Sweet Potato Waffles

It has been well over one month since my last post. I never thought I would become this person! Perhaps Can you can let me off the hook this once and we can move on? Hmm…maybe it’s not that easy. Well, what if I tempt you with a mouth-watering photo and a recipe for some scrumptious sweet potato waffles that are also gluten-free? That’s what I thought. Bribery… Works every time. What can I say? A girl surrounded by 17 seven-year-olds day in and day out is bound to have a few tricks up her sleeves. And speaking of seven-year-olds, let’s get back to these waffles. They have a story to tell…

Once upon a time in the balmy, southern suburbs of Austin, Texas, a barefoot, blonde-haired, green-eyed little girl named Amanda sat entranced by a marvelous little machine called “Easy Bake Oven.” She adored her bright pink Easy Bake and would spend hours toiling over mini chocolate cakes she would bake for her “American Girl Dolls” on their “birthdays.” Her parents were so proud of all of her creations, they would even indulge Amanda and join in on these imaginary fetes. With all of this encouragement and praise, at the ripe young age of 7, Amanda knew exactly what her future entailed. She would become a baker.

Seventeen years later reality set in. The little girl isn’t so little any more. And life isn’t quite as easy…

In fact, Easy Bake Oven is kind of like childhood…simple, carefree, consistently good, and relatively risk-free. Real baking, well, it’s more like adulthood, or “the real world.” Great results are not always guaranteed, it’s a constant balancing act, and, let’s be honest,  it’s not always pretty. But sometimes, whether by coincidence, blessing, or effort, you get it right. And when you do? Let’s just say the outcome tastes a hell of a lot better than an gritty Easy Bake brownies.

(I’ll give you just a second to get over my cheesy metaphors so you can read on…)

While my little anecdote was true and I was speaking figuratively about the realities of “growing up,” I was also referring (literally) to these sweet potato waffles. As you know, my youthful projections about becoming a baker didn’t exactly pan out the way I had predicted when I was a girl. I am actually a pretty awful baker because I am not a recipe(/rule) follower and baking generally requires that. (Especially gluten-free baking.) However, not long ago, I got a wild hair and turned all mad-scientist in the kitchen for a couple of hours. The healthy, delicious waffles were the unexpectedly delightful result.

So just remember, a little hard work and determination goes a long way and may just pay off in the end (whenever that might be!)

¡Colorín colorado este cuento se ha acabado! (That means “The End!” in Spanish.)

¡Buen provecho!