It is International Waffle Day, but for Nilla, our one-year-old Australian Shepherd, wiffle and waffle are all the same.

Last summer, the kids next door loved to play ball. However, due to the growing size (and batting power) of the children and our relatively small lawns, many stray balls found their way over the fence into our yard. Nilla was thrilled. Who needs popcorn when there are pop flies? Wiffle, or waffle? It was all the same to her. If she found the lost balls before I could toss them back over the fence, they were her snack.

I tried to tell Nilla that the leather of a baseball isn't really jerky and that while good waffles are crisped on the outside and light and airy in the middle, it is much different from a plastic wiffle ball. She wouldn't listen, and unfortunately, the neighbor kids lost a lot of sports equipment. I felt badly, but what could I do? Our puppy door is designed to allow the dogs to come and go as they please, and I have too many other things going on to have time to umpire every spontaneous ball game.

Maybe today, for International Waffle Day, I should make a big batch of Spiced Waffles with Maple-Pecan Syrup and toss them over the fence as a peace offering for Nilla's ball fetish. These waffles have a hearty texture and a sweetly spiced flavor and unless you are a part of the Australian Shepherd crowd, are a home run over snacking on a wiffle ball.


Heat the oven to 200F, and preheat the waffle maker.
Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cloves. In a second bowl, combine yogurt, milk, egg YOLKS, oil, and vanilla.
Beat the egg WHITES to soft peaks.
Gently combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients until just combined. (Batter will be lumpy.)
Fold the egg whites into the batter until just incorporated.
Spray the waffle iron with cooking spray, and working in batches, cook the batter in the waffle iron until crisp and golden.
Place waffles on oven rack to keep warm; do not stack.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, warm the syrup. Stir in the pecans.
Serve the waffles with the warm syrup. (Yield: about 10 waffles)

In a medium skillet, cook the sausage over medium-high heat, breaking it up with a fork until crumbled.
Add the potato and butter, lower the heat and simmer until the butter is melted and potatoes are tender, about 5 minutes.
Remove from the heat and let cool, about 10 minutes. 
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cheese, parsley, salt and pepper.
Stir in the milk and eggs until smooth.
Stir in the sausage-potato mixture.
Using a waffle maker, cook the waffles according to the manufacturer’s directions. (Makes 8-10 waffles depending on waffle maker)



Whisk to combine ingredients.
Heat in microwave 20-30 seconds.
Serve warm over waffles.

March 25 was International Waffle Day. Yep. That was yesterday. A good food blogger would have had a submission ready to post early in the day. A good food blogger might have tempted you with perfectly crispy or decadent fruit-topped waffles for breakfast, chocolate waffles for dessert, or savory waffles for dinner. The blogger might even have gotten creative and thrown in some Waffle Fries just to stir things up.

Obviously, I am not a good food blogger. There are many AMAZING food bloggers out there, and I can while away an entire day reading their recipes, soaking in their tips, knowledge, and humor, and drooling over their food porn photos. Their skills (in the kitchen, with words, and behind the camera) entrance me. What I do here is just share what's On My Plate. As the heading says, this is just my menu with a little life thrown in.

As for my life and my menu on March 25...friends can tell you that I love a good holiday celebration. So of course, waffles had to be the main attraction on International Waffle Day. The evening before, I had mentioned the possibility of banana waffles to Hubby, and while he didn't verbally protest, I did get "the look." I wasn't willing to give up, though. Hitting my online recipe sources, I was actually searching for a bacon waffle recipe (because everything is better with pork fat, right?) when I stumbled upon a Mexican Cornmeal Waffle recipe that had caught my eye some time ago.

What better way to celebrate Waffle Day than with dense, cornmeal waffles as a base for a cumin and green chile spiced ground beef and kidney bean mixture, shredded lettuce and cheese, dollops of sour cream, and a drizzle of hot sauce? I gave my nod to International Waffle Day with a taco salad on a cornbread waffle On My Plate.


Mix flour, corn meal, baking powder, salt and sugar.
Beat the egg yolks, add the milk, and combine well with the cornmeal mixture.
Beat the cornmeal mixture until smooth.
Add the melted butter to batter and mix well.
Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold into batter.
Bake in a hot waffle iron until golden brown.
Meanwhile, brown the ground beef, chopped onion, and garlic.
Add all other seasonings (may adjust to taste), tomatoes and beans; simmer uncovered at least 20 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated and flavors have blended.
To serve, layer waffle topped with meat mixture, shredded lettuce and cheese, sour cream, and drizzle with taco sauce.(Serves 6)