Design.Wine.Dine.

Summer Saturdays

Last week was completely chaotic and while it wound up successful, I was a little unprepared for the famous “6 Man” tournament/celebration to sweep the beach on Saturday.  Instead, we played it a little more low-key with some much-needed rest and recovery and by hitting up a few of our favorite restaurants.  Martha’s in Hermosa Beach definitely tops our list of favorite breakfast eateries in the LA area and this weekend (as always) it did not disappoint.  With a stunning beach view, we sipped on mimosas and split our two favorites: The Montecristo and Stuffed French Toast special… just what we needed to put an end to the week.

{Delightful beach-side mimosas}

{Before Martha’s, I’d never had a Montecristo… I was really missing out!  Layered sliced turkey, sliced ham, melted cheddar and swiss on grilled egg-dipped sour dough.  Served with raspberry preserves and syrup for dipping. Aaaaamazing!}

{The Stuffed French Toast special varies from day-to-day.  Saturday’s was stuffed with peaches and cream cheese and served with a side of chicken jalapeno sausage… an utterly perfect combination of sweet and spicy}

Weekend Waffles

Growing up, one of my favorite meals of the week was my dad’s Saturday morning breakfast.  Between evening dance classes and homework during the week, it was hard for us all to sit down at the dinner table together so we made up for missed family time on the weekends over coffee, orange juice and whatever else my dad felt like whipping up.  Homemade waffles have been on my mind for a while now after stumbling across this recipe.  And after finding it again on Annie’s blog last week, I just had to give it a try.  Using the easy fruit topping my dad taught me years ago, I took a stab at combining a little family tradition with the infamous “Waffles of Insane Greatness”…and I think we just might have found our weekend tradition.

Ingredients

Waffles:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Fruit Topping:
1 large peach (I removed the skin)
1 cup sliced strawberries
1 cup raspberries
1 cup blackberries
1/2 cup blueberries
1 tbsp. French vanilla coffee creamer (liquid form)

Directions

Waffles:
In a medium mixing bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients and whisk together to blend.  In a separate medium mixing bowl, beat together the milk, buttermilk, vegetable oil, egg and vanilla extract.  Add the dry ingredients and mix together until the batter is smooth with few lumps.  Set aside for 30 minutes and prep fruit topping. Preheat waffle iron and cook according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Fruit Topping:
Combine all fruit in a mixing bowl and drizzle French vanilla creamer over the top so that the fruit is lightly coated.  Mix together.

Remove waffles from the waffle iron, butter (if desired) and serve with fruit topping.  Syrup is not needed as the fruit is bursting with natural sweetness and the French vanilla creamer creates the perfect consistency while adding a delightful twist.  While some people will insist on having syrup on their waffles, urge them to try it without.

Follow Along!