What I Ate: Chili over Cheddar Cornbread Waffles

What I Ate’ is a series of posts for so-easy-this-doesn’t-need-a-recipe but I’m sharing with you for the idea or inspiration.

Awhile back I was wanting to make something crazy in the waffle iron. There’s a restaurant I heard about in Syracuse, New York, called Funk ‘n Waffles, that puts all sorts of cra-zy things onto waffle irons. I loved the crispification it sounded like would come from cooking on a waffle iron. I literally had “cook something weird as a waffle” on my ideas of foods to blog. I used a cornbread mix with cheddar as the base topped with chili.
The Three Bite Rule - Chili over Cornbread Waffles

I tried a bacon hashbrown thing that failed miserably. It stuck and never crisped so I ended up tossing it into a frying pan to salvage it. I didn’t end up blogging it because I felt defeated, and tired, and pregnantly-hungry, and I blame my waffle iron. My waffle iron is really some plates that insert into my panini press/griddle. I loooove that they aren’t all separate appliances (since I make waffles mayyybe once a year) but it means that the nooks are pretty shallow…1/3 the depth of a Belgian waffle iron. That’s probably the ticket to more surface area for cooking crazy things. This time I stuck closer to waffle batter and made cheddar cornbread waffles for some nooks the leftover chili could rest it. Such a winner.

Ingredients:

cornbread batter prepared
some extra milk/water to loosen the batter (~1/2 cup)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 green onions, chopped (optional)
2 cups chili

Directions:

Prepare cornbread according to the mix or according to the cornmeal, then add the cheese & green onions if using them.
The Three Bite Rule - Chili over Cornbread Waffles
Add in a little extra milk or water to loosen it enough that it drips off the whisk like pancake/waffle batter.
Ladle onto the waffle iron and cook until crisp. (mine takes about 4-6 minutes)
The Three Bite Rule - Chili over Cornbread Waffles
Serve waffles topped with chili and some extra cheese.
The Three Bite Rule - Chili over Cornbread Waffles
Enjoy!

I liked this platform. The chili was leftover and would have seemed like a bit less if we just ate it straight up. I probably had a size-able serving for 1 of chili but with the waffles, this fed two of us for dinner. Bam! Leftover magic! It was great to just have to prep the waffles while defrosting & warming the chili.

If you’re a big waffle person you could definitely prep the waffles and freeze them when batching up leftover chili. Then they’d just go in the toaster or oven when it was time to serve!

What I Ate: Apple Cinnamon Rolls

What I Ate’ is a series of posts for so-easy-this-doesn’t-need-a-recipe but I’m sharing with you for the idea or inspiration.

I “made” these with pears at the pear-picking-party during the pear cook-off and then of course I’m still using the huge supply of apples we picked. It is a great tweak on a pre-made breakfast option. I love it. Also, work is so nuts right now that I can’t even think beyond about 4 ingredients. I’ll re-surface after Thanksgiving. Is it Black Friday yet?

The Three Bite Rule - Apple Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients: (makes as many rolls as come in the package)

Refrigerated cinnamon rolls with frosting
2 apples chopped
2 tbs brown sugar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350-degrees.
Add the chopped apples to a flat pan with brown sugar over medium heat.
Cook 5 minutes until softened, but not mushy.
The Three Bite Rule - Apple Cinnamon Rolls
Pop open the cinnamon roll can and place into a sprayed baking dish.
The Three Bite Rule - Apple Cinnamon Rolls
Spoon the cooked apple over the top.
Using a knife, press some apple chunks into the cinnamon roll layers.
The Three Bite Rule - Apple Cinnamon Rolls
Bake 20 minutes (or according to your cinnamon roll package).
The Three Bite Rule - Apple Cinnamon Rolls
Spread the frosting over the top. (Tip: dab it out of the package then spread when it starts to melt a bit)
Apple Cinnamon Rolls - The Three Bite Rule
Yum. These are fantastic. The apple flavor is so good with the cinnamon in the roll. The frosting is really non-negotiable. Trust me. Don’t skip it. They’re gooey and soft with apple for texture and sticky sweet frosting.
The Three Bite Rule - Apple Cinnamon Rolls
You could always make your own cinnamon rolls, but aren’t you too hungry for that in the morning? I know I am! Cook the apples in advance and you’ll be on your way even faster.

Make it for Thanksgiving with some dried cranberries getting rehydrated with some cider or orange juice with the apples & brown sugar. Or cook up berries and use that instead of apples!

Caramel Apple Cider

What I Ate’ is a series of posts for so-easy-this-doesn’t-need-a-recipe but I’m sharing with you for the idea or inspiration.

Apple cider is one of my favorite flavors of fall. This fall, as I’m 7 months pregnant, I’ve been heating it and drinking it on the way to work. It helps me pretend I have all the coffee I can drink. Helps.

I was digging around to figure out why hot cider at fancy places tastes so different. Then I discovered Betty Crocker had the secret! It is heavy cream! Don’t bail on me, hear me out. This is amazingly apple and caramel flavored with just a touch of creaminess.
The Three Bite Rule - Caramel Apple Cider

Ingredients:

(for 2 mugs or 1 travel mug)
3 tbs brown sugar
3 tbs heavy cream
3 cups apple cider
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
whipped cream for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Heat brown sugar and cream until bubbly and dissolved.
The Three Bite Rule - Caramel Apple Cider
Add cider, vanilla extract, and cinnamon, cooking until heated through.
The Three Bite Rule - Caramel Apple Cider
Divide into 2 mugs.
The Three Bite Rule - Caramel Apple Cider
Optional: top with whipped cream, cinnamon, and caramel ice cream topping while playing some coffee house jams.
The Three Bite Rule - Caramel Apple Cider
This is so decadent. I have it for dessert…warmed cider is the morning version. It is super sweet but you definitely taste the caramel and apple. You could always add in a splash of rum, vanilla vodka, whipped cream vodka, or the spiking of your choice.

Freezer Foods

So… I’m here! I’m here! I’ve been a bit tired this week so the rest of the week’s posts lost out to:
a) Autumn Awesomeness ice cream: at my fav local ice cream place (vanilla, with nutmeg, apples, and cider donuts)
b) Going to bed early
c) Getting a few baby preparations started
d) all of the above

ding ding ding! D is correct, which means each are right. I figure nobody wants to read a post I wasn’t really into writing or editing so I’ve snoozed a bit earlier than usual, passed my glucose/gestational diabetes test! Mr. J and I went to the hospital to meet the maternity/delivery team and learned how much we don’t know yet. Somehow more posts didn’t make it into this week.

I’ve cooked a bunch this week and last week of oldie but goodies that were freezer friendly so half could be enjoyed now and the other half could emerge during my busy time at work…just before Thanksgiving! Here they are in no particular order if you’re ready for fall/wintry foods or want some freezer prep too!

Butternut Squash Lasagna
I love this one. It is so good and perfectly divides into 2 baking dishes…one for now, one for later.
The Three Bite Rule - Butternut Squash Lasagna
Sausage Stuffing
This is a great main dish, or a side. I added shallots and pears and we devoured the “now” portion.
The Three Bite Rule - Sausage Stuffing
Chicken Pot Pie
I make the filling and add the topping when round 2 comes up.
chickenpotpie5_290_200

Sweet & Smoky Chili
I literally filled the crockpot for 5 people. Needless to say there were leftovers so we ate some a few more times, and froze the rest.
chili_tomato_590_390

What I Ate: Honey Cinnamon Butter on Corn Muffins

What I Ate’ is a series of posts for so-easy-this-doesn’t-need-a-recipe but I’m sharing with you for the idea or inspiration.

I whipped up this jazzed up butter after making corn bread muffins. I was thinking these flavors would be really good in corn bread, but since I’m not much of a baker I decided not to mess with the muffins. Messing with the butter seemed like like a safer option. Don’t ya think.

The Three Bite Rule - Honey Cinnamon Butter

Ingredients:

4 tbs butter, or butter substitute
1 tbs honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

Mix room temperature butter, honey, and cinnamon together.
The Three Bite Rule - Honey Cinnamon Butter
Chill until serving to solidify until serving.
The Three Bite Rule - Honey Cinnamon Butter
I loved this. It tasted like fall! I had tons leftover and it was so perfect on toast. These cool mornings and the honey and cinnamon flavors made me so happy. I should junk up the butter more often! This one wasn’t beautiful but the berry ones on french toast….come on. So pretty!

The Three Bite Rule - Honey Cinnamon Butter
check out these 6 fancy flavored butters
Pinterest has lots of compound butters
of course Martha makes fancy butter