"Waffle" news and stories

A cup of joe at Waffle House. Photo: mfajardo, Flickr.

If the local Waffle House just happens to be your second home, this is your week!

The chain, based in Norcross, Ga., is celebrating National Waffle Week by honoring its patrons -- those regulars who often duck in for a fix of T-bones, country ham, cheese 'n eggs and waffles.

Through Sept. 12, local Waffle Houses will be awarding their Top 20 customers with "Official Regular" pins, and more than 31,000 customers are expected to be honored at the chain's approximately 1,550 restaurants.

And as it's National Waffle Week, Waffle House is also rolling out a new flavor.

The breakfast sandwich market gets a little more crowded with Dunkin Donuts' newest creation: The Waffle Breakfast Sandwich. Yes. I know. Calm down. The sandwich consists of egg, cheese and bacon between two maple syrup-flavored waffles.

The composition evokes memories of Junior's Restaurant's brisket-on-latke sandwich, but the DD sandwich's taste overkill is more reminiscent of the famous Jimmy Dean sausage-in-a-pancake-on-a-stick. And, like the sausage-in-a-pancake-on-a-stick, the bacon-egg-cheese-maple-waffle sandwich possesses a dubious deliciousness.

The mix of artery-clogging morning cholesterol with the sweetness of maple syrup is almost too much to bear, yet somehow you cannot resist devouring the last sticky crumb. Devouring, wishing that the waffle was truly waffle-sized and not English muffin-sized. And hating yourself for wishing that. And swearing to go straight to the gym as soon as you are done. And craving another one.

During my middle school years, I was totally and completely addicted to Tetris. I played every afternoon when I came home from school and when I closed my eyes at night, I still saw the pieces falling into place. Truly, the only reason I don't still play obsessively is that I don't have a program that runs on my current computer (and I'm planning on keeping it that way).

However, a friend emailed me a link today that has me rethinking my position on Tetris. How can I not love how it has been reinvented using waffles in place of the colored blocks! It makes me consider pulling out my own waffle iron and making a game board on my own.

Thanks Eric!

Source

Ladies and gentlemen, appreciators of odd foods everywhere, meet the waffledog.

That's a hot dog wrapped in a waffle, doused in ketchup and eaten on a stick. Sound like a good idea to you? Me too.

In my opinion, the most surprising thing about this unusual treat is not the flavor combo (bacon and waffles are good, chicken and waffles are good, so why not hot dog and waffles?) but the fact that it was NOT made in America, proud home of so many foods-within-foods (think turducken - a chicken stuffed in a duck stuffed in a turkey - or mozzarella-stuffed pizza crust or cheesecake-stuffed chimichangas).

Nope, this baby was born in Kanchanaburi, Thailand, as reported on journalist Newley Purnell's blog. Apparently there are French fry-coated corn dogs to be had on the streets of Seoul, South Korea.

I wonder if I could replicate this with my waffle iron...

Source

In my first week of writing for Slashfood, I wrote about an issue that everyone seemed to have an opinion about: an employee complaining that the new "skinny" lattes were offensive. Though most of the comments hotly debated the topic at hand, quite a few other people had their sights set on a different topic: the post's accompanying photo, which featured a stroopwafel (aka: syrup waffle) atop a Starbucks mug.

So, for all of you people curious about stroopwafels, I did some sleuthing and found a recipe on - where else? - StroopwafelShop.com. It's pretty easy (sorry in advance for the measurements - you can convert them here):

Waffles (12):

300g sugar
450g butter, sliced into small pieces
3 eggs
3 sp milk
600g flour
pinch of cinnamon and salt

Mix the sugar with the eggs, milk, four, cinnamon, salt, and butter. Roll into 12 small balls.
Preheat the waffle iron. Squeeze a ball of dough into the iron, and bake for about 30 seconds. Remove.
Cut the waffle into two thin waffles and spread with a mix of butter and syrup.

Or, you can always cheat and buy them premade. They're easy to get if you live in the Netherlands, but I know you can occasionally purchase them at Wild Oats/Whole Foods and Trader Joe's in the U.S. Feel free to leave a comment if you have any suggestions.

Then, top with honey, fresh fruit, mascarpone cheese, or dipped in your coffee (skinny or not).