Belgian Waffles by Emeril

Last week, D decided that he couldn't live without Belgian Waffles. He loves loves loves them. Well, I have two regular waffle irons but no Belgian Waffle Iron. What is the difference, you ask? Well, Belgian waffle makers are deeper and they are square. The two that I own are round. They are nice for your regular waffles but not the Belgian ones that D wanted. I wound up borrowing my mom's Cuisinart Belgian Waffle Maker. It is a beauty. Nice and big. I didn't have the instruction booklet so I looked on the internet and found out that Emeril has a recipe for classic Belgian Waffles. They turned out light and fluffy. D really liked them. We had some strawberries in the fridge. So here is the recipe. Try it, you'll like 'em!

Belgian Waffles

by Emeril LaGasse

Yield: 8 to 10 (4 by 4-inch) waffles
Prep: 10 min
Cooking time: 3 min
Total: 13 min

Ingredients:

2 cups cake flour

2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, separated
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 cups milk
non-stick cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat the waffle iron according to the manufacturer's instructions. In 1 medium bowl sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a second bowl use the wooden spoon to beat together the egg yolks and sugar until sugar is completely dissolved and eggs have turned a pale yellow. Add the vanilla extract, melted butter, and milk to the eggs and whisk to combine. Combine the egg-milk mixture with the flour mixture and whisk just until blended. Do not over mix. In third bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until soft peaks form, about 1 minute. Using the rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the waffle batter. Do not over mix! Coat the waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray and pour enough batter in iron to just cover waffle grid. Close and cook as per manufacturer's instructions until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

Honey Tequila Lime Chicken

Last week, I spent two days taking D and his friend J back and forth to cooking camp in Frederick at The Kitchen Studio Frederick (it was an awesome camp per D and J). J's mom, Miss B and I talked quite a bit during the week. She mentioned that she had bought some turkey or chicken that was marinated in tequila lime sauce. She told me that she had mistakenly used this marinated tequila lime chicken/turkey when she made some BBQ in her crock pot. According to Miss B, her BBQ turned out great! I'm going to have to try making BBQ chicken/turkey because I always BBQ pork or beef. After hearing about the tequila lime chicken, I decided that I was in the mood to try making some. I've never had it before and it sounded like something that would be a yummy summer dish.

While researching recipes for this dish, I found out that Applebees serves a Tequila Lime Chicken dish but this is NOT a copycat recipe for their tequila lime chicken. The copycat recipe for that contains sour cream and lots of other ingredients. It didn't sound like what I was yearning for so I skipped that recipe and tried one that I found on www.recipezaar.com. All the comments for the recipe were positive. It turned out great. I cut down on the chili powder. My husband agreed that it was perfect with only two tablespoons of chili powder but D and my cousin V said they would have liked it better with more chili powder. I'll try it that way next time, maybe.



Honey Tequila Lime Chicken

By: NetDiva Amy


1 cup tequila
6 limes (1 cup juice)
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup butter
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 pinch kosher salt
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups fresh cilantro, finely chopped
2 lbs chicken breasts or chicken thighs or fish fillets


Directions


1. Mix all ingredients, except cilantro and meat in medium sauce pan.


2. Simmer over medium heat about 15 minutes or until onions are soft but not clear.


3. Cool completely. (Instead of adding water above, I add ice cubes at this stage).


4. Place chicken in a baking pan and pour mixture over the chicken.


5. Marinade at least 1 hour, preferably over night. If the sauce doesn't completely cover the meat, turn it over half way through.


6. If baking, pour out half the liquid and cover with finely chopped cilantro.


7. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until meat is cooked through (depending on type of meat and size of pieces).


If grilling, then grill and add the cilantro after cooking.

Enjoy!

The Creative Cook