One of my wife’s favorite foods is a waffle. Until recently, one of the wisest investments we made was in the waffle iron we bought. It is one of those waffle makers that takes all the guesswork out of making waffles. The only challenge was the first batch getting them to the proper level of crispness for my boo. That accomplished, which for her was between a 4 and a 5, the rest was a cakewalk. You plug it in and it beeps when it is properly heated. Put in the batter and close the lid and it beeps when your waffle is done. Perfectly prepared waffles every time. The main problem I have is that sometimes I put a bit too much batter in and then it overflows and I have to clean up the overflow once her waffle is done. Life, like a waffle does not always go smoothly or seem to come out perfectly.
Watching my wife drool and moan as she dreamingly devoured two buttermilk waffles smothered in melted butter and syrup, she asked me if I was going to have one. No. don’t get me wrong, waffles can be awesome. And every once in a while, I can have a waffle the way she likes them, but most times, if I am going to have a waffle, I have to do something to it. Like one day, I added blueberries and ricotta cheese to my waffle batter. Oh my, those were so good. Especially when I would come to this little pocket of ricotta cheese and then a blueberry. It was almost like eating a cross between a blintz and a waffle.
But my favorite way to eat a waffle is with some shredded cheddar cheese and some salsa mixed into the batter. So it is kind of like this quesadilla waffle. Sometimes I will hold the salsa, just add some taco meat, cheese, diced jalapenos, onions, and tomatoes to the batter, and then put salsa on top, kind of like the syrup. There really is no right way to eat a waffle.
Now I want to eat a waffle. LOL Until recently, I had this traditional view of what a waffle looked like. Even if I was adventurous with what I put in it, I had a clear vision of what it should look like. Then I was introduced to Waffle Puffs, or Bubble Waffles. From what I understand these are an emerging food trend which started in Hong Kong and is spreading around the world. I have begun seeing them in social media. So I was excited when Pampered Chef came out with their own Waffle Puff Pan.
One of the things which caught my attention is that the thickness and shape allows them to be flexible enough to hold ice cream or frozen yogurt in a cone shape as well as to lie flat on a plate with a diversity of purposes. Another thing I love is that while the waffle itself is round, the pan is square, so if there is any overflow it stays in the pan, giving me one less thing to clean up. Unlike my electric one, which I still use, the Waffle Puff Pan works on the stovetop and has a long handle to keep my hands away from the burner and to keep the handle from getting too hot.
Anyway, that being said as I watched my wife eat her waffle tonight, I realized that life is like a waffle. Your life is about who you are and a statement of your authentic self. Some of us are softer on the outside then others. Some of us are thinner and others of us are thicker. Some of us are sturdier and some of us are more flexible. My wife loves crunch on everything she eats from pizza to bagels to waffles. There has to be that initial crunch which gives way to a completely different texture. Others like their waffles softer and fluffier throughout. Some of us are more traditional (just give me your basic waffle with butter and syrup) and some of us are on the creative side (who said you can’t have waffle nachos).
Regardless of how you like your waffles to taste and feel, there are some basics across all waffles. They have all these nooks or puffs and crannies. I think there is a need for the ridges and the recesses in a waffle. If waffles were not waffled, then they would be pancakes. However, that waffled texture is like life. There are ups and downs. And each is important. Because regardless of what you put on top of your waffle (butter, salsa or something else), it accumulates in those little pockets. That is where a good deal of life happens in those little pockets.
It is in our approach to these little pockets of life that are most telling about us as human beings. Whether we are using a traditional waffle pan or a waffle puff pan, we need those elevated places so we can look back and be grateful for how far we have come and our time in the ridges of life.
Waffles, like people, come in a diversity of flavors, shapes, sizes, and textures. You can make them from scratch or pop them in a toaster. And how we like our waffles can change over time. For the longest, my wife was a devotee of Eggo’s waffles, but now she her love for waffles is limited to Belgian waffles and they must be made using the recipe on the side of the Bisquick box. No deviations I learned recently because otherwise they may not taste the same. Isn’t’ that too just like life? Some people like consistency and others like a little adventure every now and then.
To add a Waffle Puff Pan to your tools in the kitchen visit https://www.pamperedchef.com/pws/sharonjacobson