Cookbooks - they're everywhere!

Overnight Three-Grain Waffles
Better Homes and Gardens Test Kitchen Favorites Copyright 2003

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
½ cup oat bran
3 tablespoons sugar
1 package active dry yeast
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
2 eggs
1/3 cup cooking oil

1. In large mixing bowl combine the flour, cornmeal, bran, sugar, yeast and salt. Add the milk, eggs, and oil; beat with a rotary beater or electric mixture for 1 minute on medium speed until thoroughly combined, Cover loosely and let stand for 1 hour at room temperature or for 2 to 24 hours in the refrigerator until mixture is bubble and slightly thickened.
2. Stir batter. Pour batter into a preheated, lightly greased waffle baker. (Check manufacturer’s directions for amount of batter to use.) Close lid quickly; do not open during baking. Bake according to manufacturer’s directions. Use a fork to remove the baked waffle iron from the grid. Keep hot. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve immediately.

Makes 6 (4-inch waffles) ?? I made 19 standard-sized waffles
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I know what you're thinking - Why doesn't she just pick a waffle recipe and stick with it already? It's true, I could have stopped at any of the waffle recipes I've tried. They've all been very good. There is definitely a difference in texture between the recipes that use whipped egg whites folded in and those that don't, but otherwise whether they're apple, banana, bran, etc, there isn't all that much difference between waffles.

Since this recipe doesn't require whipping the egg whites, the waffles aren't as 'light' but frankly I prefer the sturdier waffles. I like that this recipe includes a bit of oat bran which makes the waffles seem healthier than if it didn't. The really nice thing about this recipe is that you can mix the batter together the night before you make them. That's great for a busy morning or a holiday or brunch, when you really don't want to spend too much time or make too much of a mess in the kitchen.

I found this cookbook in Dollar General of all places. I ran in on a mission to find a cheap snow globe for my son, so he would stop asking to play with my good snow globes. I spied this cookbook for only $2, out of the corner of my eye. I've seen cookbooks in Dollar General before but nothing worth buying. This was a hardcover book that presented the favorite recipes from the Better Homes and Gardens test kitchen, organized by decade (30s-90s), with a showstopper section too. This recipe was from the 80s. They also included pictures of magazine and cookbook covers for each decade, as well as a picture of a typical kitchen from each decade, although I take issue with the 80s kitchen. It looked very 70s to me - dark wood with doorknocker handles, orange or red countertops, a wicker topped table, carpeting as flooring. Shouldn't it have been mauve and country blue with pickled cabinets?

BTW, if you have a Beta Blog, I haven't been ignoring you. I wasn't able to post comments on any beta blogs yesterday. Hopefully that has been fixed.

Blast From The Past: Sour Cream Banana Bread from December 2005. This is the bread I usually give the daycare caregivers (along with gift cards) but I may switch things up this year and give them something else.

Question of the Day: What decade is your kitchen from?