Ham and Cheese Waffles

Oh ya baby!  These were AMAZING!  This has been a week of pure winners at my home.  Usually when I try a new recipe there are probably more losers than winners, but we've had two in a row.  Tues. nights are a bit crazy for us.  It's most likely the same for most everybody out there.  One night a week, everything that could possibly happen occurs on that one night.  So Tues. nights are "Eat As Fast As You Can" nights, and "Eat Whatever There Is" night as well.  Emma suggested making these Ham and Cheese Waffles.   I had ripped the recipe out of the same Bon Appetit magazine that the pizza dough came from and it was sitting on the counter just waiting to be made.  What a winning issue! Well the waffles were a huge hit!

I love breakfast for dinner.  We have breakfast for dinner probably three times a month at our house.  Waffles, pancakes, and breakfast burritos are the usual.  But Huevos Rancheros is one of my personal faves.   I'm going to share one of my most infamous Breakfast for Dinner moments.  Infamous meaning having a bad reputation, or in other words, not my best moment.  Actually it was a great moment for me, but my family on the other hand............

I had been married to my Jimmy for just a few weeks.  We had a cute little basement apartment, and I was learning how to cook on a daily basis.  I wasn't too good.  But at least I was willing to work at it.  One day I had gone to the grocery store and strawberries were on sale.  I bought an entire case.  I had decided I was going to invite my parents and sibs out for dinner.  We were going to have waffles and strawberries and cream.  I was sooooo excited to show off my domestication.  I bought an enormous bag of Bisquick, cream and all those strawberries.  I was feeding 8 so I was prepared with tons of food.

The waffles were beautiful.  The strawberries were even prettier, and I was thrilled.  Soon the doorbell rang, and in came my mom and dad, sister and three little brothers.  Yeah!  We were going to have a party.  Everything was ready, the prayer was said, and we were ready to chow down.  At least I was.  As everyone started, I noticed nobody was really eating.  They were taking a token piece of waffle, but they weren't eating the way we did at home.  I was shocked.  Did it taste sick?  Finally I asked why nobody was eating?  My youngest brother yelled out, "Dad took us to McDonald's on the way here.  They didn't think you'd have enough food for all of us."  I was dejected.

To this day we still laugh about that.  And to this day, I remind my dad to not stop at McDonald's on his way to my house:)

I think you should have breakfast for dinner sometime soon.  Try these Ham and Cheese Waffles, and I promise you will love them.  You probably need some of this Buttermilk Syrup with it as well.  Might as well make it complete.  I'll leave a link to the original waffle recipe from Bon Appetit, but I just used my old standby.  I added butter instead of oil, and upped it a bit.  It was spectacular.  Enjoy!

Ham and Cheese Waffles

recipe adapted from THIS recipe from Bon Appetit

2 c. flour

1 t. salt

1 t. baking soda

2 t. baking powder

2 T. sugar

2 eggs

1/2 c. melted butter

2 + c. buttermilk (I usually add a little extra until it's the consistency I like)

Mix all the ingredients together until almost smooth.  Spray a waffle iron with non-stick spray and pour your batter on the hot iron.  Before you close the lid, sprinkle a small handful of shredded cheddar cheese, and a small handful of diced slices of deli ham.  Close iron and cook until the waffle is done.  Usually around 4-5 mins.  Serve waffles hot with Buttermilk Syrup, and a huge smile!

Buttermilk Syrup

1 cube butter

1/4 c. corn syrup

1/2 c. buttermilk

1/2 t. baking soda

3/4 c. sugar

1/2 t. vanilla

Place in a big pot. This stuff foams out of control at first. Bring to a boil and then let boil until it turns a nice dark golden brown. About 8-10 mins. I usually 3 times the batch and it will make about a quart. I don't 3x's the butter though. Maybe only 1 1/2 cubes of butter to a 3 batch. This stuff is awesome on pancakes, coconut pound cake with fresh blackberries, and peaches.