Awesome Waffle Recipe

Not all waffle recipes are created equal. I have had some pretty amazing waffles and I have had some not so amazing waffles (more like rubbery flavorless breakfast disks). I used to buy the kind of waffles you get in the frozen section of the grocery store. Then I started buying the box of Pioneer baking mix and making waffles from that. Those are pretty good. THEN, I experimented with some recipes and learned to make my very own waffles from scratch. Needless to say I don't buy frozen or boxed anymore. A huge factor in making your own waffles is having a waffle iron. I will say that I have that in my corner and it does help to have a badass commercial grade waffle maker like mine. My mom gave it to me. It sat unused in my cabinet for a long time. I was a little intimidated by it at first but once I learned the lingo, I never looked back and my waffle iron is a happy new addition to my kitchen. I make waffles a few times a month. We seem to eat waffles most often at night time in our house. There is just something about breakfast for dinner that seems so appealing. After trying out several different recipes, I came up with one that works best for me and I must say that they are the best waffles that I have ever eaten and almost always have all the ingredients on hand. Nothing too extreme in this recipe. Without further ado, get out your whisks and your waffle irons and let's make some scrumdiddlyumptious waffles. 

What you will need:
Waffle Iron
Large Mixing Bowl
Whisk
Silicon/Rubber Spatula
Measuring Cups
Measuring Spoons
Nonstick spray

Ingredients:
DRY
2 c. All Purpose Flour
1/4 c. Sugar (= 4 Tbsp)
1 Tbsp. Baking Powder
1 Tsp. Salt

WET
2 c. Milk
2 Eggs (Beaten)
4 Tbsp. Melted Butter
1 Tsp. Vanilla

RECIPE:
First, you want to get your waffle iron heated up and ready for use. I have a Waring Pro Commercial Grade Waffle Iron and I set mine to the heat setting (4). That always satisfies my desires for a perfect fluffy and slightly crispy outer waffle. You'll have to find which setting works best for you, but I would recommend starting out at a medium setting.

When making this recipe you want to start out by mixing your dry ingredients (Flour, Sugar, Salt, Baking Powder) in your Large Mixing Bowl. Once your dry ingredients are mixed, you can start adding the wet ingredients. (I learned to add the butter last to avoid getting a lumpy batter.) First, add your milk and mix batter. Then, add your beaten eggs and vanilla. Lastly, add your melted butter and mix vigorously until all lumps are out of your batter. Scrape down the sides and bottom of your bowl with your silicon spatula to make sure that you get all the dry ingredients fully incorporated too.

I add one cup of batter to my waffle iron and it is always just enough. A One Cup measuring cup works great for scooping and pouring the batter. Depending on the size of your waffle maker, you may need more or less. My waffle maker only makes one giant waffle at a time. That is usually enough for one person.

My waffle iron beeps to let me know it is ready and beeps when it is time to take out or flip my waffles. Every waffle iron is different, so look at your cooking instructions to see how hot and for how long to cook your waffles for.

Once your waffles are done cooking, it is time to dress them up if you choose. I butter mine up and add syrup. Sometimes I throw some fresh blueberries into my batter for some delicious blueberry pancakes. Sometimes I add some fresh sliced banana and pecans to my finished waffles and those are amazing. There are endless options to dress up your waffles. I hope you fall in love with this recipe as much as I have and I hope this makes it a little easier to make your own amazing waffles and get crazy, try your own versions of this recipe. Most importantly, Enjoy your journey in the kitchen.

Kids love to help when mixing up the batter and It helps to know that they are about to devour these delicious fluffy waffles too... 

How to make a Natural Eye and Face Cream that's super easy, really good for your skin and won't cost a fortune

All natural Coconut eye and face cream

This isn't your traditional store bought face and eye cream. This is the real raw stuff here. You won't find any chemical, preservatives or fragrances in this recipe. No Siree. This eye and face cream only consists of 3 ingredients. Coconut Oil, Jojoba Oil and Vitamin E. And they just so happen to be all natural and really good for you. No worries here.

It only takes about 10 minutes to make and most importantly it is natural and really moisturizing and nourishing for your skin. It is really easy to whip up and you may even have everything you need to make it already, tucked away in your pantry or cupboards somewhere.

I love the way this cream smells and makes my skin feel.
The main ingredient in this recipe is coconut oil. So naturally it smells like sweet coconut. When I use it (which is everyday) My skin feels super soft and hydrated all day long.

The awesome part about making your own body products is that you know exactly what is in it, You know what you are putting on your skin and you know that it is good for you. Coconut oil is known to treat numerous skin conditions like acne, eczema and even psoriasis and rosacea. Coconut oil also helps to treat dark skin spots, dry skin and much much more. It's truly an amazing little gift.

Jojoba oil is another amazing oil that is super beneficial for the skin. Jojoba oil is the closest thing to your skin's sebum, which is the natural oils that your skin secretes. That basically means that it is earth's natural Neosporin. I have used jojoba oil on my body regularly for about 10 years now and it has never done me wrong. It is probably the best oil you could ever put on your skin. So you can see how good it is for your delicate facial tissue and how nourishing it is to use.

Both of these oils are all natural and absorb directly into your skin truly moisturizing and nourishing it. Most of the products you buy at the store are water based (which is trickery) or they are made with petroleum based ingredients and only sit on the surface of the skin (again trickery) and basically suffocate your skin and trick it into thinking your skin is actually being moisturized. But as the day wears on the moisturizer wears off. You will know what I mean when you use this recipe.

The last ingredient in this recipe is Vitamin E. Vitamin E is also extremely beneficial for our body inside and out. Not only does vitamin E help to give us beautiful shiny locks, long nails and supple glowing skin but it is also helpful for our heart and has a lot of antioxidants and is required for proper function of many organs in the body. It slows down processes that damage cells. Vitamin E helps in the anti-aging process too. You will find vitamin E in most skin products. Especially those for the face and eyes.

So you can see why these three important and beneficial ingredients make for a great eye and face cream. All three ingredients work together in a trifecta of healing and nourishing properties to leave your skin feeling soft, moisturized and glowing. If you have never used coconut oil or other natural oils on your face before it can take some getting used to. But once you get past the initial "why is my face so oily phase?" and allow the cream to work it's magic, then you will see how soft and smooth your skin feels. It is always oily at first but within 20-30 minutes of applying it you will see how it absorbs into your skin leaving it just soft enough. I apply mine at night before bed, after I get out of the shower. That way it has all night to work on my skin without interference from external forces like makeup, weather and everyday wear. All I ask is that that you give it a chance to wow you.

That's enough tips and education. Let's get to making this stuff.

What you will need:
A mixing bowl
measuring spoons
A spoon or fork for stirring
A whisk or hand mixer
a small container to store your concoction in

Ingredients:
2 TbSP Coconut Oil (unrefined, preferably organic)
1 Tsp jojoba oil
2 capsules of vitamin E or 1/2 tsp vitamin E oil

Measure out your coconut oil and jojoba oil into your mixing bowl and then puncture or cut the tip of the vitamin E capsules and add to the other two ingredients and mix well with the spoon or fork and get all the lumps out and make sure all ingredients are well incorporated. Coconut oil is solid at room temperature but the melting point is 76 degrees. So it doesn't take much for the coconut oil to begin to get runny and melt. After you mixed the ingredients, put the bowl in the freezer for about 2-3 minutes. Just long enough to solidify the mixture again.
Take the bowl out of the freezer and use a whisk or hand mixer and whip the mixture up until it is fluffy and lump free. Kind of like a buttercream icing.

That is pretty much it. Once the mixture has been whisked up then you can scoop out the cream and put it in the container you have chosen to use.

A couple of hints: Try and use a container that has an easy open lid, even if it is oily. Sometimes the container can get oily and you want to make sure that you can open it up when you want to use it. Secondly, store the container somewhere that is cooler and possibly out of the light to help preserve your face cream as well as keep it from melting when the bathroom gets hot from showers and such.

Application: Apply a small amount of the cream to your clean, freshly washed skin on your face and around the eyes. ( a little goes a long way) Make sure not to get it in or too close to your eyes.
When Applying anything to your face, always apply in an upward and outward motion gently lifting the skin up. Make sure to never pull down on your face skin or pull too hard when applying the cream. Be gentle. Remember that when applying your face cream that you make sure to include the décolleté. That is the upper chest and neck area. Those are important areas too that a lot of women forget about.

What are you waiting for? Go mix up a batch a luxurious, all natural face and eye cream. Wash your face and apply this amazingly light and coconutty concoction to your beautiful face. How does it feel? Let me know what you think. Thank you for stopping by.

Blessings