Bacon Cornmeal Waffles

We love breakfast for dinner, especially since I'm way too lazy in the mornings to actually cook breakfast for breakfast! Again, this is another favorite from The Joy of Cooking.

Cook up 2 - 3 thin slices of bacon, let cool, crumble, and set aside.

Preheat your waffle iron. Whisk together in a large bowl:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Whisk together in another bowl:

• 2 cups buttermilk (you can substitute yogurt)
• 5 tablespoons melted butter (don't skimp! this is what makes your waffles crispy!)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 egg yolks

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Combine with a few swift strokes of the whisk. Mix in the crumbled bacon. Do not over mix.
Beat until stiff but not dry 2 egg whites. Then fold them into the batter. To cook, cover the surface of your preheated iron about 2/3 full, and close. When the the steam subsides and the waffle smells like it has browned a bit, open the iron, scoop it out and either let cool on a wire rack, or keep warm directly on the rack of a low oven. Do not stack them on a plate or they will get soggy instead of maintaining their crispiness. They can be easily reheated in a toaster oven or directly on the rack of a 350 degree oven.

Also, as an alternative, instead of crumbling the bacon into the batter, you can cut the bacon into quarters and lay a piece on each waffle iron section after pouring in the batter.

Chicken and Cornmeal Dumplings

This is a classic recipe for chicken fricasee, (sounds fancy, really just chicken stew), straight out of my go-to cooking bible, The Joy of Cooking. You can make this recipe with or without the dumplings. Be aware, you will need a large skillet with a lid, also I do a couple of thing differently than the book, and I'll indicate those spots in parentheses.

Have ready

• 3 1/2 - 4 1/2 pounds chicken or turkey parts, (I use breasts, 'cause that's what I like)

Sprinkle with salt and pepper
Heat in a heavy large skillet over medium heat:

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter (I use olive oil here, or a mixture of butter and olive oil)

Brown the chicken pieces for 3 - 5 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken to a plate. When it is cool enough to handle, shred it, or cut it into bite sized pieces. ( like to shred it because then it really holds onto the gravy) Don't worry if it isn't completely cooked through, it's going to continue cooking when you put it back in the stew.
Add to the fat in the pan (add more olive oil if needed)

• 1 1/2 cups chopped onions

Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but not browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in:

• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Cook, stirring, for 1 minute, then reduce heat to medium-low and whisk in:

• 1 3/4 cups chicken stock or broth or water

Whisking constantly, bring to boil over high heat. Add:

• 8 oz. sliced mushrooms
• 3 medium carrots, diced
• 2 large or medium ribs celery, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon white or black pepper

(This is the big spot where I differ with the recipe, I usually saute the mushrooms before the onions to get them really brown. You can put them in after the stock, but they aren't quite as tasty, and they get a little limp and rubbery).
Return the chicken, along with any accumulated juices, to the pan and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat so that the liquid gently bubbles. At this point add the dumpling batter, (see recipe below), by the spoonful. If you are adding dumplings be sure that you have enough liquid to to create enough steam to cook the dumplings without burning the gravy on the bottom of the pan. If the gravy has gotten too thick just whisk in a little water or a little more broth to loosen it up. Cover tightly and cook until the chicken and the dumplings are done.

Cornmeal dumplings
Sift together:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Cut in with a fork or pastry blender

• 1 tablespoon cold butter

Whisk together:

• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup milk

Stir into the dry ingredients until just blended. Gently drop teaspoonfuls of the batter into the simmering stew, tightly cover the pan, and simmer the dumplings for about 10 minutes.