No Falling Leaves or Snow Here . . .

. . . but I do have a wonderful fall recipe to share with you.

The weekend before last, the weather here was perfect. Out on the back patio, the mornings were crisp and the evenings were perfect for relaxing on the glider or curling up in a wicker chair and watching the sunset. Since then, it's gotten toasty again. But I took advantage of the great weather and did a little cooking.

I'd been in the mood for something that smelled and tasted like fall. Something that smelled and tasted spicy and pumpkin-y. I went in search of a recipe for waffles, and hit the jackpot with the very first one I tried. The recipe says that it serves 8. Since there are just the two of us, that meant lots to go in the freezer for quick breakfasts during the week. They toast up perfectly and smell divine coming out of the toaster. They're wonderful with good old fashioned maple syrup, but also great made into a sandwich with apple butter oozing out the sides. Perfect for dropping into my tote bag to eat at work - except that everyone wants one!

Spiced Pumpkin Waffles

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
4 large eggs
2 cups buttermilk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat waffle iron. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cloves in a large bowl and set aside. Whisk together eggs, buttermilk, pumpkin, sugar, butter, and vanilla in another large bowl until smooth. While whisking, add the flour mixture and blend until smooth. Generously coat the waffle iron with vegetable oil and cook the batter in the waffle iron as recommended in the manufacturer's instructions. Repeat with remaining batter.

Enjoy!



P.S. If you're not in the mood for making waffles, I did find Count Chocula, Franken Berry, and Boo Berry cereals at Target yesterday. My son used to love them. I had to buy a box just because of the nostalgia!