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!

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...

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).

Waffles are wonderful breakfast food. They are hot, satisfying and a great excuse to use lots of maple syrup. Jess, from Get Sconed! is responsible for this tempting Cinnamon Apple Waffle, topped off with a few spices of fresh apple in addition to the requisite syrup. It is also quite healthy, as far as waffles go, because it is made with whole wheat pastry flour and oats for an extra serving of whole grains. Unfortunately, Jess didn't include the recipe that she used, although since she gave a few hints as to the ingredients in her post, the recipe is probably very similar to this one.

Some people are hesitant to make waffles for breakfast because it seems like a lot of work to do before you've had your morning coffee, but it really only takes a few minutes to whip up the batter and then the waffle iron does the rest of the work for you. And the pleasure of having a fresh waffle to go with that coffee is worth getting up for.

Waffles make appearances at the breakfast table slightly less often than other foods, like eggs, cereals and pancakes. Perhaps this has something to do with the fact that they require a separate appliance and, unless you are fortunate enough to have a surplus of counter space, you probably have to spend some time tracking it down before you can cook. Waffles are not really any more difficult to make than any other breakfast food - and these particular waffles are easy and delicious.

The recipe comes from one I saw in Sunset magazine and called for blue cornmeal and a whipped cream topping. I replaced the whipped cream with maple syrup, which seemed more appropriate for breakfast, and used yellow cornmeal. In seconds, the batter comes together in one bowl and the waffles begin to dook in the iron. The waffles are crisp outside and moist and tender within. The cornmeal gives the a fantastic and satisfying texture.

While the smell of waffle cones from Ben & Jerry's is alluring, I'm not sure how long that appeal would last once you invite it into your home. For $15, you can find out. The Ben & Jerry's online store also sells sprays that mimic their Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and Chocolate Fudge Brownie flavors. I'm not sure if this stuff is edible, but part of me worries that people will start using them like other food sprays. I suppose they could also be used as perfume. I know that the friends of mine that worked at Ben & Jerry's always smelled like waffle cones when they got off work. It wasn't terrible, but I think they got sick of it pretty quickly.

[Via Boing Boing]