mom.of.the.year

Friday morning I found myself wide awake at 5:30am - RARITY - so, after reading for a bit I decided to begin my "mother of the year" day by making homemade Belgian waffles because we did indeed have whipped cream and fresh fruit on hand just waiting to be slathered on top of a yummy waffle.

I did a quick search on pinterest and found a recipe that looked like it fit the bill (i.e. all the ingredients existed in my kitchen).  They were SO easy to whip together, really, it had me wonder why I keep a Costco size "Krusteaz" mix in the pantry, and they were SOOOO good (I had to add a bunch of extra "os" so you get the point).  I'm not sure if my addition of flax seed made any difference to nutritional value, but they were melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

Yes, my day had started out stellar (I think Ryan is still recovering from the shock of seeing me donning an apron offering him a plate of "waffles from scratch" at 6:30am), and it continued to just skyrocket from there . . . I was pleasant and patient, I folded Ryan's laundry (he always takes care of his own, so I thought I'd help out), took Caroline and friends where they needed to be, played "jello" in the car with the girls and their giggly friends, made sure everyone was happy, and even ended the day reading a chapter from The Swiss Family Robinson, to the girls.  Plus, it was a beautiful, bright, blue sunshine day and we were just as happy as clams.

Well, that was fleeting.

By Sunday afternoon my mothering skills had descended to cave woman status when Liza tore up the stairs and into her room while screaming at the top of her lungs before slamming the door that I was the "WORST MOM EVER!!"  Sigh.  This happened after I gave up struggling with her obstinance while trying to help her with piano and told her to just leave the bench.  I admit I wasn't at my best this weekend.  However, it all ended well when Caroline saved the day by making homemade cinnamon rolls with Sophie for us to enjoy while watching the Oscars.

Life goes on and I hope that somewhere in the recesses of my children's minds, there is a memory of Friday and those waffles . . .

Homemade Belgian Waffles

Recipe from Williams-Sonoma

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (next time I'll try substituting half wheat flour)
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups milk
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 stick melted butter
• 2 Tbls flax seed (optional)

1. Whisk dry ingredients in large bowl.  Add the milk and vanilla and whisk until combined.
2. Finally, add the eggs and butter and whisk until smooth.
3. Preheat the waffle maker following the instructions. Pour the batter onto the waffle maker and bake until golden brown, 4-5 minutes.
4. Serve warm with fresh fruit, whipped cream, pure maple syrup…
5. To reheat, just pop in the toaster.