Got Buttermilk?

My dad was the self-proclaimed "Waffle King."

Oh wait, is that the name of a fast food restaurant somewhere?

Maybe so (I hope not), but he took great pride in making waffles for me when I was a kid and again for his grandsons when he came to visit us in Atlanta.  Even though his recipe involved Bisquik (yuck), he made it his own by beating up the eggs with a hand-held mixer and adding vanilla to the batter.  He was also adamant about heating the maple syrup.  And you had to slather the waffles with butter before pouring over the warm syrup.  I guess I'm his child on that one.  Butter is my favorite food group.

So you have some of that buttermilk left over, even after making the scones, right?  No worries.  Now you can make waffles that will blow their socks off. 

The addition of brown sugar and vanilla to this recipe gives your waffles an amazing depth of flavor.  As in that lingering taste in the back of your mouth.  If you make these, please don't ruin it with crappy maple flavored syrup.  Use the real thing.  I happen to like Grade B because I think it's "earthier" and less refined than Grade A, but follow your own taste. 

BUTTERMILK BROWN SUGAR WAFFLES  (adapted from the New York Times)

2 eggs
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
2 stick butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose, unbleached flour
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
Nonstick cooking spray

Whisk eggs, buttermilk, butter and vanilla in a large bowl.  In another bowl, stir dry ingredients together then add to egg mixture and whisk until smooth.

Heat a waffle iron and spray with cooking spray (even nonstick waffle irons require this step).  Ladle batter into the iron (for my waffle iron, this meant about 3/4 cup), close and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes.

Yield:  about 8 waffles

And about that garden?  Yikes, we planted it today.  We are such neophytes and we probably screwed it up BIG TIME, but here we go!  Okra, tomatoes, crookneck squash and zucchini.  We'll see what happens.

Of course, if any of this stuff takes root, then you are in for too many zucchini and crookneck squash recipes.  Hummmm I seem to remember that zucchini and mint are good partners....