Tomorrow is National Waffle Day! I know I’ve been mentioning a lot of these national food holidays around here, but it’s hard to ignore a day that celebrates waffles!

Waffles hold a special place in my heart because a) they are delicious, b) they remind me of breakfasts with my Dad and, c) they make me think of Shrek, which seeing that in theaters is a whole other classic family memory that I won’t get into right now.

Waffles are usually sweet and if that’s what you’re in the mood for I have my Triple Berry Waffles and Churro Waffles with Raspberry Sauce recipes posted on the blog. However, savory waffles are equally as delicious, as I discovered with my eggs benedict cheddar scallion waffles. Since I’ve been busy making a lot of dessert recipes lately I figured Matt and I should celebrate National Waffle Day with something savory. I dug into my Food Network Magazine binder archives and found the recipe for these Cornbread Cheddar Waffles with Scrambled Eggs from Kelsey Nixon.

I love the addition of cornmeal in these waffles! It’s so smart and such a perfect way to help waffles cross over into the savory category. I’m even thinking of going back to my eggs benedict waffle recipe and experimenting with adding cornmeal. The cornmeal also adds a nice texture to the waffles. Sharp cheddar gets mixed into the waffle batter as well, although we are setting aside some for the top of the waffle to get all melted and gooey under the scrambled eggs.

The scrambled eggs are soft with scallions cooked in to give them some extra flavor. I also like to add a little milk or cream cheese when I’m scrambling eggs to keep them moist and fluffy. If you have never had eggs piled high on a savory waffle then you are missing out! What’s your favorite way to eat waffles?

Cornbread Cheddar Waffles with Scrambled Eggs

 

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Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided
• 10 large eggs
• 1¼ cups buttermilk (see note)
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon milk or cream cheese, optional
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced
• Salt and pepper
• Cooking spray

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix in 1 cup of the cheddar cheese. In a medium mixing bowl, beat 2 of the eggs until small bubbles form. Whisk in the buttermilk and vegetable oil. Add the wet ingredients to the large mixing bowl with the flour and stir until just combined.
2. Coat waffle iron with cooking spray and preheat. Pour enough batter to fill the waffle iron without it overflowing and cook until golden brown. Repeat with the remaining batter. Place cooked waffles on a wire cooling rack so they don’t get soggy.
3. When the waffles are almost done, make the scrambled eggs. Whisk the remaining eggs in a large bowl until small bubbles form. Whisk in the milk or cream cheese, if using. Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add the beaten eggs and the scallions. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stir and flip with a spatula until just set. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.
4. When the waffles are done, preheat the broiler. Place the waffles on a baking sheet then scatter the remaining cheddar cheese over top. Broil until the cheese melts, about 1 minute. Remove from the oven and top with the scrambled eggs. Serve warm.

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 Recipe from September 2017 issue of Food Network Magazine.

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Lauren Uncategorized 6 Comments

Since I already posted the Classic Ice Cream Cake recipe this summer I wasn’t planning on posting another ice cream cake, but I got the urge to make it so here we are. This right here is a Black Raspberry and Lemon Cream Pie Ice Cream Cake. This cake is my absolute favorite non-chocolate ice cream cake I’ve ever made. It’s fruity, tart, sweet, creamy and so so so good.

Ice cream cakes are all about the layering so let’s dive in. On the bottom we have a layer of soft lady fingers. You could do a graham cracker layer instead, following directions from the Classic Ice Cream Cake, but I like having a little bit of cake texture with the lemon and black raspberry flavors. Next we have black raspberry ice cream followed by a layer of the Lemon Cream Pie Dip from Monday. The combination of these two together is crazy delicious!

I also added in a middle layer of graham cracker crunch to give the cake some texture and a little saltiness. Next up, a final layer of black raspberry ice cream and fresh whipped cream. Yum! You could make extra whipped cream and frost the sides, but I went the easier, pile-on-top route this time around.

I was initially going to try making this in a loaf pan so it would be a small cake. I took one look at all the different components and decided this needed to be full-sized to really get enough of each layer. I’m so glad I did because not having leftovers of this Black Raspberry and Lemon Cream Pie Ice Cream Cake would be a very sad day.

If you want additional tips for making a perfectly layered ice cream cake, head over to my Classic Ice Cream Cake post. Meanwhile, I’ll be over here trying to convince myself I shouldn’t immediately run out to get everything to make this cake all over again…

Black Raspberry and Lemon Cream Pie Ice Cream Cake

 

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Yield: 8-10 servings

Ingredients

for the lemon cream cheesecake layer

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened (see note)
• ¼ cup powdered sugar
• 10 ounces lemon curd (usually found near jelly in the grocery store)
• 8 ounces whipped topping, such as Cool Whip, thawed (see note)

for the ice cream cake

• 12 soft lady fingers, halved lengthwise
• 1½ quarts black raspberry ice cream
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 cup crushed graham crackers
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Blackberries, for topping

Directions

for the lemon cream cheesecake layer

1. Beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer until fluffy and smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the lemon curd and beat until combined. Gently fold in the whipped topping until blended. Keep in the fridge until ready to use.

for the ice cream cake

1. Line a 9-inch springform pan with plastic wrap so it goes up and over the sides. I use 2 pieces. Use the lady fingers to make a single layer on the bottom of the pan, pressing down as you add them. You might need to rip some to fill up all the little spots.
2. Scoop half the container of ice cream into the bowl of a stand mixer then beat with your paddle attachment until smooth and spreadable. Use a rubber spatula to spoon over the lady fingers and spread into an even layer. Put in the freezer.
3. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the crushed graham crackers and sprinkle the brown sugar over top. Cook for about 5 minutes, until toasted and coated. Toss with the salt and set aside to cool. Once cool, remove the cake from the freezer and sprinkle a single layer of the graham crumbs over top, reserving a little to sprinkle over the finished cake. Use a spatula to spoon 4 cups of the lemon cream cheesecake over top (you will have some leftover) and spread into an even layer. Put in the freezer until just firm, about 1 hour.
4. When the lemon cream cheesecake layer is firm enough to put on another layer, scoop the remaining half the container of ice cream into the bowl of a stand mixer then beat with your paddle attachment until smooth and spreadable. Use a rubber spatula to spoon over the lemon cream cheese layer and spread into an even layer. Put in the freezer.
5. Make the whipped cream. Place a metal mixing bowl or the metal bowl of a stand mixer in the freezer along with the metal beaters or beater for 5-10 minutes. Remove and add the heavy cream (make sure your cream is cold), powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat on medium-high until stiff peaks form. Spoon over the top of the cake and return to the freezer for at least 2 hours or overnight. When ready to serve, open the ring of the springform pan. Use the plastic wrap to lift up the cake; carefully remove the plastic wrap and transfer the cake to a cake board or platter. Top with the remaining graham cracker crumble and some fresh blackberries. The cake can usually be cut right out of the freezer with a sharp knife.

Notes

You must use block cream cheese for the lemon cream cheesecake layer. You can substitute ⅓ less fat block cream cheese if you prefer.
If you want to use homemade whipped cream for the lemon cream cheesecake layer, follow these instructions: In a cold metal bowl of a stand mixer or in a large cold metal mixing bowl with a hand mixer, use cold beaters to beat 1½ cups cold heavy whipping cream, ¾ cup powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until stiff peaks form. Also feel free to substitute Lite Cool Whip.

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Lauren Uncategorized 2 Comments

It’s funny how you can go through life without ever experiencing a category of food until it suddenly gets introduced to you decades later. This has happened to me several times, but today I’m talking about sweet dips. When I think of dip, I think of spinach and artichoke dip, Mexican layer dip, hummus, salsa – basically everything savory. Little did I know, there is a whole plethora of sweet dessert dips out there!

Do you have any sweet dips you like? If you’ve never had or heard of a dessert dip before, the whole concept of it sounds very odd, at least I thought so. A few years ago at work we were going to have a dip party where everyone would bring in different dips and all these dessert dips got mentioned. I did some Google searching and stumbled across a sweet dip that sounded amazing: Lemon Cream Pie Dip.

The recipe was simple, like four ingredients simple, so I made it and the rest is history. By that I mean it’s absolutely amazing and I’ve made it over and over ever since then. Cream cheese and powdered sugar get whipped together until fluffy. Then tangy lemon curd gets mixed in – feel free to use store-bought or homemade – followed by folding in some whipped topping or homemade whipped cream. I’ve made it with store-bought lemon curd and whipped topping and I’ve also made it with homemade versions of both. Each time it was delicious so use whatever you prefer.

So now that you have the Lemon Cream Pie Dip what do you do with it? I love to serve it with mini Nilla Wafer cookies, graham crackers, fresh fruit or cannoli chips. You could even frost some vanilla cupcakes with it for a lemon-packed treat.

However, you will have to wait until Wednesday to see my personal favorite use for this dip, but I promise the wait will be worth it. Enjoy!

Lemon Cream Pie Dip

 

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Yield: about 4½ cups

Ingredients

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened (see note)
• ¼ cup powdered sugar
• 10 ounces lemon curd (usually found near jelly in the grocery store)
• 8 ounces whipped topping, such as Cool Whip, thawed (see note)

Directions

1. Beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer until fluffy and smooth, about 2 minutes.
2. Add the lemon curd and beat until combined.
3. Gently fold in the whipped topping until blended. Serve cold with mini Nilla wafers, graham crackers, fresh fruit or cannoli chips.

Notes

You must use block cream cheese. You can substitute ⅓ less fat block cream cheese if you prefer.
If you want to use homemade whipped cream, follow these instructions: In a cold metal bowl of a stand mixer or in a large cold metal mixing bowl with a hand mixer, use cold beaters to beat 1½ cups cold heavy whipping cream, ¾ cup powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until stiff peaks form. Also feel free to substitute Lite Cool Whip.

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Lauren Uncategorized 2 Comments

My summer cupcake post is here! I loved all the cupcake toppers my goddaughter sent me, but I think I was most excited about the summer ones. Look how adorable they are! The crab googly eyes get me every time. Since they are beach themed it felt appropriate to post them at the end of my family’s annual beach week.

I know we’re already halfway through August (UGH), but thankfully these cupcakes are not just summer cupcakes. These are classic vanilla cupcakes with vanilla buttercream. And by classic I mean perfectly moist, extra fluffy, damn good vanilla cupcakes. Do you know how difficult it is to find a homemade vanilla cupcake recipe that tastes just as good – or better – than those made from a box mix? I’ve tried several over the years and I’ve been disappointed every single time.

Last week I stumbled upon this delicious vanilla cupcake recipe through a happy accident. I initially was planning on making nectarine cupcakes for the summer cupcake post that were an absolute flop. I plan to revisit that recipe idea, but until then I really wanted to bake and photo something for this post before leaving for beach week the next day.

Deciding to revisit my perfect vanilla cupcake search I looked through all my cookbooks and Googled plenty, but there was one problem with every recipe: we only had one egg left in the fridge and I didn’t want to go to the store. I know, so lazy, but at least it led me to this recipe! Apparently there’s an old-fashioned recipe called a One Egg Cake from the Joy of Cooking and it requires minimal ingredients, is very simple and makes outrageously fluffy cupcakes!

I paired these with a traditional vanilla buttercream because sometimes you’re just dying for a classic vanilla-vanilla combo piled high with frosting like you would get at a birthday party. I used a pastry bag fitted with a Wilton 2D tip to frost these cupcakes. If you want something lighter and less sweet then I recommend my mascarpone frosting. Or if you want something chocolatey then definitely make my Perfect Chocolate Frosting. Of course, if you want to turn them into summer cupcakes then make sure to dye the frosting blue and add cute cupcake toppers! Enjoy, friends!

Classic Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream

 

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Yield: 16 cupcakes

Ingredients

for the cupcakes

• ⅓ cup butter, room temperature
• 1½ cups granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 2½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk, any fat percentage you prefer

for the frosting

• 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), room temperature
• 2½ cups powdered sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

for the cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 cupcake pans with cupcake liners so you have enough for 16 cupcakes.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined with a whisk attachment, scraping down the sides as needed.
3. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the large bowl and beat on low with the whisk attachment until just combined. Add the milk and beat with the whisk attachment until combined. If the batter is lumpy keep whisking until it isn’t lumpy.
4. Use a cookie scoop or batter spoon to fill the cupcake liners so they’re half full. You should get 15-16 cupcakes. Bake the cupcakes for 20-22 minutes. They are done with they are golden, the tops spring back when you touch them and just a few moist crumbs come out when you stick a toothpick in the center. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.

for the frosting

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter until soft and fluffy, scraping down the sides as needed. Add the powdered sugar and the vanilla and beat on low until combined, scraping down the sides as needed. I used a pastry bag fitted with a 2D Wilton tip to frost these cupcakes.

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Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

I’m so excited to share this recipe! Matt and I have been to San Diego together twice now and both times we went to different Ballast Point breweries. Matt is a big fan of their beers and, as we discovered on our first visit, they also serve awesome food. The first time we ordered their duck confit nachos: fresh tortilla chips piled high with crispy duck, a creamy blue cheese sauce, pickled red onions and a tangy sour ale blackberry sauce.

The combination had us dreaming about this appetizer until we were back in San Diego two years later and could order it again. I decided this summer I needed to at least attempt to re-create this dish so we wouldn’t have to wait until our next San Diego trip to eat it again.

I loved how my Elote Wonton Bites turned out so instead of a full plate of nachos we have Duck Carnitas Nacho Bites with Blue Cheese and Blackberry Ale Sauce. These little wonton cups have a lot of components, but a bite of everything all together is pure magic. It helps that you can make the duck carnitas, wonton cups, blackberry ale sauce and pickled red onions ahead of time.

I was most concerned about making the duck because I have never cooked or even bought duck before except at a restaurant. The larger Whole Foods near me stocks duck legs so I placed those in my dutch oven along with orange juice, orange wedges and some seasonings. The duck legs came out so crispy and juicy! Considering how simple it was to just put everything in the pot and let it cook I will definitely be cooking duck again for Matt and I! Who knew it was so easy to get such restaurant-worthy results?

Since we want the tender duck to be crispy for these nacho bites, I turned them into duck carnitas by shredding the duck meat and searing it on the stove-top for twenty minutes. Delicious! I love that we can eat this dish now whenever we feel that craving hit to hold us over until we can get back to San Diego again!

Duck Carnitas Nacho Bites with Blue Cheese and Blackberry Ale Sauce

 

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Yield: 24 wonton bites

Ingredients

for the duck carnitas

• 1 pound fresh duck legs, about 2 legs
• 1 orange
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• Pinch of cinnamon

for the pickled red onions

• ½ cup water
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• 1½ teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced

for the blue cheese sauce

• ¼ cup heavy cream
• ⅓ cup blue cheese crumbles

for the blackberry reduction

• 4 ounces fresh blackberries
• ⅓ cup sour ale
• 1 tablespoon sugar

for the wonton cups

• 24 wonton wrappers
• ⅔ cup blue cheese crumbles

Directions

for the duck carnitas

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place the duck legs, skin side up, in a Dutch oven or other heavy oven safe pot with a lid. Add juice of the whole orange and the seasonings to the pot. Stir to combine then cut up the spent orange into wedges and toss in as well. Put on the lid and cook 1½ hours. Remove from the oven. Once it’s cool enough to handle, shred the meat and skin, discarding the bones, any excess fat and orange wedges. I also discarded some of the skin. Heat the Dutch oven over medium-high heat and cook until the shredded duck is crispy, about 20 minutes, stirring often and being sure to scrape the bottom of the pot.

for the pickled red onions

1. Combine the water, apple cider vinegar, sugar and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves then remove from the heat.
2. Place the sliced red onions in a bowl then pour the vinegar mixture over top. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour

for the blue cheese sauce

1. Gently heat the cream in a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Once the cream starts to bubble, add the blue cheese crumbles. Stir and whisk while the blue cheese melts until the sauce is smooth. Remove from the heat.

for the blackberry reduction

1. Heat the blackberries, ⅓ cup of the beer and the sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Let cook for 10 minutes while the blackberries reduce. Remove from the heat and let cool. Once cool, either use a fine mesh strainer to strain out the seeds or puree in a high speed blender.

for the wonton cups

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spray a mini muffin pan then place the wrappers into the cavities so they create little wonton bowls. Lightly spray the wonton wrappers in the pan then bake for 5-7 minutes. Set aside.
3. After the wontons have baked on their own, spoon the duck into the wontons in the mini muffin pan, evenly dividing between them. Top with the blue cheese crumbles. Bake for 6-8 more minutes. Top with the pickled red onions, a drizzle of blue cheese sauce and a generous drizzle of blackberry reduction then serve hot.

Notes

Duck can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple days. No need to reheat the duck before baking in the wonton cups.
Pickled red onions can be made and kept in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 weeks. Drain the onions before using.
Blackberry reduction can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a week. Reheat gently on the stove-top or in the microwave at half power.

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Lauren Uncategorized 2 Comments