Buttermilk Waffles and Downton Abbey Blues

Hello! Happy Monday! I hope that you had a great weekend, I know that I did. I spent the day with my mother on Saturday, and Sunday was spent with friends eating a delicious waffle brunch, meeting new people and winding down the day with Downton Abbey.

Did you watch? What did you think? As soon as it was over I was searching the Internet to find out when we will be able to see Season 3, so far I have not found the start date, so if you know when it is do let me know so I can mark my calendar.

Image here

  

I loved the episode, and I have to disagree with the critics that this season was not as good a season as the first. I loved every minute and I am hanging on the edge of my seat waiting for the next. I was hoping that Mr. Bates was going to be found not guilty of murdering his ex-wife, but I guess that would not have made for good TV, so I will be grateful that he was given life in prison. I wonder who killed Mrs. Bates? Do you have any ideas?

I am so excited that Mary and William finally came together but wonder will they actually marry and live happily ever after? Do you think we have seen the last of Sir Richard? I actually felt just a smidgen sorry for him when he told Mary he really did love her; I guess jealousy made him act like a total ass.

I am still not too sure about Thomas, he seems too shady for me and I do not feel as if he is reformed. As for Lady Rosamund, it must be hard to be “a woman of a certain age” and a widow to find love in Edwardian England, I hope we see more of her.

I think my favorite part of the night was the behind the scenes, it was fun to see some of the characters as they are in real life, giving their opinion of their characters, talking about what it was like to shoot the episodes. I am sad now that I have nothing to close my weekend out with and will be anxiously awaiting the next season.

Tell me what you thought, did you have a favorite part? Did you love it or were you disappointed? I think that anything that stars Maggie Smith is fabulous, we do need to see more of her.

 The waffle brunch that I attended yesterday was delicious, I mean what is not to love about crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside Buttermilk waffles with real maple syrup? Although I did not take any photos, I did manage to get the recipe and I have to tell you it is excellent.

America’s Test Kitchen

The recipe is unique because it contains seltzer water, no butter and dried butter milk. I hope you try it and see for yourself the difference between this recipe and some others that are available.

 Buttermilk Waffles

 (recipe courtesy of America’s Test Kitchen)

                                      

2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

¾ teaspoon table salt

½ cup dried buttermilk powder (see note)

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ cup sour cream

2 large eggs

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ cup vegetable oil

1 ¼ cups unflavored seltzer water (see note)

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 250 degrees. Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet and place baking sheet in oven. Whisk flour, sugar, salt, buttermilk powder, and baking soda in large bowl to combine. Whisk sour cream, eggs, vanilla, and vegetable oil in medium bowl to combine. Gently stir seltzer into wet ingredients. Make well in center of dry ingredients and pour in wet ingredients. Gently stir until just combined. Batter should remain slightly lumpy.

Following manufacturer’s instructions, heat waffle iron. Bake waffles according to manufacturer’s instructions (use about 1/3 cup for 7-inch round iron). Transfer waffles to rack in warm oven and hold for up to 10 minutes before serving.

Before I go off to work I wanted to thank the following ladies and their blogs for being the top referring sites to my blog for the last two weeks. As I am coming up on my one year blog anniversary it is so nice to have help growing my readership from these successful and beautiful blogs.

Debra at Acquired Objects

Anita at Castles Crowns Cottages

Jeanne at Collage of Life

Lauren at Pure Style Home

Kim at Savvy Southern Style

I hope you have a fabulous week! I am off to work where we are working on some new prototypes, I think it should be fun and interesting.