August 24th…what a day! On this day the printing of the Gutenberg Bible was completed, Thomas Edison patented the motion picture camera, and Ukraine declared itself independent from the Soviet Union.


But perhaps most special of all, it’s NATIONAL WAFFLE DAY!


Get out the streamers and confetti! The bandwagon is crowded with fans. Here’s what even the Huffington Post had to say about waffles: “Let's not beat around the brunch: Waffles are God's gift to carb lovers everywhere.” So, circle the day and make plans now—waffles for breakfast, waffles for lunch, and even waffles for dinner. Oh, the joy!


But it’s not the waffles I want to discuss. I actually want to talk about the tool that makes ‘em—that marvelous glorious WAFFLE IRON. Did you know there are actually plenty of other foods you can make with your prized waffle iron? The above-mentioned Huffington Post had a full article on fresh ways to use what your aunt Clara gave ya. (It was on your registry, after all.)

For instance: How about baking cinnamon rolls in the waffle iron? Oh yes you can. This genius suggestion comes from Kristin of Yellow Bliss Road (www.yellowblissroad.com). You can use your own homemade recipe or a can of the refrigerator cinnamon rolls from the grocery store. IF you use your own homemade, then slice them more on the thin side. Place the number of rolls that your maker will hold, close the appliance when it’s heated up, and wait for the other pretty light to come on to tell you it’s done. (If you don’t have a pretty little light, this takes just about 3-4 minutes).


From there you can frost or glaze them or serve them up with butter and maple syrup—just as you would a traditional waffle.

And here’s another idea, also from Kristin, and it’s a doozy. Mix hash browns and eggs together and slap that onto your waffle iron! By making hash browns in a waffle iron, they get super crispy on the outside, and tender in the middle, plus there’s no flipping required. Add in extras such as eggs, cheese chives (or diced green onions), diced cooked ham, or cooked bacon crumbles and it’s a whole breakfast in itself that’s finished in half the time. You can see this idea is limited only to your imagination and your courage to experiment.


And here’s one last tempting idea: Erin Clarke of the site, Well Plated says to try making strawberry shortcake waffles. Word on the streets is that waffle cakes are the new Cronuts. (Who knew?) She uses Bob’s Red Mill Buttermilk Pancake and Waffle Mix for the “cakes.” You could use your Bisquick mix if you want. I made mine from a batch of my usual shortcake batter (a sweet baking powder biscuit, actually). You’re not tied to any specific recipe here. We loved how the strawberry juice and whipped cream soaked into the waffley spaces.


There are lots of other ways to put this wonderful appliance to work, but these three suggestions give us a start. So, toss the confetti, stream the streamers, and hop on the bandwagon. National Waffle Day is a day of days!