Ever since the financial crash when we lost most everything, I haven’t seen anyone in my family. Travel hasn’t been in our budget. I know we’re not alone nor are we special.
Today though, is a day of celebration. My sister Carole arrived this morning from New York with her granddaughter Emma who’s 10. I can’t tell you how pleased I am to be in the same room with her, listening to her stories. Her life is even more chaotic than my own. (hard to believe, I know)
She looked amazing even after that long flight and even had energy enough for a drive around town and a visit to a local museum. I always feel like a pretzel after a long haul flight but they were both wide awake and ready to play.
Before they arrived I cleaned out the pantry and tossed out the things that could kill us because they were past their use-by date, vacuumed up all the crumbs in the drawer below where the toaster sits. (why can’t men close the freakin drawer before making toast??) and cleaned the waterside windows because it was getting tough to see through them. I’m a food blogger, who has time to clean? It’s a good thing my sister doesn’t travel with a white glove.
Young Emma loves animals and our Charlie is in heaven. He has a new friend that will toss his ball and give him a cuddle anytime he wants one. He hasn’t left her alone since she got here. They even went swimming. Remember, it’s winter — and it was raining! Nuts, I tell you!
We arrived home from the airport about 9am and I decided it was time to christen my new waffle maker. I looked for a Belgian waffle maker but couldn’t find one so I compromised and got the ordinary sized one from Cuisinart. Why waffles? Carole lives in New York about 90 miles north of NYC and she makes her own maple syrup – over an outdoor fire no less.
So I had to have something to soak up that goodness and holy cow these breakfast waffles were good. Carole brought enough syrup to last the whole time she’s here and maybe longer. So we’ll do waffles again and pancakes and cook with it too.
- 1½ cups plain flour
- ¼ cup self-raising flour
- ¼ cup caster or superfine sugar
- 2 eggs, separated
- 1½ cups milk
- 60 grams butter, melted
- 2 tbsp water
- Sift flours and sugar into a bowl, make a well in the middle of the flours.
- Combine egg yolks, milk, butter and water in a measuring cup and add it to the well in the flour and mix until smooth.
- Whip egg whites until soft peaks form and fold into batter in two batches.
- Preheat waffle iron and drop ⅓ cup of batter into the center of the hot waffle iron and cook about 2 minutes.
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Hi Maureen!
I am thrilled for you! I know how traveling can put a strain on the budget. I just returned from Idaho and boy oh boy talk about pretzels! (and not the kind they serve on the plane either:)
Your Light and Fluffy Waffles look delightful. I for one am kinda glad you didn’t go Belgium:)
Thank you so much for sharing…Have a joyous visit with your family and cherish each and every moment! louise
LOL I will definitely enjoy their visit. I’ve been looking forward to it for months.
Have a wonderful visit with your sister and her granddaughter. The waffles look like a great way to start the day. 🙂
I plan to. I might not get all my commenting done but I’ll have lots and lots of memories 🙂
Lovely waffles Maureen. 🙂
A larger Belgian waffle maker would have been the best choice but if you can’t find one that’s just how it is. I waited for years before I found the used restaurant waffle maker that now resides on my counter.
Have an amazing day dear. And keep on cooking.
Chef Felisha
I thought about your nifty waffle maker when I ordered that one. This will have to do until I go to a restaurant closing sale. LOL
I have a problem with waffles, they don’t like me and I definitely adore them, maybe too much. I cannot succeed in making a waffle recipe :(((((
This recipe is really easy and 1/3 cup of batter makes a perfect size.
You are in for some great times, that is for sure. Intercontinental travel is always so tough….both financially and physically. So it’s awesome that you both get to spend some special time together. Emma sounds like a heart and I was chuckling reading how Charlie has fallen for her hook, like a sinker. The waffles look beautiful. 90 miles North of NYC – possibly closer to where I live and I have never made maple syrup, though I have visited farms that do.
yes but when it does happen, it’s great fun!
Hi, Maureen! I am so glad that you got family in town. Enjoy them a lot! Having my family visiting me brings me a lot of happiness… I confess that I cannot get enough of them. The waffles look yummy. Have a great time!
I know just what you mean. They were going through my blog yesterday trying to decide what they wanted to make first 🙂
I’ll bet this visit is blissing you out! And having all that great maple syrup as a bonus? Even more bliss. Great looking waffles. We don’t have a waffle iron, and need to get one – waffles are great on their own, of course, but I’m also intrigued by the idea of making some savory ones. Fun post – thanks.
I AM pretty blissy 🙂
I love a good excuse to clean out the pantry, and I’m always shocked by the things I find – especially the sense of the passage of time that results (…I thought I bought that 2 weeks ago, not 2 years ago… ugh). Sounds like your excuse was a very welcome one and I hope you have a wonderful time catching up with your sister. And for the record? Your pool is gorgeous. I’d go for a swim in the winter and rain as well 😉
Even in the summer I think the pool is too cold! (it’s also pretty exposed to the world) You can come and swim with Emma and Charlie anytime, okay?
Be careful – it is so so cold in Canberra at the moment, you may very well end up with an unwanted pool guest (and her two dogs) 😉
Charlie our cavoodle loves sleepover company! 🙂
Lovely waffles Maureen, true!
I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited about your sister’s visit too!
Nothing like homemade maple syrup…WHOO HOO!
Enjoy your priceless time together…and love your comment …who has time to clean lol
Cheers! Joanne
absolutely and when I told my sister she said, “as if that’s ever going to bother me!” We’re probably related.
What a wonderful way to begin a visit! Those waffles look perfect. Wishing you all good times during their stay.
Thanks so much, John. I love that we’re getting to be good friends!
Awwww you must be so happy being around your sister! Enjoy every bit of it! <3 I am an only child, but when my parents come to visit, it's always so GOOD! <3
Great looking waffles! I can't believe your sister makes her own maple syrup! She must be as amazing as you are! 🙂
My sister is pretty amazing. She is a violin teacher and takes her students all over the world. She cooks but only to eat. She does the syrup with her grandchildren.
I love waffles and this looks so fluffy and delicious. YUM!!!
I’m the same way –my body takes a toll after traveling any distance. haha! Have a a great weekend Maureen.
I know, I have no clue how she went all day yesterday and then slept in a sleeping bag at the local aquarium’s “sleepover night for kids”. Hope your weekend is going well too!
Delicious looking. I’m going to try making waffles again one day, if I can get that old waffle maker I inherited to work. 🙂
sometimes old waffle irons are the best. how did they come out?
Waving hello to your sister and Emma!!! Love these waffles Maureen… they look sooooooo light and fluffy!
They WERE light and fluffy. Whipping the egg whites and folding them in two batches makes all the difference.
Oops! And I thought I had been the only one I knew who got caught!! Would you believe I was an Oz fully qualified ‘Investment Advisor’ at the time!! And still could not ‘pick it’!! Have an absolutely wonderful time together . . . sorry, it SO looks if you are on the Gold Coast . . . not so bad up there . . .
oh good grief.. the Gold Coast looks like Daytona Beach in Florida and I never went there 🙂 The Sunshine Coast is much more laid back and casual.
I cleaned out my pantry today too. I like to think I have my finger on the pulse of my entire Kitcheny Kingdom, but I was shocked at how many little bits and pieces of ingredients and sauces had slipped through the cracks! Now, if I had some really-truly home made maple syrup, it wouldn’t have time to sit there on the shelf- it would be devoured immediately! 🙂 Have a nice visit!
you need a sister living in New York to make the syrup 🙂
I didn’t appreciate how hard it would have been at the time, but when I was young, my Mum went 8 years without seeing her sisters (we were in Australia and they were in the UK and Canada). That first trip we made over to England when I was 10, she just soaked up every minute. I feel fortunate not to have had such lengthy separations from immediate family and am so glad you’re getting to spend time with your sister and niece. That maple syrup would be a bonus too 🙂
given a choice I would choose my sister over the syrup but only just 🙂
What a shame you haven’t been able to see your family as much as you would like. It’s so good they came over to visit!! Those waffles are giant and look so good!! I bet your sister will come back again very soon just to get another serve 🙂
LOL 10,000 miles for a plate of waffles is a big ask 🙂
Nothing like a waffle hot and fresh off the griddle dripping in butter and syrup to remind us of home, family, and love.
Doesn’t matter if theyare served for breakfast or dinner they simply shout out loud, “I love you.”
Glad you have this special time with your sister and Emma.
LOL I like that ! They tasted pretty good. 🙂
How exciting to see your sister and her grand-daughter again and have them stay with you! I can’t believe they had any energy left after that long-haul flight. You are too funny with your cleaning issues but I hear you, sister! I used to be so fastidious and these days I barely get the minimum done. I love the look of your waffles – so American. And I can’t believe your sister makes her own maple syrup – I wouldn’t know where to start xx
LOL making maple syrup in one easy lesson. Collect sap from 40 billion sugar maple trees. Pour said sap into huge kettle and put on the stove or like my sister does, over an open fire outside. Boil until it’s syrup. Strain in case a bug got in there. Eat.
How lovely that you are able to spend some time with family!
The waffles look delicious. It makes me wish I had a waffle iron!
That’s what I said and when I heard she was bringing homemade maple syrup, I ordered one online!
So glad you got to visit with Carole. She and I have something in common. We both make homemade maple syrup 🙂 I hadn’t decided what to have for breakfast until I read your post Maureen. I’m making hubby make me waffles!
LOL what a great idea! Carole cooks her syrup outside over an open fire. That’s more work than I’m willing to do. 🙂
I am so glad you are with your family my friend, sounds like so much fun after such a long time 🙂
Love these waffles they look utterly perfect! 🙂
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
I’m having a terrific time!
I soo hate cleaning. It has to be done but, like you, only after all the other more interesting things. Except the kitchen – that’s done every day, I love it to be sparkling. I hope you have a wonderful time with your sister and her grand daughter. I had no idea that home made maple syrup existed. What will you make with it next? GG
I don’t know. At the moment I’m just pouring it on everything. 🙂 When we were kids we’d collect sap and my mother would cook it down for syrup but I left at 18 and haven’t lived where there are sugar maples since. 🙂
What a thrill to have your sister with you and your niece for Charlie. Family is so important.
I am sorry to hear about your experience during the crash. We lost a little bundle a few years back when a finance company collapsed but not everything.
The waffles sound like just the thing to start the visit off on a suitable foodie note.
Perfect description for these tasty looking waffles!
I wish my sister would bring me home made maple syrup! Enjoy your time together! Is this her first time in Australia?
No, she’s been here a few times already but never to this location. We’re having a great time.
How very lovely that you have your sister visiting and what a wonderful way to celebrate her home made maple syrup! The waffles look incredible for sure!
How exciting to have your sister here! And they’re doing well to be raring to go after a flight from the US! Delicious looking waffles-I don’t know if I’ve seen a Belgian waffle maker in my travels but I’ll keep an eye out!
I’ve got the same waffle maker!! I love it. Glad you had a good trip! xoxo
Homemade maple syrup? Wow! And these waffles look so good. We have a waffle maker and have used it exactly twice in I don’t even remember how many years. Oddly enough, my son just asked for waffles. I might have found the recipe…
Those waffles were really good. I’m making them again for the guys dredging the canal tomorrow morning. I was a REALLY wide bank. 🙂 I figure if I feed them, they’ll stick around and give me more sand.
I love waffles with melted chocolate and ice cream!? Yum!
wow, Vernon, that sounds pretty good.
Fluffy, cute waffles 🙂
The shape, the fragrance seem just PERFECT !
They were really good and I like traditional shapes. 🙂
I love love love waffles – the texture,taste, shape everything! Your look perfect and how I wish I could have them for breakfast today!!! Hope you had a great time with your sister
So nice for you to have family visiting! These waffles look so golden and perfect for a weekend breakfast!
Your sister must not be far from our house upstate. What town is she in? Waffles are my favorite!! I’m making these this morning! Thanks Maureen
It’s amazing how much lighter the waffles come out just by whipping the egg whites!! I LOVE them this way..