Splendid Huevos Rancheros

I can admit that I’ve never been a huge fan of breakfast. I love eggs, I like bacon, but it’s just not the most rousing meal category in my opinion. But when I was in college, brunch started to become a “thing”. Traditional restaurants all over D.C began offering a trendy and unexpected twist, served from noon until three- a mix of breakfast and lunch in one specialized menu. Exciting! Brunch is perfect for kids who partied until three a.m., and couldn’t possibly make it to breakfast on time (me in college). Or the slow moving, late people, who plan to arrive someplace at three, and arrive casually around four (me pre-baby). It’s also perfect for somewhat authoritarian moms, with a kid who takes a mandated, no-excuses four-hour midday nap (me right now).

Besides timing, brunch is awesome because there’s so many options! Pancakes and french toast are cool, but sometimes you’d rather have something more savory. Or spicy. Or Mexican! That’s where these huevos rancheros come in. I ordered them once at a reputable restaurant, and hated them. This defied logic. I adore all Mexican food, I adore brunch, and I adore said restaurant. For these reasons, I decided that I must actually just hate huevos rancheros. Years passed before I considered them again. 

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Leisurely Sunday Morning Waffles

Sunday mornings at my house are special, and probably my favorite time of the week. There’s no rush to get up and go anywhere, and the mood is very casual. The three of us lounge in bed and watch television for about an hour before breakfast, which I love. I hate feeling rushed, especially when it’s time to cook. Keeping with the casual Sunday morning feel, breakfast is typically just as leisurely. There’s often mimosas involved, which makes the cooking (and eating), significantly more enjoyable than lets say, on your average weeknight.

Because our Sundays are so relaxed, it gives me the opportunity to make more involved meals. When boyfriend brought home a long awaited waffle iron, I was ready. I knew it would work perfectly for our Sunday mornings. So then came the issue of finding the perfect waffle recipe. We eat a lot of pancakes, so I’ve got those down pat, but waffles are a little different. The batter needs to be a little denser, but not so dense that it makes a thick, heavy waffle. You want them to be light and fluffy, but still hold up well to the syrup, whipped cream, and berries you’ll obviously top them with. It’s a conundrum. After trying about four different recipes, and tweaking them here and there, I think I’ve found the answer to the perfect waffle. I made them for my Easter brunch, and everyone loved them. Go ahead, try them on your next leisurely Sunday morning!

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What You’ll Need:

A waffle iron (well, duh)
Nonstick cooking spray
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon of salt
3 tablespoons of sugar
2 beaten egg yolks
2 beaten egg whites
½ cup vegetable oil
1 ¼ cup milk
A tablespoon of vanilla extract

What to Do:

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees. You’ll want to place your waffles in there while you finish making the rest. Also, preheat the waffle iron, you’ll want it nice and hot when you start pouring your batter.

In a large mixing bowl, sift together your dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, sugar). Sit aside.

In another small bowl, beat your egg whites until they’re stiff. You can use a hand mixer, which is way easier, but in the event that you don’t have one, (like me) a hand whisk works just as well. You’ll have to put some man strength into your whisking, but it’ll all be over quickly.  In another bowl, add the milk and two yolks, and beat together (nothing special here, just like you’re preparing scrambled eggs).

Pour the yolk and milk mixture into your dry ingredients. Add the vanilla and oil, and mix, but leave some lumps. Totally smooth waffle batter is a no go. Now, add your stiff egg whites, and fold them kindly into the batter. This step ensures that the waffles are light and airy.

Spray the waffle iron with nonstick spray, and pour the batter. For a single waffle iron, I pour about a third a cup of the batter into the iron.

Tips:

• Sift those dry ingredients! It’s a step that’s tempting to skip, but so necessary for truly light and fluffy waffles. Sifting the ingredients before mixing them together is a must do.
   
• A few of the recipes I’ve tried in the past substitute melted butter for the vegetable oil. It’s a personal preference of which you’d like to try, I find that vegetable oil yields the same result with less fat.