Savory Breakfast Waffles
Life has a funny way of throwing a wrench into your plans.
You see, 2017 is supposed to be our year for great things. I’m healthy for once (don’t jinx it!), the kids are thriving in their educations and extracurricular activities, the hubby is skyrocketing in both his careers, I’m hoping for big things to come from Mommy Bistro this year and…. we had plans to list our home.
After twelve years, we met with our friend/realtor to layout our timeline for selling our home. This home that we brought our babies home from the hospital to, where first steps were taken, endless laughter and memories have been made with family and friends. Where we made it through remodels and construction, disease and heartache but mostly love.
All until that fateful afternoon (a week and a half ago) that I was mopping because I’m an OCD clean freak and came across a small dark spot on the facing of one of our kitchen cabinets. Shit.
Inner Monologue:
Don’t touch it. Cause if you touch it, you know it will be wet. And if it’s wet you know there is a problem. And if there is a problem, you know its going to be big one because the cabinet is wet. Cabinets aren’t supposed to be wet. Especially in your beautiful kitchen that you want to stay exactly the way it is. (I walk out of the kitchen and peer around the corner hoping the spot is gone now.) Shit. It’s still there. Okay, Jess. Tits up. Go touch it. (crouching down, I hesitantly touch the dark spot). Wet. Water. SHIT. (speed dialing the hubby…)
Me: “Thereisadarkspotunderthecounteranditoucheditanditswet!!!!!” I shouted the second he answered the phone…
Hubby: “SHIT.”
Me: “Shit.” (Cause if the hubby is thinking ‘shit’ then I know this can’t be good)
Hubby: “Call the plumber and see if he can come take a look. But water under the cabinets is not a good sign.”
We ended the call with a few other expletives that I will keep to myself but then I speed dialed our good friend whose hubby is a plumber. He was there within a few hours and after some digging found a pipe that looked like it had been smashed with a sledgehammer. I swear, I’ve warned the kids a thousand times to stop throwing sticks of dynamite down the sink (kidding!)
After some investigating by a mold company, there is water underneath most of my kitchen cabinets and….ohmygodicanteventypeit….we have to rip out the entire kitchen.
I wish my story ended there. However, we camped over MLK weekend and found out our motorhome had a leak as well so its in the shop. See, Pixie is allergic to mold so while they remove (knife to the heart) my entire kitchen, we need a place to stay to keep Pixie away from the mold. Logical solution would be to move the hubby, kids, cat, dog and myself into the motorhome, right? NOPE. It’s in the shop!
End of story? Another nope! I swear I’m not making this up….Next logical solution would be to move us into a hotel and the animals into my parent’s house they have nearby. Are you sitting down? Their entire kitchen flooded the day before I noticed the “spot” and their entire kitchen is being ripped out as I’m typing this and they are living in a hotel!
Yesterday I was in a funk. I know 2017 holds wonderful exciting adventures for us but it sure started off on the wrong foot for us!
I was talking with one of my best friends this morning about the funk I was in and her words were perfect and exactly what I needed to hear, “This problem didn’t come to stay. It came to pass…pass and leave you with an even better kitchen.”
Words that rang so true for me. This is a tiny blip in our year. A hassle? Yes. But we are all healthy, happy and thriving in all we do. Tits up.
- 4 Homemade Waffles OR Store bought Belgian waffles
- 2 cups spinach, sautéed
- 8 slices Rosemary Ham or Regular Ham
- 4 eggs, fried and seasoned with salt and pepper
- 8 slices bacon, cooked until crispy
- Hollandaise Sauce
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- pinch of cayenne and salt
- To make the hollandaise sauce, whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice together in stainless steel bowl until they become thick and double in volume.
- Place the bowl over a saucepan containing barely simmering water (the water shouldn't touch the bottom of the bowl). Continue to whisk rapidly. Don't let the eggs get too hot or they will scramble. Slowly drizzle in the melted butter and continue to whisk the sauce until the sauce has thickened and doubled in volume. Cover and place in a warm spot till you are ready to use.
- After either preparing the homemade waffles or toasting store bought ones according to the package instructions, top each waffle with spinach, ham, bacon, egg and top with hollandaise sauce. Sprinkle with cayenne pepper and if you're feeling super fancy, with some chopped parsley or chives.
- The hollandaise recipe is adapted from Food Network. If you feel that homemade hollandaise is too challenging, Knorr makes a Hollandaise packet you can try. But! I urge you step out of your comfort zone and give it a whirl!
Emily
February 3, 2017
All hail titing up!