first book...quite an eye opener.

[larapu2000]

Ooh, good topic!  I think an Ina restaurant would be a relaxed French bistro with great wine and simple recipes featuring local produce and meat.  Lots of eggs and chickens!

[Lura]

I think that Ina would skip breakfast and lunch and would serve only dinners at her bistro.  I see it as the kind of place where one might go before the theater or after.  It would have understated elegance.  Like her barn, it would contain touches of French and Belgian furnishings.  There would be lots of candlelight, lots of fresh lemons, and LOTS of alcohol both in her dishes and on the menu.  I don't see Ina actually doing the cooking.  I see her running the front of the house, greeting the regulars with air kisses.  You  would know that you "belonged" when Ina began to recognize you and awarded YOU with an air kiss! 

[Bastet]

And then she'd flit around from table to table, lest anyone have fun without her.

[vera charles]

Marylander here and we prefer bi-color at our house. White can be bland, yellow can be tough, but the mixed is just right. And the word from my corn man at my local farmer's market is that people say they like Silver Queen because they've heard other people say that. If they've had really good corn, they know there is a lot of corn that tastes better than Silver Queen.

[3pwood]

 

People say they like Silver Queen because they've heard other people say that. If they've had really good corn, they know there is a lot of corn that tastes better than Silver Queen.

 

Exactly, vera charles!  My area is full of trendy people who embrace the latest fad for its own sake -- just as some old folks may cling to what we're used to without giving new stuff a fair chance.  Nevertheless:  after 20+ years of careful comparisons, I do prefer yellow corn because it tastes more corny than the white (which seems to be just sweet).

[Jo Cooker]

We have a lot of corn grown here in Florida, but my favorite is definitely the Bi-color corn. I think it's a great combination of the best of each corn.

[annzeepark914]

Silver Queen isn't new--I remember it from the late 60's, early 70's.  The bi-color corn is sort of new; I like it the most.  You get the best of each color, all in one :)

 

I'm with Larapu...I see Ina having a bistro style restaurant with lots of American & French comfort foods, open for lunch & dinner (+ brunch on weekends!). Also, lots of excellent wines (including good house wines) and, of course, beautiful fresh flowers & casual table settings. Wish we had a place like this nearby--I'd be there all the time.  Maybe if Ina sees that Giada's able to own a restaurant & still have a life of her own, Ina may just want to give it a whirl too. You never know with the BC.

 

 

 

[orchidgal]

I'd go to Ina's restaurant!  I can even see the place in my mind: warm woods, soft whites, and white and green flowers.  Black and white photos or clean contemporary paintings adorn the walls, likely propped up on rails mounted on the walls.  A large fireplace would crackle merrily on one wall, and large windows would overlook a beautiful garden filled with hydrangeas, tulips, herbs.  Guests could eat out on the stone patio in warmer weather.*  Unpretentious, just like Ina.

 

*Do you think I can get a percentage for helping Ina design her "restaurant?"

[vera charles]

No, Silver Queen corn isn't new. It's been around for decades and many people still ask for it by name. But in the last 20 years or so, there have been many new varieties developed that taste a lot better. I think the guy I was quoting from the farmer's market gets irritated because he grows fantastic yellow, white and bi-color corn, but people still come up to him asking for Silver Queen.

 

I think Ina's restaurant would be a bistro setting, like she and Jeffrey visit in Paris. The decor would be similar to her house and the barn - neutral colors, natural wood and stone, plenty of beige and white with little touches of her favorite, orange. Love the fireplace, windows and stone patio, @orchidgal. Ina should definitely consult with you when she starts the decorating process. : )

[annzeepark914]

I was just in Harris Teeter and checked the frozen entrees for BC on sale...nada!  All gone.  Got a bag of her beef stew at Safeway the other day for $6.99.  I'll miss those delicious, quick meals.

 

Lately, I've been shopping at Trader Joe's every week--it's near where I get an allergy shot (hurry up winter!). Love that place.  I bought a package of lemon pappardelle & used the recipe on the bag that called for sauteing shrimp in olive oil, garlic & lemon juice;  then you toss in the just cooked pasta.  I also tossed in a tiny amount of white wine (have no idea what--I keep small leftovers in plastic containers in the fridge) & some dried red pepper flakes.  It was soooo delicious that late that night I opened the Tupperware bowl & got out a piece of shrimp.  It was so good even cold;  then I got a piece of the pasta...just as wonderful.  Found my new sinfully delicious but home-made fast food dinner.  I also discovered their sliced Tuscan bread and keep it in the freezer until I want to make grilled cheese or bruschetta or just toast it for breakfast.  The other day they were passing out slivers of pretzel bread with some Wine Country Chicken Salad on it (reminded me of Waldorf salad with chicken).  I bought a container and put it on a slice of toasted Tuscan bread when I got home.  I never realized how many goodies TJ's has until I started stopping by once a week and trying new things.

[Lura]

Annzeepark914, I LOVE TJ's.  It's too bad that Ina doesn't have one in East Hampton.  I'd think she would love it.  Think of the options  it would open to her if she had access to some of their products!

[larapu2000]

Ooh, I love Trader Joe's, too! I moved out of Chicago to live in a small city in Indiana that is wonderful in so many ways....but the one exception is high end groceries to buy cool food.  Waaah.

 

I was watching Ina on an old episode where she makes sour cream coffee cake, and she's using Swan's Down cake flour, which is my personal brand of choice, and that got me thinking....what supermarket or regional brands do you guys swear by?  I always try to buy local produce, meat, etc, whenever I can, but when that's not an option, what are some recommendations?

 

I am firmly in the Barilla pasta camp, I prefer Kraft string cheese over Sargento (there's a buttery-er flavor, even though fresh cheese curds are better and are proof that God loves us very, very much).  Hershey's Cocoa, Lawry's Seasoned Salt, Johnsonville Sausage, Land O'Lakes better (I never buy generic, me likey butterfat).  We make cornbread stuffing at Thanksgiving, and we always use Jiffy cornbread mix, Outshine fruit bars, I come in on the Kraft side of the mayo war.  The 2-3 times a year when I make a hot dog at home, it's Vienna or Hebrew National.  I like Tillamook for the cheddar on my cheese platters, and I think Golden Grahams is the greatest cereal ever invented.  If I can't have fresh, Country Time owns lemonade mixes, and Kool Aid Tropical Punch > all other Kool Aid flavors.  When it comes to PB,  I like Jif Naturals Creamy.

 

What do you guys rely on?

Edited July 31, 2014 by larapu2000

[Bastet]

I'm mostly going to go off the things you've mentioned, but I'm sure I'll think of more later:

 

Land o' Lakes is the only sweet cream butter I like (I prefer cultured cream).  It was the America's Test Kitchen recommendation for sweet cream butter, and I concur.  It's what I cook with, because cultured cream butter is expensive, so I save that for buttering toast, a bagel, etc. -- if butter is a star, I use cultured cream, but if it's just an ingredient, I use sweet cream.

 

Barilla was my go-to for dried whole wheat pasta, and not just because it's cheaper than the boutique brands - I like it better, too.  But then the CEO made sexist and homophobic statements, and I opted to stop buying it.  I miss it, and will be really happy if he - or someone else in the family - makes an actual apology rather than the half-assed one he eventually eked out. 

 

Best Foods (Hellman's) mayo is the only commercial mayo I like (I don't like Kraft at all, and don't get me started on the abomination that is Miracle Whip), and I love it - in fact, better than homemade.

 

For canned artichoke hearts, I used to buy Maria's, but then I tried the Ralphs' (Kroger) store brand and was just as happy.

 

I also love Ralphs' brand of organic milk - Simple Truth.  Horizon I like, too, but it usually goes off before I can drink the whole thing.

 

For hot dogs, Nathan's is my favorite, but I also like Vienna and Hebrew National.

 

Tillamook cheddar, yes, especially with Gallo Italian dry salame on a Milton's "everything" cracker.  When I'm not getting all local and artisanal, that's what I snack on. 

 

When I make my dad peanut butter cookies from his mom's recipe each Christmas, I use Skippy (chunky) because that turns out to make much better cookies than the "good" peanut butter I have.

 

And I freakin' love Kraft macaroni & cheese.  It's a box of chemicals, so I don't eat it often, but it's my favorite processed food splurge.

 

Kirkland (Costco's brand) extra virgin olive oil - delicious, affordable and, as discussed before, per UC Davis researchers it's actually olive oil (rather than being adulterated with cheaper, refined oils).

[3pwood]

Barilla was my go-to for dried whole wheat pasta, and not just because it's cheaper than the boutique brands - I like it better, too.  But then the CEO made sexist and homophobic statements, and I opted to stop buying it.  I miss it, and will be really happy if he - or someone else in the family - makes an actual apology rather than the half-assed one he eventually eked out. 

 

Me too, Bastet -- & it's not hard to boycott them because I really can't tell the difference between brands.  Trader Joe's has good wholewheat corkscrews & a local chain grocery carries Ronzoni wholewheat lasagna noodles, both fairly cheap -- my husband prefers "regular" spaghetti & macaroni, which I can get all over town for $1 or less.  When feasible, I choose Bertolli because of their delightful ad.

[Bastet]

Yes, I loved Bertolli's response ad!  Unfortunately, I don't like their pasta (at least not their whole wheat pasta, which is what I eat).  I was not a fan of Ronzoni, either, but it has been quite some time since I tried it (once I discovered Barilla, I stuck with that since on sale it's only $1!) so I'll have to try that again.  I've been eating Del Allo mostly.

[annzeepark914]

Having favorite brands (especially the ones from our childhood) is great...until the supermarkets stop stocking them, like Greenwood Pickled Beets (don't give me Aunt Nellie's...they're nasty looking!)

 

I was never a hot dog fan (being a burger girl) until my sister served Sabrette's hot dogs one night at a family picnic reunion.  It was love at first sight (they're hard to find).  Not only are they tasty, they're made in The Bronx :>)  After she steams them, she sautes them in a little butter. Speaking of butter:  I buy the store brand 'cause LOL is too expensive for someone who can't tell the difference (y'all really can tell the difference?)    Same with pasta...altho' I found Barilla to be too floury (thus making their cooking water rather pasty) so I buy anything but Barilla (what in the world did that CEO say?)  B&M Baked Beans in the little glass jar - the only baked beans I'll buy (only available here at Harris Teeter).  I've been a Del Monte canned tomato fan for years.  Unfortunately, I can't find plain ol' diced tomatoes in that brand around here...it's either petite diced tomatoes (very dry, no juice IMO) or diced tomatoes w/ basil & garlic or jalapeno or something else.

 

English muffins must be Thomas's (the original) and I use a fork to separate the muffin to protect the nooks' and crannies' creation.  Love Jiffy cornbread mix...every once in a while I'll make the cornbread and as soon as it comes out of the oven, I put butter on top so that it melts all over. Then cut a big piece and put blackberry jam on it--yum!  Aw now I'm craving warm cornbread with butter & jam.  One more for the road: my new favorite vanilla yogurt is Oikos Greek style (also, Yoplait makes a good vanilla Greek yogurt as well...neither one is OTT sweet).  Fun thread, larapu2000.

 

 

[Bastet]

Speaking of butter:  I buy the store brand 'cause LOL is too expensive for someone who can't tell the difference (y'all really can tell the difference?)

 

All sweet cream butter I'd tried tasted pretty much the same to me, so I was using Kirkland because it was cheapest.  Then I saw the ATK segment where Land o' Lakes was the only sweet cream butter the testing panel and audience really liked (they were cultured cream fans like me), and decided to give it a whirl.  With that one, I can tell a difference.  The rest, not so much.

 

Having favorite brands (especially the ones from our childhood) is great...until the supermarkets stop stocking them

 

Or the manufacturer discontinues them, which has happened to me several times.  Oh, Snapple peach lemonade, how I still miss you so.  Remember those commercials where the Snapple Lady would respond to customers' letters by sending a truck full of the stuff to their house?  When they first took peach lemonade (which tasted like a Fuzzy Navel, minus the booze) off the market, I gave more than a moment's thought to writing a letter asking that all remaining bottles be sent to me.  Sugar content be damned - that stuff was good!

 

Yeah, yeah - I can make my own.  It's not the same.

Edited August 1, 2014 by Bastet

[larapu2000]

One more for the road: my new favorite vanilla yogurt is Oikos Greek style (also, Yoplait makes a good vanilla Greek yogurt as well...neither one is OTT sweet)

 

I like Chobani or Fage when it comes to Greek yogurt.  I usually buy plain yogurt and use honey and add some fruit and granola, but every once in a while I get crazy and buy peach.  I like the peach/pistachio "flip" things from Chobani.  Also, if you're ever feeling lazy for a party, just use plain Greek yogurt and Hidden Valley Ranch dip mix, I think it's better than a full fat mayo/sour cream based dip.  (I have to believe this in order to lose weight)

 

Dammit, you guys, I forgot about the Barilla CEO being a homophobe!  And I just bought 4 boxes of pasta because they were on sale for $1.  Uggghhh.

 

I never go to Costco because I'm a single girl, but I've heard about their olive oil.  I always buy a Spanish olive oil, I think it's better than Italian or Greek.  

 

And, since we were talking about jam/jelly a few weeks ago, SURE-JELL and Ball jars all the way!

[Bastet]

I like Chobani or Fage when it comes to Greek yogurt.  I usually buy plain yogurt and use honey and add some fruit and granola, but every once in a while I get crazy and buy peach.  I like the peach/pistachio "flip" things from Chobani.  Also, if you're ever feeling lazy for a party, just use plain Greek yogurt and Hidden Valley Ranch dip mix, I think it's better than a full fat mayo/sour cream based dip.  (I have to believe this in order to lose weight)

 

As someone who despises "regular" yogurt, and can only handle Greek yogurt as an ingredient masked by many other things, I give a thumbs-up to Fage.  I'm never going to just eat it out of the carton or with some fruit mixed in, but as part of a base for other flavorings, it works. 

 

For dips, I use a half sour cream/half mayo base.  Here is where it gets interesting - I hate sour cream, too.  So I use fat-free Knudsen as the sour cream half (I tried Daisy once and it was particularly disgusting, even with full fat) - because if I don't like it anyway and am cutting it with the good stuff, I might as well eliminate the fat, and this brand of fat-free sour cream tastes equally disgusting, but not moreso, than its full-fat counterpart - and good ol' regular* Best Foods as the mayo half.  The mayo plus the flavors of my dip counteract the sour cream.

 

*I used to love the canola version of Best Foods mayo - it tasted very close to the real thing, but they did away with that, and all their remaining lower-fat options now rely heavily on vinegar, which I hate, and makes it taste like mayo mixed with mustard, which I also hate.  I tried the olive oil version, because I love olive oil, but that tasted like crap, too.  So mayo is on my list of "just go with it" foods - I'd rather look for ways to use less but enjoy what I'm using than substitute with something I don't like. 

 

Same with cheese - low-fat cheese can miss me; I'll just eat less.

[Lura]

For fear of boring you with nearly every product on the grocery shelves, I'll limit my comment to mayonnaise.  I far prefer my own homemade mayo to any variety sold in the store.  If I'm really pinched for time, I turn to Hellman's/Best Foods as a backup. There's a purity and a clear, clean taste to my homemade mayo that I can't get from any of the brand names.  I always think that a restaurant is super good if they take the time to make their own mayo.

[vera charles]

I like Oikos yogurt, Hellman's olive oil mayonnaise, and Breakstone sour cream. The other Greek yogurts are too thick, the other mayonnaise doesn't taste right, and Daisy sour cream has a weird texture. So much of this stuff is personal preference, but those are my preferences.

 

My favorite junky snack food is All-Dressed potato chips, which are made by Lay's but only sold in Canada. My husband's co-worker's parents live in Nova Scotia, so whenever she visits them, she brings me back several bags. Then I have to make them last as long as I can. We have part of one bag on hand right now, then that will be it until Christmas. : (  No idea why they won't sell them in the US and I refuse to pay shipping to order them online, so they remain a magical, every-once-in-a-while treat.

[LuckyBitch]

• Land O'Lakes Unsalted Whipped Butter
• Breakstone's Reduced Fat Sour Cream
• Chobani Greek Yogurt (all flavors, plus the Flips)
• Trader Joe's Reduced Guilt Chunky Guacomole (made with Greek Yogurt)
• Hellman's/Best Foods Light Mayonnaise
• Grey Poupon Mustard
• Inglehoffer Stone Ground Mustard
• Hunt's 100% Natural No High Fructose Corn Syrup Ketchup
• Edy's/Dreyer's Ice Cream (Slow Churned)
• Skippy Chunky Peanut Butter
• Thomas' English Muffins
• Cascadian Farms Granola
• Barilla Pasta
• Trader Joe's Reduced Carb Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas
• Trader Joe's Frozen Vegetables:

            Grilled Eggplant & Zucchini Melange

            Country Potatoes w/Haricots Verts & Wild Mushrooms

            Cauliflower Romanesco Basilica

            Green So Bean

            Eggplant & Zucchini, Marinated & Grilled

            Spearean Risotto

            Mushroom Risotto

• Harvestland Chicken Burgers and Chicken Sausage
• Peet's Coffee
• Silk Unsweetened Almond/Coconut Milk
• Sensible Portions Garden Veggie Straws 
• Garden of Eatin' Blue Corn Tortilla Chips
• Food Should Taste Good Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips
• Wild Riceworks Sea Salt and Black Sesame Rice Crisps

[larapu2000]

Food Should Taste Good Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips

 

What in the world did we ever do before Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips were invented?  I can't buy them, because I will literally eat the whole bag. 

[Bastet]

•Garden of Eatin' Blue Corn Tortilla Chips

 

I love those!

 

For potato chips, I'm addicted to Kettle.  To the point that I will only buy it if someone will be sharing it with me, as otherwise I will eat the whole bag.  I am a salty/crunchy snack person, and potato chips are my kryptonite.  Kettle has so many good flavors: sweet onion, sriracha, spicy Thai, jalapeño jack, sour cream & onion, sea salt & black pepper, not to mention the plain ol' sea salt chip.  Man, I'm having a craving now!

[LuckyBitch]

@Bastet, my husband has been into those chips lately. They taste good but the only thing that gets me is that when you're done with the bag there's this greasy coating all over the bag and a bit of grease in the bottom. I never in my life have seen that with any other brand of potato chips. My husband has a simple solution for this; he told me just don't look in the bag, lol.

[vera charles]

I just got my oatmeal raisin cookie recipe out and there is a post it stuck to it. They are my husband's favorite cookies and he wondered why they tasted markedly different from one batch to the next, so he started paying attention to exactly what ingredients I used. He found that the ones he liked best were made with Safeway Lucerne store-brand butter, instead of Land O' Lakes. Use unsalted, then add the 1/2 teaspoon of salt that's listed in the recipe. The butter and sugar should be beaten longer than two minutes to incorporate enough air. I didn't think there was enough difference to warrant all of his research, but since he did it, I make them the way he identified and they do taste good. I had forgotten that I had the details in writing.

[Lura]

Two weeks ago, I rediscovered a treat I'd had when I was a kid --- potato sticks!  My mother refused to buy them.  For her, it was potato chips only.  My widowed grandma liked to have me over for lunch, and the first time I went, she asked me ahead of time what I'd like to eat.  I said "peanut butter and jelly sandwich."  Grandma made the sandwich on cracked wheat bread, something I'd never eaten, and I thought it was wonderful.  But the big surprise was when Grandma set out a bowl of potato sticks!  Did she know that I couldn't have them at home?  I'll never know.  Somehow, over the years, I forgot all about them, but two weeks ago, the memory returned to me.  I bought two small cans of them, and I'm in potato stick heaven!

 

My other favorite snack is ice cold celery sticks filled with peanut butter.  After two of those, I'm filled with energy again.

[annzeepark914]

Ohhh...potato sticks!  This brings back a memory for me too.  One of my neighborhood playmates invited me over for lunch and his mom served potato sticks along with our sandwiches.  I'd never seen them before and asked my mom to get them - loved potato sticks!  Celery sticks with peanut butter in them and raisins placed along the top (Bugs In A Log)--Girl Scout campfire appetizer!

 

Kids who have meals at other kids' homes really do discover new foods, don't they?  I also remember my first recipe request, back when I was spending the weekend at another friend's home and her mom served apple crisp w/ vanilla ice cream for dessert.  I was over the moon in love with apple crisp and the next day asked for the recipe (still have that piece of paper with the recipe written down in my awful script).

[Lura]

Speaking of Girl Scout camp, I loved the campfires and the bedtime snacks of s'mores.  All these years later, s'mores are still popular, and I think you can even buy a s'mores maker (which, IMHO, takes all the fun out of making them)!   At one of her parties, Ina had her guests make s'mores for dessert.  I always thought that s'mores weren't good until the marshmallows were charred black.  The bitter taste was delicious, I thought, in contrast to the sweet chocolate and gooey insides of the marshmallows. 

[larapu2000]

Kids who have meals at other kids' homes really do discover new foods, don't they?  I also remember my first recipe request, back when I was spending the weekend at another friend's home and her mom served apple crisp w/ vanilla ice cream for dessert.  I was over the moon in love with apple crisp and the next day asked for the recipe (still have that piece of paper with the recipe written down in my awful script).

 

 

I was always jealous of kids that got Jell-O cake on their birthday.  I love my mother, and I appreciate that she made cakes from scratch for our birthdays, but she always made some Italian cream cake, and I never liked it.  I wanted Jell-O cake with whipped cream on top, dammit!  My mom and aunt used to make a chocolate pound cake for each other for their birthdays, and I always preferred that to the damn cream cake-it was a bundt, and it didn't need a stitch of icing.  It was also when I realized the magic of chocolate+coffee for the win.

 

I had a close friend in high school whose mom made the world's greatest Italian beef.  I was always dying to eat at his house because it was so good.  Years later, I was telling her this and she told me that the magic ingredient is Good Seasons Italian dressing mix.  LOL, I was a little crestfallen.

[vera charles]

When I was a kid, my brother, sister and I always asked for Marbled Poundcake for our birthday cake. It's a chocolate and vanilla swirled poundcake, made in a bundt pan, with no icing. None of us really have a sweet tooth and we always scrape off any icing that is present. My mom still says she got shortchanged, since she loved to decorate cakes but none of us would eat the icing!

[larapu2000]

I just scored big at the Macy's Labor Day sale and got a $70 waffle maker for the sweet, sweet tune of $20.  It's a beautiful, deep Belgian style waffle maker.  Does anyone have any recipe recommendations or tips?  I'm a single gal, so I'm going to make lots of waffles in a batch and then freeze them.

[MargeGunderson]

I just scored big at the Macy's Labor Day sale and got a $70 waffle maker for the sweet, sweet tune of $20.  It's a beautiful, deep Belgian style waffle maker.  Does anyone have any recipe recommendations or tips?  I'm a single gal, so I'm going to make lots of waffles in a batch and then freeze them.

My favorite recipe is the essential raised waffles on the Smitten Kitchen website. The batter needs to sit overnight but they are totally worth it. So light on the inside and crispy on the outside. Maybe I should make waffles this weekend......

[LazyToaster]

Ok, this is not as upscale as Ina would do... But, on one of the cooking shows (can't remember which one) they made waffle batter from a brownie mix for dessert. Looked yummy to me, but I may have just been craving chocolate.

It was said to make the brownie batter according to the box plus add one egg, then cook in the waffle iron. I was thinking it would be great served warm with ice cream.

Ok, where's my chocolate?

[Lura]

Larapu, congrats on snagging that waffle maker!  Have you checked Epicurious.com for a Belgian waffle recipe?  Their recipes are generally delicious.  ((I can't search for you while I'm on this site because of the convoluted way I have to get here, but you could try it.)  Also, if you Google "Belgian waffle" I think you will see a site with info about the original Belgian waffle (interesting) and, I think, the original recipe.  It's been years since I visited that site, so my memory is a little hazy.

[larapu2000]

I used this one tonight, and it made VERY tasty, crunchy waffles!  I think the whipped egg whites and massive amounts of butter is the key.  For a sauce, I drizzled caramel over the waffles, salted it, then heated up some Nutella with chocolate syrup, and finished with whipped cream.  INSANE.  However, it might have been a bit TOO sweet, so I want to try those Essential Raised Waffles, but I'm worried because it says to use a shorter waffle iron than a traditional Belgian one.  

 

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/true-belgian-waffles

 

It made about 10-12 waffles, though, and they turned out great!  I have about 9 in the freezer now, thinking about my next concoction, which I think will be bacon and my peach habanero jam (which turned out a little runny, which makes it perfect for waffles/pancakes/ice cream toppings).  I think I might also finally try the chicken and waffles thing.  I'm not a chicken/biscuit fan because where's the sauce? but think maybe tossing a fried chicken piece in honey over the waffle might work for me.

[Lura]

I wish I could return to a now-defunct waffle house in San Francisco where I had the most delicious pecan waffle I've ever tasted.  Dripping with melted butter and maple syrup, it was a thing of beauty and decadence!  Lines formed around the block with hungry patrons every day of the week and especially on the weekends.  That place should have been allowed to live on forever.  The only thing it served was waffles, but so many varieties.  Choosing just one was a major dilemma.

[Bastet]

I made waffles for dinner tonight thanks to this thread.  Waffles for dinner was a treat growing up - my dad was not a big fan of them (for breakfast), so it was something my mom and I really enjoyed when he was out of town, and eating them for dinner felt special.  

 

My dad has repaired their ancient waffle iron twice, because my mom rightly insists an equivalent replacement simply cannot be bought today.  Mine is an inferior modern offering, but it still turns out tasty waffles. 

 

I only make breakfast on the weekends, and it's usually an egg white dish with pancakes, French toast or waffles as the occasional treat, but reading multiple posts about waffles meant I couldn't wait for breakfast.  Yum! 

[vera charles]

We have a Waring Pro Waffle maker, like the ones you see on hotel breakfast bars. My husband used to travel a lot for business and those hotel waffles were his favorites. Once he stopped travelling so much, he treated himself to a waffle maker. It does make really good waffles, I'll give it that.

[Lura]

We came in to owning our Sunbeam waffle maker in a surprising way.  My husband stopped by the Toyota dealership one day just to see the new line of cars.  A few weeks later, we received a letter from Toyota directing us to a website and informing us that we'd won $200. worth of gifts, all free.  My husband thought it was a joke, but I went there and found a treasure trove of pages and pages of beautiful, name brand items.  I chose leather wallets for my brothers for Christmas and all sorts of goodies.  Since our waffle maker had died a couple of years previously, I chose the only one they offered and felt lucky to have it!  It turns out beautiful, yummy waffles every time.  Needless to say, I never mind when my husband goes out to do "men things" because who knows what he'll find -- as long as it isn't a 20-year-old beauty!

Edited September 13, 2014 by Lura

[larapu2000]

We have a Waring Pro Waffle maker, like the ones you see on hotel breakfast bars. My husband used to travel a lot for business and those hotel waffles were his favorites. Once he stopped travelling so much, he treated himself to a waffle maker. It does make really good waffles, I'll give it that.

As a current business traveller, I am with your husband.  My sister had a job where she travelled frequently, but then had about 4 years when she wasn't, and when she came back out on the road, she called me at 7am from a hotel breakfast bar to ask me why I had not told her about the waffle makers!  Evidently, they weren't really a "thing" before.  LOL.  It's the little things.  Plus, there is always peanut butter on those breakfast bars so you can put that on your waffle for some extra protein.

[Lura]

Peanut butter on waffles.  I guess that would work.  I love a piece of hot toast with p.b. spread over it right away so it melts.  If it's good on toast, it must be even better on a waffle.  Do you eat it just that way or use a syrup of some kind?  I can't quite wrap my mind around maple syrup and p.b., but a fruit syrup would taste good, I imagine.