Wading waffles: Waffles from scratch with a strawberry sauce and homemade whipped topping. 

Possibly an instant classic and new staple. It’s great for summer and a breeze to make. You will need some equipment though - i.e. a waffle iron and a hand mixer. 

Here’s what you’ll need: 

For the waffles: 

2 cups all purpose flour

1 3/4 cu milk

2 teaspoons baking powder 

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup sugar

1 stick butter

2 eggs

Method: beat eggs, then mix in the rest of the ingredients and mix until combined. Pour into your waffle iron, once it’s heated. 

The Strawberry topping is relatively easy. The only truly tedious part would be hulling the strawberries (shown above). The easiest way would probably be using a straw. I used a chopstick and a straw because mine was less sturdy. Here’s what you do: take off the leaves. place the straw where the stem and push to the tip of the strawberry. The hull should be in the opening of the straw. After you’ve done that, its a breeze. 

Here’s what you’ll need

2 tablespoons corn starch

1 cup sugar (depending on how sweet your berries are)

lime juice (about half a lime’s worth)

a pinch of salt

Method: put them all in a sauce pan and heat over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally for about 10 minutes and set aside to cool. You want to give enough time for the cornstarch make the sauce thick. 

For the whipped topping: It’s the same one I used in my trés leches recipe for the frosting, but on a smaller scale.

You will need: 

a small carton of heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanila extract

combine these together in a deep bowl and beat with an electric mixer until whipped. 

Assemble the way you wish and enjoy!

farmers market View high resolution

farmers market

Salmon, kale asparagus stir fry

Gauging into grilled salmon burgers.

I got these in patty form at the store. Sautéed peppers, onions and mushrooms. Enjoy with or without the bun. You can also serve it with a cucumber salad with onions and line juice.

Want to keep your corn from drying out but don’t want to grill it in the husk? Consider aluminum foil your new best friend. Tired of butter and salt? Try it with lime. It’s less fat and calories. View high resolution

Want to keep your corn from drying out but don’t want to grill it in the husk? Consider aluminum foil your new best friend. Tired of butter and salt? Try it with lime. It’s less fat and calories.

Firing up the grill. Salmon burgers, corn on the cob and grilled eggplant. View high resolution

Firing up the grill. Salmon burgers, corn on the cob and grilled eggplant.

Kayaking to Kale soup, Indian inspired. 

Kale seems to be trending in the food world. I decided to dive in head-first. Here is a kale soup I found on iVillage that is super easy and tastes really good. The only ting I would add would  either be a bit of lime juice or yogurt to give it a bit more of a kick. I would also add the mustard seeds in the ghee before adding the onion so it pops first. 

No ghee? No problem. all you need is butter. Melt it and skim the top. Continue to boil it until its completely  clear. You could wait for it to solidify, but you really don’t need to because you’ll be using it right away. 

thefitty asked: Yum, your food looks good!

Traversing into Tuna and egg salad: The art of the soft boiled egg. An enigma of nature. It’s hard boiled….BUT you still have that yummy yolk from a half-fried egg. Plus no butter? Who says you can’t have it all. I combined a bit of mayo with tuna and combined that with lettuce, baby spinach, tomato, onions, and (yes) the soft boiled egg. Drizzle with a bit of blue cheese and you’re set for a slightly unconventional salad.  View high resolution

Traversing into Tuna and egg salad:

The art of the soft boiled egg. An enigma of nature. It’s hard boiled….BUT you still have that yummy yolk from a half-fried egg. Plus no butter? Who says you can’t have it all. I combined a bit of mayo with tuna and combined that with lettuce, baby spinach, tomato, onions, and (yes) the soft boiled egg. Drizzle with a bit of blue cheese and you’re set for a slightly unconventional salad. 

Copa Cabana into Coconut Pandan Cake.  

I’m trying to bring a bit of summer back to this dismal weather Minnesota has been having. I followed a recipe for a coconut cake, and I substituted the almond extract it called for with pandan extract. It was a super hit. It’s relatively easy to work with too. I made a few mistakes along the way. Rookie mistake one: forgot to grease the pan. Rookie Mistake two: I forgot to add coconut to the frosting. All blunders aside, the cake was moist and the frosting was just right. I would recommend maybe halving the frosting recipe. It could get a bit too sweet otherwise. 

Enjoy!