Try This Fun Thing With Your Family!

Sunset in the mountains

You know, it's just the simple little things sometimes that provide the most fun filled moments.

We are still up here on top of the mountain, vacationing in the family lodge.  It's been a winter wonderland of beauty, fun, and relaxation.  Brief snowfalls periodically coat the trees, then allow us a bit of time to enjoy it before melting and doing it all over again.

There were 14 of us last weekend, and as of this afternoon, we are down to just the hubby and I and the family pooch.  However, yesterday, before my parents left, we dug this fun little kitchen appliance out of its hiding place and gave it a whirl.  Frankly, we were just way too excited over this fun gadget.  And - we are old people!  Imagine how much fun the young kiddos and grandkiddos would have with this amazing invention!  Even the men enjoyed this glorious item.  It's somewhat heavy, and it's sorta like a tool, so

                             Heavy  +   Tool   =   Great gift / Happy man

Simply stated, I think you should get one of these for your family this holiday.

Believe it or not, it was my 80 year old father who bought this little gem and brought it to the lodge for the family.  And no, I'm not receiving any monetary compensation, free nights of camping, coupons, or vacation nights in a five star report for providing this product review.  I just liked it.

This Hamilton Beach Flip Belgian Waffle Maker has now made my other twenty-some years old waffle maker obsolete, and that old one will be going into the DONATE box.  There are three clear selling points to this wondrous item:

1.  The directions for using it are simple.

2.  It's easy to clean - i.e. in the dishwasher.

3.  The belgian waffles are delicious, easily as good as any I've had anywhere.  Ever.

The first thing I was looking at when we took this waffle maker out of the packaging was how it would need to be cleaned.  I was glad to see that the two interior griddle parts easily snap out and can be washed in the dishwasher, along with the square black drip pan underneath the waffle maker.

When the lid is closed, the temperature gauge can be set for level of toasting.  A green light indicates when the waffle is ready.

The batter is fairly simple to make, especially if you use a mix like we did.  Here are the ingredients:

If you are simple:

   A box of Krusteaz Belgian Waffle mix
   Eggs and oil
   Pam cooking spray
   Frozen strawberries
   Strawberry glaze

If you are spoiled, add any of the following to the finished waffles:

   Ice cream
   Whipped creme
   Confectioners sugar

We went with SPOILED.

We had to experiment with exactly how much batter was required to make a perfectly round waffle, and we didn't always get it exactly right.  Let me verify that the oddly shaped waffles had the same great taste as the perfectly round ones.  We just buried those odd edges under ice cream and it was all very fine.

I've heard of some families putting a teaser gift under the Christmas tree, to be opened early on Christmas Eve.  Perhaps this one would be an unexpected surprise?  

And really, who wouldn't want a meal like that for breakfast on Christmas morning?