Inspiration : Nigella

I borrowed this book from the library last Monday. I got it from the 7-Day Rapid Reads shelf which means that I can only have it for a week and I cannot renew the book.

http://www.amazon.com/Nigella-Kitchen-Recipes-Heart-Home/dp/1401323952

When I think of Nigella, I do not think of Twinings Tea, I actually think of my brother Slash-M. (He likes her, unless I've got her confused with some other luscious cook.)

I had been able to watch a couple of her shows on the Food Network while we were still in Manila. She always seemed to make things look so easy and so yummy. She was always sneaking a taste of whatever she was cooking.

While I was watching what Nigella was cooking, apparently MacGyver was watching something else. You see, when I borrowed the book, he noted that the book had too many words and not enough pictures ... of Nigella. (Humph! MEN!!)

Anyway, since the book will be due soon, I decided to flip through the pages and see what she had to say. Reading her introductory chapters was like listening to her on TV. She shared what she has in her kitchen, provided some insight and gave some advice.

My favourite part was her Gadget Hall of Shame where she rattled off some of the non-performing assets in her kitchen. Her list included an electric ice cream maker, healthy-eating electric grill, electric bread maker, electric jam maker, electric cheese grater (RD had a hearty laugh when he got to the cheese grater bit), electric slow cooker, electric sauce maker, electric waffle maker, soup-making super-blender, electric super-juicer, yogurt maker and electric carving knife.

Truth be told, the slow cooker is one of my favorite cooking appliances. And, among the items I have in her Gadget Hall of Shame, I just LOVE my waffle iron. So really, to each his own.

This was her bit in the book about the Electric waffle maker.

Now, I do know what likes behind the purchase of this: namely, the all-too-familiar combination of optimism and self-delusion that always turns the shopper into such easy prey. I can make pancakes for fifteen children at the weekend without it being any kind of big deal (although now they're teenagers, it has to be said, it's never early in the morning - or indeed morning at all) but just attempting waffles for my three was more stressful than you can believe possible. I know it's my failure -- that it's my incompetence with the machine that's to blame - but who wants to pay to have that pointed out? And just to highlight my foolishness, I haven't yet implemented its move form cupboard to charity shop; I still delude myself that I am going to be that person who rustles up waffles for breakfast, one day.

Hey, what do you know? I am that person who rustles up waffles for breakfast.

I decided to mix up some waffle batter before going to mass. The yeast needed to rise anyway.

I told MyGirl that if she and her brothers got hungry, they could ask their dad to make the waffles, as long as it was after the needed rising time.

When I got back home, I found MacGyver in the kitchen heating up the waffle iron. I assume RD's stomach couldn't wait for me to get home anymore. So I was lucky enough to get the waffles when they were still nice, hot and crispy.

In fact, the newly baked waffles didn't last one minute on the serving platter because as soon as MacGyver put the waffles on the dining table, they got picked up and moved to a plate.