More Christmas Adventures

OK...sometimes, things just don't quite work out the way you had planned.

I thought it would be great to have Christmas Waffles after we unwrapped the presents. I had some fresh strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries to top them with to make them look festive. I even had pure maple syrup as an added treat. However, my can of non-stick spray was quite old and I decided that it should be tossed. No matter. I decided I'd just brush some canola oil on the waffle iron instead, heat it up, and proceed to cook the waffles.

Oh, such a simple plan....but it went oh so wrong!

It all started with the batter. It was a bit too thick and wouldn't pour through the special spouted pitcher I'd bought specifically for pancakes and waffles. Instead, it flowed over the sides making quite a mess. I decided to use plan B. I put the special pitcher away and went back to the "old method" of using a ladle. No problem.

I finally got the proper amount of batter in the waffle iron and it began to cook. Steam was rising from the sides....the scent of fresh waffles wafted through the air. All was going well until I attempted to open the iron. The waffle split leaving 1/2 on each side of the iron. No problem I thought. I just unplugged the waffle iron and decided to "nudge" the waffle loose. Since the iron itself has some "non-stick" properties, I couldn't use metal, so I "nudged" it with my brand new heat resistant spatula.

Hmm....it didn't budge....not one bit! I tried a little harder. Drat! I'd thought it would be easy but the waffle just wouldn't budge had kept right on cooking until it was a bit crisp. I decided to dig the spatula in there a bit and really scoop at it. Hmmm. All I succeeded in doing at that was to flake off crispy chunks of waffle. What a mess! (I should have taken a picture). Oh, my.....I discovered some creamy white stuff - uncooked batter???? Oh....no.....! The spatula was melting! Every place I'd touched the iron had telltale melted bits of white spatula. UGH! So much for "heat resistant"!

Still, I did not give up. I truly wanted Christmas Waffles topped with fresh fruit and pure maple syrup.

I decided all was NOT lost. I tossed out all the "chunky bits" I'd "chipped out", cleaned out the rest from the waffle iron, and finally removed the melted bits of spatula. I remembered that the last time I'd made waffles, the first one stuck a bit to the iron, but the second one came out perfect. Ah ha! The iron was seasoned now...that must have been the problem! I just KNEW that all would be fine and the next waffle would be perfect. Unfortunately, that was NOT the case. This time, the waffle stuck even harder and wouldn't even budge! It appeared to have "become one" with the waffle iron.


Needless to say, I decided to change my plans a bit. I made pancakes instead. I did still top them with the fresh berries and pure maple syrup, but it just wasn't the same.

For now, I've sworn off "waffle making" - at least until I get more non-stick cooking spray!