Wholemeal Waffles

How’s your June going? We’re happy to report that the store is OPEN.  The health and safety of our customers and employees is our highest priority. We’re limiting the number of customers inside the store at once and making sure that all employees and customers wear masks. We also have contactless checkout! We’re getting used to this new normal and working hard to make sure that all of our employees and customers stay safe and healthy. Thank you to all of our staff and customers for your ongoing support. It’s such a tough time for small businesses everywhere and we consider ourselves extremely lucky to have such loyal customers and employees. 

On a personal level, it makes me extremely sad to think about all of the businesses and restaurants that are struggling right now or have closed and may not reopen due to this pandemic. My father recently sent me an email outlining the difficulties and perils of running a small business, having read numerous articles on the subject in the last few months. I know for a fact that it is not easy. Running your own small business is a labor of love, but as I have witnessed, it is also rewarding in many intangible ways. We run into people all the time who have been to Paddy’s and have a story to tell.  So many people who met my mother-in-law have very specific memories of her from times they shopped in the store and I love how that helps to keeps her memory alive.  

 As someone who has always worked for companies or the government, there are so many things I take for granted, my 401(k), health insurance, predictable income.  This pandemic has also made me realize that while I enjoy the security that a corporate job offers, I don’t want to live in a world where amazon.com is the only place to shop, one where there are no local, one-of-a-kind, neighborhood restaurants. I don’t want to live in a world where we no longer have those places and experiences in common with others in our community. I don’t think anyone else does either. So I’m hopeful that one of the lasting changes that comes out of this pandemic is that we all appreciate and support local small businesses more. I know that I can do my part to spend more locally and I’m endeavoring to do that as things begin to open up here in Chicago.

Yikes! Not sure how I went from “Yay! The stores are open!” to the future of the American community, but I’m pretty sure I’d rather talk about waffles.  My kids would eat a hot, homemade breakfast every day if we weren’t always rushing out the door. So as you might imagine, we have been making waffles much more often ever since we started sheltering in place in March. I’ve made waffles with yeast, rice flour, various different mixes and mix-ins, and lately, these amazing waffles adapted from a recipe from Deb Perlman that was published in Bon Appetit. 

The original recipe calls for whole wheat flour and instant oats, Irish ingredients that I’ve got in spades. I substitute the whole wheat flour in the recipe for an equal amount of the Odlums coarse wholemeal flour that I’m obsessed with.  For the liquid, Deb uses plain yogurt, melted butter and an egg.  I’ve mixed that up a bit and usually use melted coconut oil, egg and either tofu or cottage cheese. I know, I know. Cottage cheese in waffles or pancakes is one thing but tofu? I got this idea from somewhere on the internet many years ago and I promise you, tofu waffles are SO good. They are also super nutritious and my kids have never noticed there is a whole bunch of tofu in there. #winning. I add a little bit of sugar and some warm spices because we are all fans of fruit, butter and syrup on waffles. The sugar and spices can be omitted if you want to make a savory version, which would be great, IMO, with eggs, bacon, cheese and hot sauce. 

Dry ingredients.

Add a little milk if the batter is too thick to spread, but not too much, it should end up being the consistency of cooked oatmeal (see below).

Don’t worry if your batter is lumpy and thick and hard to spread on the waffle iron. That’s how it should be!

This is how I weigh down my waffle maker.

Crispy tops.

Thanks to my brother-in-law John I am still on an Odlums kick. I actually had no idea that Oldums wholemeal flour came in “Coarse” and “Super Coarse” but I’m now the proud owner of a bag of super coarse, which I am super excited to try in this recipe.  I’m pretty sure I am going to love it even more than the regular coarse stuff. 

 One word of warning so that you don’t make the same mistake I did. Don’t undercook these. The first time I made them, the flavor was good but they were not crispy at all and kind of floppy, nothing like what I was expecting from my Odlums flour which usually adds a ton of texture and sturdiness.  After that, I made sure to weigh down the lid of my waffle maker and cook them for a long time. Problem solved. These should be really crunchy on the outside.  In fact, when made with cottage cheese, they come out with caramelized tops from the areas where little bits of cottage cheese come into contact with the waffle grid.  

Wholemeal Waffles

Ingredients

1 cup Odlums coarse wholemeal flour

½ cup quick cooking oats

½ tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

¼  tsp baking soda

¼  tsp pumpkin pie spice or mix of warm spices (e.g. ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, allspice etc.)

2 tbs sugar

1 cup cottage cheese, plain yogurt or soft tofu

1 large egg

2-3 tbs melted butter or melted coconut oil

Milk as necessary to loosen up the batter

Directions

1. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine thoroughly.

2. Add melted butter or oil to dry ingredients and mix until evenly incorporated.

3. Make an indent in the middle of the dry ingredients, add egg, tofu, yogurt, or cottage cheese and stir. 

4. If using yogurt, you may or may not need to add milk. If using cottage cheese or tofu, some milk will probably be needed to loosen up the batter. 

5. In any event, the batter should be THICK, about the consistency of oatmeal.

6. It’s not easy to spread it into the waffle maker because it should be sticky and thick so just do your best, it will be fine! 

7. I usually put a heavy ovenproof pot on top of my waffle maker to ensure maximum crisp.

Chocolate and Deviled Eggs, an Irish-American Easter

Confession.  My oldest is 6 and I have yet to put together a single Easter basket. There are a lot of reasons for this - other people, like my fabulous babysitter who always comes through, along with the kids’ Aunt, Uncle and Grandpa; my borderline compulsive need to eliminate all of the little plastic items in my house; and, most importantly, the simple fact that I’ve got enough mental load to carry without having to be the Easter bunny too. I call it prioritizing.

Semi-related: Just a little shout out to the parents of the kid at my son’s school who got $20 from the tooth fairy. NO. Just. NO.

I told my little guy that the kid meant 20 CENTS and should really be brushing up on his math more.

Whew. THAT felt good. Now back to Easter.

Giant Chocolate Eggs! On my wish list every single year. I know, I know, I should have posted this earlier, because there probably aren’t any left at the store. Not to worry though, you can get your fix of chocolates from across the pond at Paddy’s on the Square year round.

No Easter Baskets? Am I the worst Momma ever? If so, not for lack of Easter baskets. My kids have yet to complain - which is saying a lot - my son mastered the art of guilting me long, long ago.  I think that I probably have these giant chocolate Cadbury eggs to thank. It seems they are ubiquitous in Ireland and they are delicious, addictive really (I keep telling myself, “I’ll just have a teensy, tiny piece” but you know how that goes). John sells out of them at the store every year no matter how many he orders. It’s proof of his love for his nephew and nieces that he always sets aside a few for us.

Never too young to aggressively hoard candy. Especially when you are the fourth child.

Just because I don’t do Easter baskets, doesn’t mean I don’t do Easter with my little ones. I’d just rather spend the time and energy I have with them, instead of on gifts for them (and if you happen to do both, go you!).  So we made Cool Whip dyed eggs, twice, which only sort-of worked. We had a flashlight Easter egg hunt with the neighbors (shout out to my amazing neighbor-mom-friend who put in 100% of the mental and physical load on that one) and a lovely spring Easter dinner outside exactly one week before (and after!) it snowed here in Chicago.  

Flashlight egg hunt was SO much fun. Also, it’s important to accessorize appropriately.

Our Easter was a small gathering this year but so enjoyable and laid back.  We had Irish bacon and potatoes (duh) plus a few other delicious things - kale salad, sweet potatoes, lemon pie.  Everything was so good that we were sad instead of relieved when the leftovers were finally gone later in the week. My little helpers made deviled eggs with me and were so proud of their contribution to our meal. I was proud too - I know that cooking, like other kinds of art, is naturally appealing to kids, but I just love that all of mine enjoy cooking.  I’m not biased or anything, but they’re good at it too.

These could not be easier, even though there are about a BILLION variations on deviled eggs, I wanted to make the simple, classic ones.  You know, the ones from the church buffet line. We garnished them with a little sprinkle of paprika and some resilient chives that braved the long, cold winter and are still growing like gangbusters in our small garden.  

Classic Deviled Eggs

• 6 large eggs

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise

• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne

• ½ teaspoon of lemon juice

I don’t think you really need directions but here goes. Hard boil the eggs, or use your Cool Whip dyed eggs from last week. Peel and cut each egg in half,  scoop out the yolks, mix with mayo, mustard, cayenne and a squeeze of lemon. Find an almost-three-year-old to mash the yolks and stir the mixture until smooth. Spoon mixture into egg white halves or, if you want to be fancy, spoon mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and fill the egg white halves that way (4-year-olds can definitely do this! 2-year-olds can too if your going for the “deconstructed” look). Garnish with chives and paprika, or whatever. Eat with gusto, especially in front of your little assistants. Enjoy the smiles.

Boutique Bake Brown Bread Mix

Hello there! It’s been way too long. I know we’ve been cooking at our house because somehow food keeps appearing on the table at dinner time.  I’m just not quite sure what or how. Sound familiar? Because it is STILL winter here, and I’ve still got napping little ones, I’ve taken to making soup from the weeks leftovers on Sunday afternoons. I’m kind of loving this little ritual.  The relative quiet. Doing something with my hands. Letting my mind wander. Giving my sense of smell, taste and feel something to do other than sit on the sidelines as they do for most of the week. I enjoy it without any of the guilt I associate with sitting on the couch and watching netflix or shopping online or any of the other things (that I also enjoy!) that I could be doing with my Sunday afternoons.

Not that I should feel guilty for any of it, just that, honestly, I do. I blame my Dad (as wonderful and amazing as he is. Hi Dad!).  When I was a kid, my dad would walk in the room and immediately observe his surroundings.  If he saw that you weren’t engaged in something “productive” - reading, homework, cleaning etc. he would blurt out “What are you doing!?!” with urgency and more than a little distress. I would have instant regret at my foolishness for relaxing so openly.  It’s hard to tell whether it nature or nurture - and it’s surely both - but as I grew older, I internalized this sense of “What are you doing!?!” to the point where I say it to myself constantly. Having kids, and no free time has definitely toned down that voice in my head, but it is always there, somewhere. As much as it drives me crazy, I appreciate it too.  For the fact that it drives me. Even if it’s just to make soup.

My Sunday soup ritual does not involve any recipes.  Just throwing leftovers into a pot with stock really. But I have been supplementing the soup with some great  breads and bread mixes from Paddy’s on the Square. Like me, the kids love brown bread and using a mix makes it so easy.  I can make the soup and bake bread all at the same time. And if we don’t eat the soup and bread for dinner, I take the soup with me to work for weekday lunches and we enjoy the bread as toast in the mornings.

A couple of weeks ago, I made this Brown Bread mix from a Company called Boutique Bake.  It was beyond easy to throw together and came with this nice little packet of seed mix to throw on top of the loaf for even more texture and flavor.  We loved this bread. The only downside was how fast this loaf went at our house.

*Serves 12 should be taken with a grain of salt. It took 10 minutes for my clan of 6 to finish this off.

Just add milk…

one egg…

and the crunchy seed topping. Then your work is done. Put it in the oven.

Your only remaining job is to slather it with Irish butter and eat. Now, RELAX. You can do it!