Tag Archives: breakfast

What’s For Breakfast?

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Crispy bacon and sunny side up eggs, it's what's for breakfast

🌅 When Breakfast Stops Behaving

I used to love breakfast. It was my favorite meal of the day — easy, low‑mess, and full of the good stuff: bacon, sausage, eggs
 or muffins and pancakes if I was feeling decadent.

But lately? Breakfast just hasn’t been sitting well, and I’m not sure why. My usual rotation is simple: a basic omelet with bacon or sausage, or two poached eggs on toast with (again) bacon or sausage. Suddenly none of it appeals.

🧁 The Muffin Era

So I pivoted to muffins. Bran muffins, cinnamon muffins, mini donut muffins, even chocolate chip muffins. Fruit muffins are next — blueberry or apple, most likely.

I’ve shared plenty of quick breads too, but even those aren’t calling my name.

And then there are the cruffins. Quick, fun, small‑batch friendly
 but nope. Not in the mood for those either.

🧇 Waffles? Not Today

I don’t have a waffle iron, and I’m not fond of frozen waffles. They’re thin, frosty, and somehow manage to burn on one corner while staying damp on the other. Hard pass.

đŸ„ž Pancakes to the Rescue

So I finally settled on pancakes. I haven’t made them in a while. I usually have a box mix around somewhere, but I think it may have gone out the door during the Great Pantry Purge.

No problem — pancake mix is easy to whip together and keeps beautifully in an airtight container. Here’s my basic mix in case you get a craving and don’t have a box handy.

đŸ„ž Basic Homemade Pancake Mix (No Box Needed)

Dry Mix

Whisk together and store in a jar, or make it fresh each time:

  • 1 cup all‑purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ÂŒ teaspoon salt

To Make Pancakes From the Mix

Add:

  • 1 cup dry mix
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter or oil
  • Optional: Âœ teaspoon vanilla

Stir until just combined — a few lumps are good. Cook on a lightly greased skillet over medium heat until bubbles form, flip, and finish cooking.

Hot and fluffy pamcakes swimming in butter and maple syrup to start the day

đŸŸ Banner, the Uninvited Sous‑Chef

Banner was sitting on the grill offering to “help.” Since I didn’t feel like a battle with him this morning, I pulled out my electric fry pan instead. While I mixed up the batter, I added just enough oil to coat the bottom, and right before pouring the batter, I swiped the surface with butter — a little treat I don’t usually bother with.

I had room for three small pancakes, and they started to sizzle immediately. The butter gave them a crispy, browned edge, and the controlled heat gave them a lovely rise. Not a bad way to start the day.

đŸ„Ł Bonus: Big‑Batch Pantry Mix

If you like having your own homemade pancake mix ready to scoop and go, here’s a larger batch you can keep in a jar.

đŸ„ž Big‑Batch Homemade Pancake Mix

Makes about 7–8 cups of dry mix (enough for ~6–7 breakfasts)

Dry Mix (store in a large jar or canister):

  • 6 cups all‑purpose flour
  • 12 tablespoons sugar (Ÿ cup)
  • 6 tablespoons baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon salt

Whisk thoroughly so the baking powder is evenly distributed. Store airtight.

To Make Pancakes From the Big Batch

For 1 batch (about 8 pancakes):

  • 1 cup pancake mix
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter or oil
  • Optional: Âœ teaspoon vanilla

Mix gently, cook on medium heat, flip when bubbly.

Notes from Dusty’s Test Kitchen

  • Fits perfectly in a standard half‑gallon jar or tall canister.
  • Shake or stir before scooping if it’s been sitting.
  • Double it if you want a “seasonal prepper” stash — keeps 2–3 months in the pantry, 6+ months in the freezer.
  • Add cinnamon or nutmeg to the dry mix for a cozy version.

🍓 A Sweet Finish

Now you’re all set to make pancakes whenever the mood strikes. This time of year, a dollop of rhubarb sauce instead of maple syrup gives them a sweet‑tart punch.

Enjoy.

 

National Waffle Day

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National Waffle Day: Let’s Talk Syrup, Grids, and Golden Crispy Joy

I kid you not—this is the very first item on today’s list of National Days and Observances. Numero uno. Right there, top of the stack: National Waffle Day.

Why? Because on this day, the first U.S. patent for a waffle iron was issued. And honestly, that’s reason enough to celebrate. Waffles are more than breakfast—they’re edible architecture. Crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, and perfectly designed to cradle syrup, berries, whipped cream, or whatever your heart desires.

Now, let’s take a quick peek at the other contenders:

  • National Peach Pie Day: Tempting, but we already gave peaches their moment this week.
  • National Maryland Day: A nod to the 7th state to join the Union. Respect, but not breakfast.
  • Pluto Demoted Day: Poor Pluto. Still spinning out there, doing its thing, even if it’s no longer a planet. I doubt it cares.
  • Feast of Saint Bartholomew: A solemn observance, not quite waffle-adjacent.
  • International Strange Music Day: Intriguing, but I’m not sure what qualifies as “strange.” Kazoo symphonies?
  • National Knife Day: Sounds like the setup for a murder mystery. Hard pass.
  • Kobe Bryant Day: A heartfelt tribute to a legend. Beautiful, but heavy.

So, back to waffles. One of my favorite breakfast foods—hands down. Whether you like them Belgian-style, buttermilk, or sweet potato-infused, today’s the day to fire up the iron and celebrate those golden grids. Bonus points if you drizzle maple syrup in slow motion like it’s a food commercial.

Waffles deserve their spotlight. And today, they’ve got it.

looking at two buttermilk waffles, topped with butter and syrup

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đŸȘ Waffle House: Southern Comfort on a Plate

Comedians love to poke fun at Waffle House, but Southerners? They swear by it. Why? Because it’s dependable.

“People may disappoint us in life, but Waffle House is literally there for us—open 24/7 and on virtually every interstate stop in the South.”

Whether you need a sunrise pick-me-up or a 2 a.m. soul-soothing meal, Waffle House is always open. It’s a South and Midwest chain that serves classic Southern breakfast fare. I’ve had the pleasure of dining in them in both Florida and Georgia. I’ll skip the grits, but the waffles? Absolutely worth the name.

20+ Waffle House Stock Photos, Pictures & Royalty-Free ...

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🏹 Hampton by Hilton: Waffles in the Spotlight

Even hotel chains know the power of a good waffle. Hampton by Hilton features waffles prominently in its advertising, and their breakfast buffet includes “baked-by-guests” Belgian-style waffles.
Those ads always make me hungry. But they also raise a question: what exactly is a Belgian waffle?

Hampton by Hilton Ad

🧇 Belgian Waffles vs. Regular Waffles: A Tale of Two Textures

Not all waffles are created equal—and no, Eggo waffles don’t count (sorry, freezer fans).

Let’s break it down:

🇧đŸ‡Ș Belgian Waffles

  • Batter: Made with yeast-leavened dough or whipped egg whites folded in for that signature fluff.
  • Texture: Crispy on the outside, light and airy on the inside—like biting into a cloud with crunch.
  • Appearance: Big, bold, and beautiful. Deep pockets thanks to a specialized waffle iron.
  • Leavening: Yeast or whipped egg whites give it lift, not baking powder.
Belgian Waffle Images – Browse 113,433 Stock Photos, Vectors ...

Adobe Stock Photo

đŸ‡ș🇾 Regular (American) Waffles

  • Batter: Denser, pancake-like, often enriched with buttermilk for a richer flavor.
  • Texture: More cake-like and compact.
  • Appearance: Thinner with shallower pockets—still tasty, just less dramatic.
  • Leavening: Baking powder does the heavy lifting here.

Belgian waffles are the red carpet version of breakfast—ready to be dressed up with berries, whipped cream, or syrup waterfalls. American waffles? More like your cozy flannel pajamas: familiar, comforting, and always welcome.

185,800+ Waffles Stock Photos, Pictures & Royalty-Free ...

American Waffles Stock Photo

 

Waffle Recipes

Homemade Belgian Waffle Recipe

This Homemade Belgian Waffle Recipe is easy and makes delicious, authentic, Belgian waffles!  These waffles are perfectly crisp and golden on the outside while being light and fluffy on the inside!
CourseBreakfast
CuisineAmerican
Prep Time15 minutes 
Cook Time 20minutes 
Total Time35 minutes 
Servings 8
Author Nichole

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat your waffle iron, spray with non stick cooking spray and set aside.
  • In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and cinnamon.
  • In a medium bowl beat the egg whites with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
  • In a separate medium bowl mix together the egg yolks, vegetable oil, milk, and vanilla extract.
  • Add the egg yolk mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well.
  • Fold in the egg whites.
  • Pour the batter onto your hot waffle iron and cook according to manufacturer’s directions**
  • Serve immediately with butter, syrup, powdered sugar or any other favorite toppings.

American Waffles

Tender and Easy Buttermilk Waffles

These buttermilk waffles are crisp on the outside and tender in the middle. I love the results this gives while not having to separate the eggs and take time to whip egg whites! These will also reheat in the toaster for a quick workday breakfast.

Submitted by Diana Perry
Prep Time:
15 mins
Cook Time:
10 mins
Total Time:
25 mins
Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons white sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • œ teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups low-fat buttermilk
  • ⅓ cup melted butter
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

  1. Gather all ingredients.

  2. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl until evenly combined.

  3. Whisk buttermilk and melted butter together in a separate bowl; whisk in eggs.

  4. Stir buttermilk mixture into flour mixture until just combined and batter is slightly lumpy; stir in vanilla extract.

  5. Preheat a waffle iron according to manufacturer’s instructions.

  6. To cook each waffle, pour enough batter into the preheated waffle iron to reach 1/2 inch from the edge. Cook according to manufacturer’s instructions.

185,800+ Waffles Stock Photos, Pictures & Royalty-Free ...

Stock photo

Whether stacked high with berries or simply kissed with syrup, waffles remind us that joy can be golden, crispy, and served with a side of comfort. Waffles may not solve life’s big problems, but they sure make breakfast feel like a hug from the inside.”

Crepes or Pancakes

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Crepes or Pancakes

I am so proud of myself. I made crepes for the first time about a week ago. I’d never tried to make these skinny pancakes and don’t know what made me decide to try but I am happy to report they were a success. Now this comes from someone who has never, ever been able to make a decent pancake. (Unless it’s an apple pancake) 

Apple Pancake- Photo credit Deb Neumann

Pancakes are supposed to be easy right? Well I have never been successful. I finally settled on super fat (thick)  Bisquick  pancakes or a trip to IHop for my pancake fix. Then I saw an episode on Food Network about pancakes and it’s been percolating in the back of my mind. After all if I can make a successful crepe I should be able to make pancakes, right?

The Crepes

I think of crepes as a breakfast food so I made my first ones Strawberry but I think  next time I will go for savory instead of sweet. Maybe stuff them with sausage and eggs.  

Photo credit Deb Neumann

 

The recipe was very simple and easy. From Allrecipes.com

Basic Crepes

Prep time- 10 minutes

Cook time 20 minutes (Mine was less)

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 Cup All Purpose flour
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 Cup milk
  • 1/2 Cup water
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 Tablespoons butter , melted

Directions

  1. Whisk flour and eggs together in a large mixing bowl. Gradually add in milk and water, stirring to combine. Add Salt and melted butter. Beat until smooth.
  2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium-high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle using approximately 1/4 cup of batter for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so the batter coats the surface evenly.
  3. Cook until the top of the crepe is no longer wet and the bottom has turned light brown. 1-2 minutes. Run a spatula around the edge of the crepe to loosen and flip to cook the other side. About a minute more. Serve hot.

Pancakes for One

Photo Credit Deb Neumann

Recipe from One dish kitchen

With a successful crepe experience behind me I moved on to my nemesis, pancakes. I was really brave too. I didn’t even use a mix! Pancakes from scratch coming up and wonder of wonders, they were good!

Prep Time- 5 minutes   Cook time – 10 minutes  Total time – 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 Cup all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 Tablespoon sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 3/4 Cup Milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 
  • 1 Tablespoon salted butter (melted)
  • 1 teaspoon salted butter for the pan/griddle

Directions

  1. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
  2. In another bowl beat the egg and then whisk in the milk, vanilla and melted butter
  3. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Lumps are ok. If the batter is too thick add more milk a little at a time.
  4. Melt Butter in a large skillet or griddle over medium heat.
  5. Ladle about 3/4 cup of batter onto the skillet to make a pancake
  6. Cook until bubbles break the surface of the pancake and the underside is golden brown (about 3 minutes)
  7. Flip with a spatula and cook about 1 minutes more on the 2nd side.
  8. Repeat until the batter is used up.

Even with this scaled down recipe there was more batter than I needed for just me. I made two pancakes for me and probably had enough batter left for 3 or 4 more. 

So which one do you want to try first?

 

Enjoy- They are yummy!

Fairfield Inn & Suites, Washington Downtown

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Quick review … This hotel is conveniently located in the Chinatown Section of Washington a short walk from the Gallery Place Metro stop. I enjoyed my stroll from the metro to the hotel past buildings decorated with Chinese symbols and dragons. The streets were busy with heavy pedestrian traffic even on a Saturday.

The lobby is small but the staff were friendly and had my room ready when I arrived. I thought check in was 4 pm but I guess its actually 3 pm.

My room is a corner room at the end of the hall on the 2nd floor. It is clean and I like all the windows.

The bathroom is well stocked. I had a little trouble finding the closet. It’s tiny and set into the wall next to the bathroom. I didn’t notice it at first.

The WiFi is free, always a good thing, and seems to have a good strong signal.

One of the complaints on the web site was “street noise” but I really haven’t noticed it much. Yes I head a siren or two but no worse than if I were at home. I guess if you are used to living in a rural area it could be annoying but it didn’t bother me at all.

Even though this is not a condo like my Timeshare, they still have guest laundry in the building. I won’t need it for a 2 day stay but good to know.

There is a free breakfast in the morning too. I’ll certainly check that out but so far I like the effort the staff puts in, the cleanliness of the room, it’s location and the Wifi.

On the downside, the facet in the bathroom drips and the water in the shower is only lukewarm even after allowing it to run to warm up.  The hairdryer was hidden on the top shelf of the little closet. I didn’t find it until I’d been there 2 days! Found it in time to wash my hair for the trip home.

The 3 BD’s

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It was tempting to just turn around and get back on the plane back to Hawaii when I landed in Providence Saturday night. It was dark and cold. Snow was piled everywhere. I had heard about the 14 – 18 inch snow storm while I was in Maui but I was a long way away from it.

I was wearing my Aloha shirt and digging through my pocket book for my claim ticket for my car when 2 airport police approached.

princess-dinner-cruise

They were wearing ski masks and bundled up big time. They stopped by to tease me about my shirt and we chatted about the snow and ice and COLD…brrr.

Eventually I was home greeted by my little fur baby.  Sunday was just time to relax, unpack and get ready to return to the real world. I had a birthday on Wednesday. I haven’t paid much attention to birthdays in a long time so I was surprised when one of my co- workers brought me flowers, another left me a message wishing me a happy birthday and then sent more flowers! The office paid for lunch. They even bought a birthday cake!

img_20170215_163524

Nancy’s kids, Dawn and Alex both have birthdays in February too. For years, since they were just toddlers, we have made it a tradition to get together for a breakfast or brunch to celebrate out 3 birthdays. In the beginning we did it because how do you explain to little kids that one kid gets presents but the other one has to wait? It turned into a tradition to just celebrate them all together.

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This year Nancy & I were both watching our pennies so Nancy suggested we go to Braintree to a place called Kristin’s. Nancy said it had a great reputation.

It’s a little hole in the wall at 349 Washington St, Braintree. Parking is a real problem but eventually we found a spot about a block away. It was a nice day, fairly mild and sunny so walking back wasn’t too bad.

menu

We opened the door on chaos! It was loud and the place was packed. If busy-ness is any indication, this was going to be good. Eventually we were offered seats at the counter. The portion sizes were huge! Nancy, Dawn and Alex all had pancakes. One each was ample. Alex chose the most exotic. He had a Boston Cream Pancake.

This is 1 pancake. Can you actually imagine eating 3?

boston-cream-pancake

Nancy was more traditional with a Blueberry pancake and Dawn had an M & M pancake.Sides of bacon and juice were added to round out the meals. I strayed from convention with a plate of Texas Toast French toast. It tasted a lot like the french toast I make with lots of cinnamon but I don’t have those lovely thick slices of bread.

french-toast

It was really good and the best part was the bill came to under  $10.00 per person. Can’t beat that! We had a good time, exchanged gifts and the tradition continues!