Something Old, Something New, Something Fun

Right after DH and I got married, over 25 years ago, I started collecting recipes. I wrote them by hand in a yellow notebook that I got at a German store. It had room for hundreds of recipes, and this is one of the first ones I ever wrote in it. I don’t recall where I got it from, since I didn’t write down a source, but I’m sure it was a magazine of some kind. I’ve changed it just a little by substituting a little whole wheat flour for all-purpose, adding some ground flax, and using oil instead of the original melted shortening. These are not crispy like regular waffles, and the batter would probably make some great cupcakes. We ate them with regular pancake syrup (DH) and lite syrup (me), and we both found that we didn’t need a whole lot of syrup since these were already sweet. The uneaten waffles freeze well in zip plastic bags and can be reheated in the toaster.

Gingerbread Waffles



Makes 14 (4-inch) waffles.
1 c unbleached white flour
1/2 c white whole wheat flour (I use King Arthur)
2 T ground flaxseed
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/4 c sugar or Splenda
1 t ground ginger
3 eggs, beaten
1 c buttermilk
1/4 c molasses
1/3 c vegetable or canola oil

Combine first 7 ingredients; set aside. Combine eggs, buttermilk, molasses, and melted shortening, stirring well; add to flour mixture, stirring until blended. Bake in preheated, oiled waffle iron. Serve with butter and syrup. Makes 16 (4-inch) waffles.

I spent a large part of the afternoon making another recipe from ‘way, ‘way back, and will be sharing it tomorrow. But it produced the foundation for six quick and/or easy meals, some of which I’ll make after work once school starts again. After that was all cooked and packaged, it was time to marinate the meat for dinner.

When we were camping in Colorado, we met a couple from Evergreen - Dean and Margaret. One evening we were all sitting under the rain tarp with them, their daughter Natalie, and some other friends of theirs, and the conversation inevitably turned to food. Dean and Margaret shared a recipe for a pork marinade that sounded divine, and I decided to give it a try. In coming up with a name for this recipe, I decided to name it after the campground we were in: Dinner Station.

Dinner Station Pork Tenderloin
from Dean and Margaret Miller



1 pork tenderloin
2 large garlic cloves, sliced lengthwise into strips
2 t dried rosemary
2 t dried dillweed
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1/3 c soy sauce
1/3 c red wine vinegar

Using the tip of a sharp knife, cut 6-10 small slits in the tenderloin. Insert a slice of garlice into each slit. Sprinkle meat with rosemary, dillweed, and Worcestershire. In a large bowl, combine soy sauce and red wine vinegar. Add meat, and marinate 30-45 minutes. (Don’t marinate any longer than that, or the soy sauce will make the meat too salty). Grill till meat is just cooked through. Serves 4.

Picture Quiz



Can you guess what/where this photo is? Californians - you’d better get this one right! I’ll give details tomorrow.

food & drink