By Dawn Combs
You’re going to love these pumpkin waffles made with eggnog!
There are no more holidays on the horizon. My kids have asked me several times if Christmas is really over and how many days until the next celebration. In our house we are lucky to have my daughter’s birthday just two weeks after Christmas, so truthfully we don’t have to wait long for more festivities.
Regardless of the impending birthday, I woke up this morning, shuffled to the refrigerator and looked at its packed shelves for breakfast inspiration. I was greeted with a culinary version of a visitation from the ghost of holiday’s past.
Does your refrigerator have holiday hangover?
I saw a few bites of cranberry sauce in one container, a large carton of expensive cream, and a box of fudge on one shelf. On another was a large container of that pumpkin I cooked so that I could have just one cup’s worth for pumpkin mousse at our solstice dinner. On the top shelf I am facing a half a carton of eggnog that no one is in the mood to drink anymore.
What to do? My husband would just as soon throw it all out than have to face a leftover that he is no longer interested in eating. I try to look at the same food and see new possibilities. I like to see how creative I can get without causing complaints.
I took the cranberry sauce and separated it into a few of my son’s small lunch box containers. I topped each dollop with a serving of organic vanilla yogurt. I’ve tried this on my own a few times and it’s really quite good. He’ll benefit from the big dose of vitamin C that the cranberries will give him and I’ve got a good start on his lunches for the first week back to school.
Next I eyed the pumpkin puree. One of our favorite breakfasts is a pancake recipe into which I add sweet potato puree. I decided I could do a take-off on that idea. I whipped up a batch of pumpkin waffles, but before I got too far into the recipe I had spied a way to use up the eggnog and expensive cream. (Some health benefits of eating pumpkin.)
I didn’t tell my family what I had done until they were eating the waffles. The consensus was that they were some of the best waffles I’ve made. That makes me feel triumphant and also a little sad. When you make a new creation with random leftovers it is often impractical to gather everything together again to duplicate your success. I’ll have to keep this recipe tucked away in a special section of my recipe box marked “holiday left-overs” and remember to do this again next year!
Eggnog Pumpkin Waffles w/Whipped Cream
Ingredients
For the waffles:
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ¾ cup eggnog
- ½ cup pumpkin puree (learn how to make pumpkin puree)
- 1 Tbsp packed brown sugar
- 4 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- pinch of nutmeg
For the whipped cream:
- ½ cup cream
- 1 tsp superfine sugar
Directions
- Heat your waffle iron.
- Beat the eggs and add in all the other ingredients.
- Pour the correct amount of batter for your waffle iron onto the center of the grid.
- With an electric mixer whip the cream and sugar together until it forms soft peaks.
- Bake your waffle about 5 minutes, or until the steam stops.
- Serve immediately. Top your waffle with whipped cream and enjoy.
Have you found delicious ways to resurrect your holiday leftovers? If so, share below!
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