Choose Your Own Adventure: Waffles or Cake?

This recipe reminds me of one of those choose your own adventure books from my youth. If you decide to make Belgium Waffles turn to page 4. If you decide to bake a Vanilla Bundt Cake, turn to page 7. No matter the decision, you are going to end up with a delicious, buttery treat. I hope you enjoy.

Recipe: Belgian Waffles or Vanilla Bundt Cake

Recipe From: Paris Pastry

Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cup sugar
- 1 ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 5 eggs
- 2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour


Instructions:
- Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one by one, beating well after each addition. Add the flour in two additions, mixing until well combined.


-This is the point where you have to make a decision...waffles or cake, waffles or cake, waffles or cake? If you picked waffles proceed to A. If you picked cake proceed to B.


A) Waffles
- Preheat waffle iron and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- Spoon enough batter for your waffle iron's size and cook until golden brown. 
-The waffles turn out very nice and buttery. They taste great with just powdered sugar or you can top with warm maple syrup.

B) Vanilla Bundt Cake

- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Prepare Belgian Waffles batter and add ½ teaspoon salt, 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and 3 tablespoons milk to the batter.
- Pour batter into a buttered Bundt pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely before unmolding.

-I did not butter my Bundt pan, but used Pam Baking spray instead.

All this cake needs is powdered sugar and it's ready to go!

I hope that no matter the choice you make, waffles or cake, you will be pleased with the result.

   

Ladies' Weekend Mojito Limeade

Last weekend marked my annual Ladies' Weekend trip with my girlfriends of 15 years. We celebrated our weekend this year in Las Vegas. It was a fabulous time filled with delicious food, fantastic seats at Cirque Du Soleil's LOVE and lots of laughter. I made Bobby Flay's Mojito Limeade recipe for an afternoon lunch and found them to be very tasty and refreshing. I hope you try them too, they are sure to be a hit!

Recipe: Mojito Limeade

Recipe From: Bobby Flay

Ingredients:

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, plus sprigs for garnish

2 limes, cut into wedges, plus more for garnish

2 cups crushed ice, plus more for serving

1 cup Lime-Mint Syrup, recipe follows

1 liter white rum

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

Club soda

Muddle the mint leaves and lime wedges with 2 cups crushed ice in the bottom of a large pitcher. Add Lime-Mint Syrup, rum, lime juice, and more ice. Top off with club soda, to taste. Pour into glasses over ice and serve. Garnish each glass with a lime wedge and mint sprigs, if desired.

Lime-Mint Syrup:

2 cups sugar

2 cups water

2 limes, zested

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves

Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a medium saucepan and cook until the sugar is completely dissolved, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat, stir in the lime zest and mint, and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to infuse the syrup with the flavor of lime and mint. Strain out the mint and zest and refrigerate the syrup, covered, until cold.

You will find it helpful to make the lime-mint syrup in advance so you can quickly prepare the Mojitos for your guests. Cheers!