Warm and Yummy, Gingerbread Waffles

A few weeks ago, my husband and I went out for breakfast at our neighborhood diner. For the fall, they added gingerbread pancakes. My husband took a bite of mine, even though he is not a real big fan of pancakes. Well one bite turned into two, two turned to three, finally when I asked if he wanted to swap plates, he gave me back my pancakes and mumbled I needed to find that recipe. I laughed and asked if he wanted to finish them off.

I read several recipes for gingerbread pancakes, and the common factor is the spices. So instead of making pancakes, I made waffles because of course the husband enjoys them! They were a big hit and yesterday when I reheated the left over waffle, my husband pouted. He wanted to take it work for lunch and make all the guys drool over the smell… he is so mean sometimes.

You can use any premade pancake or waffle mix. I use Krusteaz brand for both waffles and pancakes. Make batter per the box instructions (I used the portion to make 4 to 5 waffles,) add 1-tablespoon molasses, ¼-teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼-teaspoon ground ginger, and ¼-teaspoon ground nutmeg.

Serve with maple syrup and butter.

Chili Verde

I found this recipe over at Serious Eats. I made this Chili Verde on Friday, for dinner on Saturday since it is suppose to get better over time.

There is little I would change about the ingredients, but would change a few of the processes. The only major suggestions I have is, sweat your peppers in a Ziploc bag. This makes peeling the skins easier and you won’t have to use water that the recipe calls for. DO NOT USE WATER to peel the peppers. This is a major no-no since the water washes away the oils and flavor, you want flavor!!!

If you cannot find the Cubanelle peppers, don’t worry you can substitute with Banana peppers.

 I also didn’t have a large enough pot or Dutch oven that would fit the volume of the recipe; so I used my crock-pot. I would suggest if you use the crock-pot reduce the chicken broth by half and leave the lid slightly ajar to let steam to escape.  Let cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Keeping the kids from dipping into the Chili Verde on Friday since the whole house smelled so amazing from this cooking all day.

Ingredients:

3 pounds trimmed pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes

Kosher salt

5 poblano pepper

5 cubanelle peppers

2 pounds tomatillos (about 15 medium), husks removed

6 whole garlic cloves

2 jalapeño peppers, stems removed, split in half lengthwise

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 cups loosely packed cilantro leaves

1 large onion, finely diced (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 quart chicken stock

 

Directions:

In large bowl, toss pork with 2 tablespoons salt until thoroughly coated. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour.

 

Meanwhile, roast poblano and cubanelle peppers by placing them directly over the flame of a gas stove until deeply charred on all surfaces, about 10 minutes total. If you don't have a gas burner, you can achieve similar results under the broiler, or on an outdoor grill. Place peppers in a bowl and cover with a large plate. Let steam for 5 minutes, then peel under cool running water. Dry chilies, discard seeds and stems, and roughly chop. Transfer to bowl of food processor.

 

Preheat broiler to high. Toss tomatillos, garlic, and jalapeños with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet lined with foil. Broil until charred, blistered, and just softened, turning once halfway through cooking, about 10 minutes total. Transfer to the food processor along with any exuded liquid.

 

Add 1/2 of cilantro to the food processor and pulse mixture until it is roughly pureed but not smooth, about 8 to 10 one-second pulses. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

 

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 225°F. Heat remaining oil in large Dutch oven over high heat until smoking. Add half of pork and cook without moving until well browned, about 3 minutes. Stir pot and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until well browned on all sides. Add remaining pork and onions and cook, stirring frequently and scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pan, until onions are softened, about 4 minutes. Add cumin and cook, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 1 minute.

 

Add chicken stock and pureed chilies to pot and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, cover, and transfer to oven, leaving lid slightly ajar. Cook until pork shreds easily with a fork, about 3 hours. Remove from oven and return to stovetop.

 

Skim off and discard any excess fat. Adjust to desired consistency by adding water or boiling and reducing. Stir remaining cilantro into pot and season to taste with more salt. Serve immediately with warm tortillas, diced onions, sour cream, cheese, cilantro, and lime wedges. Chili can be chilled and stored in airtight container in refrigerator for up to 5 days. Flavor will improve with time.