Chapter 211 – Waffle Breakfast
The alarm in the guys room went off at five am. After shutting off the alarm, there was a collective groan from Nathan, Frank and Jack. The three of them quickly got up and Father Mark wasn't that far behind. Doug rolled over and just looked at the group.
"I need fifteen more minutes." Doug said.
"I will reset the alarm." Jack said.
Jack did that and the guys then quietly got ready before heading upstairs. They knew that Elizabeth and the other girls probably wouldn't be up until closer to six. Father Mark grabbed his prayer book on the way up as well. He knew that he could wait, but he wanted to do it, since he knew that he would be busy later.
When they got upstairs, Frank looked at Nathan and Father Mark. He figured that Father Mark would want to do his morning prayers and Frank had a feeling that it would be good for Nathan to join him.
"If you give me the recipe, I can get started if you want to do prayers with Father Mark." Frank said.
"Okay." Nathan said.
"I will get the waffle irons." Jack said.
Father Mark started coffee before sitting down at the table. Nathan went over the recipe with Frank so he understood. As Jack started pulling ingredients, Nathan and Father Mark sat at the table and did morning prayers. By the time that they were done, Frank had the first batch of waffle batter almost ready.
"I will start making these." Nathan said. "If you want to start the sausage and syrup."
"I can do that." Frank said. "It is the Italian sausage in the fridge, right?"
"Yes." Nathan said. "You can either do it as a crumble or make patties."
"Jack, do you have bread crumbs and some seasonings?" Frank asked.
"All the seasonings should be in the cabinet next to the stove." Jacks said. "Bread crumbs would be in the pantry. Why?"
"I figured I would make patties." Frank said. "An egg, some bread crumbs and a little parsley will increase the flavor as well as make more."
"Be my guest." Jack said.
"Can you watch the syrup?" Frank said.
"I will." Father Mark said. "Jack, can you set the table and pour us all some coffee and get another pot going."
It wasn't that Jack wasn't capable in the kitchen, Father Mark just knew that it wasn't one of Jack's strong points and figured it would be better if he helped with the cooking.
"Thank you." Jack said. "I can do that."
The guys worked together to get breakfast made. As waffles were done, Nathan set them in a pan in the warm oven. Just as Jack was finishing setting the table, Doug wandered up about the same time that Devin and his grandparents all appeared in the kitchen. It was close to six when everyone appeared for breakfast.
"If you will give us a moment." Father Mark said. "We should have breakfast ready. The homemade syrup is almost done and the Italian sausage needs about two more minutes."
"That is fine." John said. "Is there coffee?"
"Have a seat." Jack said. "I will bring it over."
Devin, John, James and Gran all took a seat just as Trish came downstairs. She took a seat as well. It wasn't two minutes later that Lee and Elizabeth wandered up. All of them were used to being up early and with the promise of fresh waffles, it didn't take much to get them all going that morning.
"Did you hear the girls up, yet?" Trish asked.
"They were just washing their faces." Lee said. "They said they would be up in a little bit."
"Thank you." Trish said.
"No Rosemary?" Gran asked.
"She refused to get up." Elizabeth said. "I told her that the alarm was set for six."
"Then I won't worry about it." Gran said. "The guys said breakfast is almost ready. So just have a seat."
Everyone except the guys took a seat. Father Mark and Jack started bringing stuff over, including coffee and juice. Father Mark went back and grabbed the platter of fresh fruit. He also grabbed the shaker of powdered sugar he made. They then took a seat. Frank and Nathan brought over the platters of waffles and sausage.
"Does anyone want eggs with their waffles?" Frank asked. "I can quickly whip up a batch of scrambled eggs."
"No, this looks like more than enough." Gran said. "Please have a seat as well."
"We have more waffles to make." Nathan said. "I will grab something, but I don't want to let the batter sit out too long."
"Okay." Gran said.
The girls quickly took a seat just after the food had been set.
"Before we pray." Father Mark said. "We made homemade blueberry and maple syrup to go with the waffles. There are more as Nathan and Frank are making them. There is also another plate of sausage in the oven."
"Thank you." Gran said. "John, will you lead us in a short prayer?"
John nodded.
"In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit." John prayed. "Bless us, O Lord, for these, Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty. Through Christ, our Lord. Amen. In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen."
Amen echoed around the table and then they started passing the food around.
"Father Mark." Gran said. "How long do you plan on sticking around today?"
"I figured I would go help here this morning." Father Mark said. "I figured I would head back before lunch."
"Okay." Gran said.
"You don't have to say anything." Father Mark said. "I know that I am more than welcome, but the priest that is covering for me the month of July should be here early this afternoon. I want to be there to greet him."
"Understood." Gran said.
"I had planned on staying tomorrow night and maybe through the Fourth at that point." Father Mark said.
"Whatever you want." James said.
Nathan brought over some more waffles and encouraged Frank to take a seat as he could man both irons at that point.
"These are really good." Missy said. "Sorry Mom, these are better than yours."
"No need to be sorry." Trish said. "I agree with you. Maybe I can get the recipe."
"The key is beating the eggs separately." Frank said. "The first thing that Nathan had me do was separate the eggs and beat the whites to a stiff peak. I then beat the egg yolks until frothy. Then I added the milk and the mixture was slowly added to the dry ingredients. The last two steps were to fold in the melted butter and then the egg whites. I think Nathan would be willing to share it with you. It wasn't hard to make."
"It is what makes them fluffy and soft in the middle." Nathan said, coming over. "They will even stay nice and soft even reheating them in the toaster. I am glad you like them, because I have made enough that we will probably be having them for breakfast most of the week. Yes, I will share the recipe with all those that want it. It was my great-grandmother's, it should live on."
"They will last that long?" John asked.
"In the freezer." Nathan said. "They are good for up to a couple of months, not that they have ever lasted that long. You just pop them in the toaster like those ones you buy. Personally, I prefer them the next day after they have been frozen."
"Thank you for making breakfast." Gran said.
"You are welcome." Nathan said. "But I had help."
As the group finished eating, James looked at the time.
"John, do you want to come with me to the arena until the press conference?" James asked.
"Sure." John said. "I will message Peter and Andrew. I also need to grab my briefcase. I set it in the library when I came down."
"I will go with you guys." Devin said.
"Sounds good." James said.
"I will get everyone started on the horses and then be over." Jack said.
James nodded as he stood and took his plate to the sink. Devin grabbed his and John's and followed. John got up and went to grab both briefcases.
"I will help clean up since the guys cooked." Trish said.
"I will help." Elizabeth said.
"Thank you." Gran said.
"We should go get the horses sorted." Doug said.
"Douglas." Trish said. "Please keep an eye on your sisters while riding. With everything going on, I want to make sure everyone is safe, including you guys."
"Yes, ma'am." Doug said.
Frank, Nathan, Jack, Doug, Lee and the girls got up, headed out the backdoor and down toward the stable after they took their dishes to the kitchen. It was after seven when they headed down, so later then what Jack had said for the horses to be cared for. He also knew that Carlo would turn the horses out in a holding pen for them to deal. The others were in isolation, so it wasn't a problem. They would deal with them. Jack also knew that after lunch, they would be able to take Rocky and Rainbow out of isolation and settle them in regular stalls in the stable. He was going to let the girls ride the horses and then turn them out to graze and they would be fine to put into stalls later.
"I thought you would be helping them." Gran said, looking at Father Mark.
"I figured I would help clear the table first." Father Mark said.
Gran smiled. As she finished her coffee, the others started clearing the table and putting the food away. Trish started on the dishes as Father Mark and Elizabeth bagged the waffles to put in the freezer. They were having a nice conversation about the new horses and mini cows. At one point, Gran got up and got her morning devotional book. She saw that they were putting all the waffles in bags.
"Leave a few out." Gran said. "I am sure that the Avery kids will eat them."
"I would just grab them out of the freezer when they get here." Father Mark said. "Nathan said that they can get soggy if they sit on the counter. They have been in a cool oven since Nathan finished. So they would need to be warmed anyway."
"Okay." Gran said. "Please put the syrup in mason jars."
"Already got them." Father Mark said. "I know how you like your kitchen."
Gran smiled as she knew that Father Mark had spent plenty of time in her kitchen when he was growing up. They were almost finished when Katie and Opal knocked on the back door. Gran waved them in. She looked at the clock and it was only a little before eight. Gran didn't mind.
"Sorry we are here so early?" Katie said.
"It isn't early." Gran said. "We just finished breakfast."
Opal's face fell.
"But there are plenty of waffles and fruit." Elizabeth said. "Is that why you came early?"
"Yes." Opal said, shyly.
"I told her we had plenty of food in the house." Katie said. "But she had heard about the waffles earlier in the week and refused to eat anything else this morning."
"It is fine." Gran said. "Nathan made plenty. Go do what you need. She will be fine. Abigail Avery and her kids should be here soon."
"Opal." Katie said. "What do you say?"
"Thank you for letting me hang out with you." Opal said.
Opal headed over to the kitchen and Elizabeth was more than happy to get her going on some breakfast.
"Any time." Gran said. "Katie, do you have everything you need?"
"Yes, ma'am." Katie said. "I should only be there a few hours."
"Take as much time as you want or need." Gran said. "We will be baking and having fun up here. Come up for lunch if you want?"
"Thank you." Katie said. "I will see. I should be back before that, but I want to get a feel of the town and also get my bearings."
"You do that." Gran said. "We will see you when you get back."
Katie smiled, waved and then went back out the back door.
… … … …
Author's Note: This really is my great-grandmother's waffle recipe. I have been making them since I was five years old.
Old fashioned Waffles
Ingredients
8 cups of flour
cup of sugar
4 Tablespoons of baking powder
4 teaspoons of salt
8 eggs, beaten separately
7 cups of milk
2 cups of melted butter
Directions
Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl. Beat egg whites to a stiff peak and set aside. Beat egg yolks well (until frothy) and add milk. Add this slowly to the flour mixture, beating until perfectly smooth. Add in melted butter. Fold in stiff beaten egg whites, being careful not to over mix and deflate the egg whites.
Makes about 36 square waffles.
This is my great grandmother's recipe. We use to make a double batch of these on Sunday night and then when they are cool, we would put them in an airtight container, then freeze them. When we wanted them, we would toast them like the bought frozen waffles. They will still be fresh after a month in the freezer.(The never lasted longer then that.) *
Homemade Blueberry syrup
1 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup water
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
4 cups fresh blueberries
In a medium saucepan add sugar, cornstarch and water and lemon juice and whisk. Bring to a boil over medium high heat and add the blueberries.
Simmer from 4-5 minutes until the blueberries burst and it starts to thicken. Remove from heat and serve.
Easy Maple Syrup
Ingredients
1 cup Water
3/4 cup Granulated {White} Sugar
3/4 cup Brown Sugar {packed}
1 1/2 teaspoons Pure Maple Extract
Instructions
Bring water and sugar to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring continually.
Remove from heat just as it starts to boil.
Stir in Maple Extract as it is cooling, serve warm and ENJOY!
Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. First allow syrup to cool completely, then transfer to a mason jar with lid before placing in the fridge.