Being yourself. When does one remember getting to be fully themselves as a teenager, without any concern for status or appearances? But when my daughter, Zoie and her cousins, Lindsey and Emme are together, that is what they get to be…themselves. When I am around them, I feel happier like life is how it should be; with endless chatter, giggles and complete and utter honesty. It’s quite beautiful.

This weekend, I was lucky enough to have this trio of girls over for the night and dinner was going to be anything they invented or desired. As par for the course, my daughter piped in with a request for brinner (breakfast for dinner around these parts) and requested chocolate chip waffles…and then Lindsey suggested, “Ham and cheese waffles…I saw them in Bon Appetit in spring!” She is a subscriber, an avid foodie and aspires to be a chef.

So, I said, “Yes!” to both…obviously, quickly read over the Googled Bon Appetit recipe for any ingredients I was missing and ran to the store for White Cheddar and Canadian Bacon (a bit healthier than ham). When most of the way through our experimental ham and cheese waffles, I read and re-read a BIG PROBLEM….ONE CUP of MELTED BUTTER! Holy cow! I have never, ever, ever used an entire cup of butter in anything I have ever made…E-V-E-R!!! I didn’t even know that crazy amount was possible to use in a single recipe.

And yet we were all but done with the waffles…minus one cup of artery clogging, hip thickening, butter. I hemmed and hawed and finally agreed to throw it in, but honestly, I will make these babies again with 1/2 c. of butter and just add some more buttermilk and a little Canola oil. I am certain that would work fine.

This recipe called for weird steps, like sprinkling on the cheese and ham after the batter was ladled on.

—Wouldn’t it stick to my griddle, my beautiful Cuisinart griddle that is fairly new and cheese free?!

This whole recipe was definitely sketchy, and yet…IT WORKED! Yes, of course ample amounts of nonstick spray were involved, but ultimately these waffle popped out rather uneventfully and they were mouth-wateringly DELICIOUS!

Crispy, salty, savory and yet a little fluffy. They were reminiscent of a chicken and waffle dinner and every bit as heart-stopping (in more ways than one).

So honestly, I can only tell you that these were delectable, but I truly think if you take out some butter, it will be just as delicious and perhaps not cause you to keel over…that’s never a good thing.

Bon Appetit’s Ham and Cheese Waffles

Makes about 12 Waffles
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large egg whites
3 large egg yolks
1 cup (2 sticks) melted butter
1 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup soda water
Non-stick vegetable oil spray
1 cup thinly-cut strips of ham
3/4 cup shredded sharp white cheddar
Maple syrup
To make the waffles:  Heat waffle iron until very hot. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites in a medium bowl until medium-soft peaks form. Whisk egg yolks, melted butter, buttermilk, and soda water in a medium bowl; gradually whisk into dry ingredients. Fold in egg whites.Coat waffle iron with non-stick vegetable oil spray (this a very important step!) Ladle batter onto iron, spreading it into corners (amount of batter needed will vary according to machine). Scatter 1 rounded Tbsp. ham and 1 Tbsp. white cheddar over each waffle. Cook until golden brown and cooked through. Serve with butter and warm maple syrup.