Chocolate Chocolate Chip Waffles

Since I am at home writing my dissertation, I like to watch one episode of "Good Eats" while I eat lunch. We have about 20 episodes on our DVR at any given time and it is on a few times per week, so this works out quite well. In addition, I still feel like I am learning "science" even at lunch! I mentioned to Hirsh that Alton Brown made chocolate chocolate chip waffles on his "Wonderous Waffles" episode and of course, he was really excited to try them. We made them for Sunday brunch and they were delicious. I didn't want to cut the recipe in half, so I just froze the leftovers for a future treat!

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Waffles

1 1/2 C flour

3 tbsp sugar

1/2 C cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

3 eggs, beaten

3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

1 tsp vanilla extract

14 ounces buttermilk, room temperature

3/4 mini chocolate chips

Vegetable spray, for waffle iron

Strawberries and powdered sugar for topping (optional)

1. Whisk together all dry ingredients.

2. In a separate bowl, beat eggs with melted butter and then add vanilla and buttermilk.

3. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Add chocolate chips and mix.

4. Preheat waffle iron to highest setting and let batter sit for 5 minutes.

5. Spray waffle iron with non-stick spray.

6. Pour batter into waffle iron, briefly spreading out with a rubber spatula.

7. Cook until waffle iron indicator light shows that waffles are done.

8. Serve with strawberries and powdered sugar for an extra special treat! Leftovers can be frozen and heated in toaster oven similar to eggo waffles.

Difficulty: Easy

Debbie's Rating: 10

Hirsh's Rating: 9

Broccoli, Mushroom and Cheddar Quiche

Hirsh and I made my mom a special birthday dinner when we were in Pittsburgh this past weekend. I get a lot of my recipes from her, so I wanted to make her something that she doesn't make. Since she usually makes spinach and ricotta quiche, I thought it would be fun to make a more traditional egg-based quiche. I paired it with sourdough bread with herbed butter and fresh salad. The dinner turned out great and I couldn't have done it without my WONDERFUL sous chef, Hirsh!

Broccoli, Mushroom and Cheddar Quiche

1 9-inch frozen pie shell

1 1/2 cups broccoli florets

8 ounces fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 C skim milk

3 eggs, beaten

2 tbsp butter, melted

1 tbsp flour

1 tsp salt

Few grinds black pepper

1 C shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1. Preheat oven to degrees.

2. Peirce bottom of pie crust with a fork and bake about 10 minutes. Let cool. Cover edges of pie crust with aluminum foil so it won't burn.

3. Steam broccoli for 10 minutes until just tender. (if you want a shortcut, you can use frozen broccoli instead, but I prefer fresh)

4. Saute mushrooms in a bit of olive oil until golden brown.

5. Combine milk, eggs, melted butter, flour salt and pepper and 1/2 C cheese and whisk until well blended.

6. Sprinkle remaining half cup of cheese over crust and press down lightly (this creates a protective barrier so the crust doesn't get soggy from the egg mixture).

7. Layer mushrooms and broccoli on cheese and pour egg mixture over everything. (*Note be careful not to have large sections of cheese exposed on top. It will burn...I learned this the hard way)

8. Bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

9. Let rest for 5 minutes and serve. Makes 4 entree portions.

Difficulty: Medium

Debbie's Rating: 9.5

Hirsh's Rating: 9

Mom and Dad's Rating: 10