07 September 2014

It has been a fun and busy weekend, beginning with another wonderful First Friday. The Main Street Machine did a great job, as usual, and a big crowd came out to enjoy some great music, good food and fun activities. Thanks to the board for all of their hard work!

Saturday included some shopping before we joined our friends and neighbors at a housewarming for our friend, Jennifer Dunn. She has leased an adorable house on Archer Street, and we gathered to celebrate her new abode in style. We laughed, played Mad Libs, danced and devised all sorts of plans to revitalize downtown Canton's charming residential district. The houses in and around downtown have so much potential, it's nice to see young people like Jennifer and our friends Jessica and Jeremy Sexton moving into these homes.

After a late start on Sunday, we ventured over to Sugar Pike Junction for an awesome hamburger! Sylvia and her sister who own this little gem of a place do a great job, and their burger is the best in town. Afterward, we made our weekly stop at Cherokee Market to pick up a few items for tonight's Sunday Supper. On our way home, we stopped by our friend, Jo Anne Eggleston's home to pick a huge batch of very hot peppers! Jo Anne had sent me a message on Friday saying she had grown a lot of very hot peppers and she thought I may be brave enough to use them. They were so hot, they burned my hands just picking them! I decided to make some homemade hot sauce with them, so I stopped and got some rubber gloves to handle them. Preparing the hot sauce almost peeled the paint off the kitchen ceiling, but I can't wait to try it! It is curing now and should be ready in about two weeks.

As for Sunday Supper, I woke up with a concept this morning. Yes, I know that's weird, but it's how I roll. Anyway, I decided to try a different spin on Chicken Parmesan by making Chicken and Waffles Parmesan! I made the usual chicken parmesan and tomato sauce, but instead of pasta, I served it over a savory parmesan, basil and olive oil waffle! It came out great and tasted delicious! I look forward to creating other new waffle creations. For dessert, I found some lovely peaches at Cherokee Market, so I continued the Southern/Italian fusion theme by baking a peach tart with marscapone crust served with marscapone whipped cream. Yes, it was as good as it sounds!

So, now I am exhausted and about to turn in to rest up for another busy week ahead. Waffle on!


The Menu:

- Chicken and Waffle Parmesan

- Asparagus

- Peach Tart with Marscapone Whipped Cream


The Recipe – Savory Waffle with Parmesan, Basil and Olive Oil

Ingredients:

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1T baking powder

½ t baking soda

½ t sea salt

½ t freshly ground black pepper

¾ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1 clove garlic, minced

3T fresh basil, chopped (or your favorite herb)

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups milk

½ cup good quality olive oil

Non-stick cooking spray or neutral cooking oil

Directions:

Put the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl.

Whisk ingredients together and add the Parmesan, basil, and garlic. Stir to combine.

Put the eggs and milk in a separate bowl and whisk to mix. Slowly whisk in the oil to blend.

Add to dry ingredients and stir until smooth.

Lightly coat waffle-maker plates with non-stick cooking spray and preheat.

When preheated, pour a cup of batter into the center of the lower waffle plate.

Close lid and cook until desired crispness is achieved, for my waffle iron, it is 4 1/2 minutes.