Sunday brunch

Well hi there.  Remember me Dear Reader?  I'm not sure where June went....how did that happen???  All of a sudden it's July, another month gone and I'm another year older to boot.  I've been absent from this page, but happy to say I have lots in the works behind the scenes.  You may have noticed the new "Snippets" link on the sidebar as well as the "Recipe Index" button above the banner.  A recipe index will help keep me organized and help you find things easier on the site.  I look forward to sharing these new features with you soon.  Stay tuned.

So as crazy as life has been lately, I have tried to keep Sundays as "home" days.  A day to putter about the house, catch up on reading, and try some new recipes.  I like Sundays to decompress.  I don't like to go out, and in fact like to pretend I'm not home.  Sundays are perfect for brunch on the patio.  Casual.  Nothing too serious.  And if you're lucky enough to still be in your jammies, all the better. 

A few Sundays ago, still in my pj's I put on the coffee and decided I wanted to try something new.  I had cherry tomatoes that needed eating sooner, rather than later.  I drizzled them with olive oil and fresh ground pepper and sea salt and roasted them for 30 minutes at 425 degrees.  To go with them, I made waffles.  Not sweet, syrup soaked waffles.  Waffles with bacon and cheddar cheese in them.  Yum!  Finally, a whack of scrambled eggs to go with it all.  It was savoury.  It was delicious. It was a hit with the carnivores I live with.  Yay!

Cheddar Bacon Cornmeal Waffles
Adapted from Canadian Living, Special Edition, Fall October 2011

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
1 tbsp sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup shredded aged cheddar cheese (I used Balderson brand)
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 green onion, finely chopped
3 eggs
2 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 tbsp vegetable oil

In large bowl, whisk flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together.  Set aside.  In separate bowl, whisk eggs, buttermilk and butter together.  Pour over flour mixture and stir until just combined.  Let stand for 10 minutes. 

While you're waiting, heat the waffle iron.  Brush with some of the vegetable oil.  Pour about 1/2 cup of batter onto iron and spread to edges.  Close lid of iron and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 4 minutes.  Carefully remove from iron and repeat procedure with remainder of batter.  Prepared waffles can be kept warm in oven at low temperature until ready to serve. 

Brush waffle with butter if desired and top with scrambled eggs and roasted tomatoes.  Makes 6.

This would work really well if you had breakfast guests.  The waffles can be made ahead and re-warmed.  The tomatoes can be roasting while you put on the coffee, set the table and prepare the scrambled eggs.  Easy peasy.  If you don't already have a waffle iron, you can pick one up fairly inexpensively.  I've had mine for years and it was only twenty bucks.  Certainly not the most expensive model out there, but works just fine and has for years.