The mini waffles recipe below. (photo #4).
 
 
RIM GARNISHES

We’d long wanted a set of wide-rim bowls (photo #1) that the better restaurants we patronize use to serve pasta, soup, and other foods.

The presentation never ceases to delight—especially when garnishes or decorations are set atop the wide rim.

We listened to all the reasons why these bowls were not a wise purchase: no more storage space in our small apartment, questionable number of uses per year, etc.

To those who questioned our judgment in buying a set of wide rim bowls (you know who you are!):
 
 
WHAT TO PUT ON THE RIM

We use our wide-rim bowls largely for entertaining, as opposed to daily use; but there’s no reason why you can’t do both.

No matter what’s in the bowl (cereal, chili, fish en brodo, grain bowls, green salads, ice cream, pasta and pasta salad, pudding, salad, soup, etc.), you can plate other foods on the rim.

Go wherever your imagination takes you, but here are some ways in which we “rim garnish” conventional foods:

 
Whatever garnish you might have put on a plate, place it on the rim and add some other compatible garnishes.

Truly, we have so much fun with this!
 
 
MAKING THE MINI WAFFLES

For August 24th, National Waffle Day, we copied this idea for mini waffles with two dipping sauces.

While in theory a breakfast dish, it was a great lunch!

In this recipe (photo #4), the ingredients have reversed places: The main food is plated on the rim, and the garnishes are in the bowl.

We didn’t have a mini waffle maker, so we made regular-size waffles and cut them into four smaller squares.

As for the dip, we used strawberry and vanilla yogurt; and garnished everything with blueberries and raspberries.

There are other waffle applications, too; for example:

[1] Soup with a rim garnish of halved cherry tomatoes, herb sprigs, and for a touch of luxury, lump crabmeat (photo © Seviche Restaurant | Louisville).

[2] A heaping bowl of pasta with an artistic rim garnish of minced herbs and breadcrumbs (photo © Explore Cuisine).

[3] Mac & Cheese with minced herbs (photo © Barilla Food Service).

[4] Mini waffles with dipping sauces (photo © Taisiia Shestopal | Unsplash).

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

[1] Caramel pecan waffle sundae (photo © St. Pierre Bakery).

[2] Deluxe dessert waffle plate (photo © Screme Gelato).

[3] Fudge waffles; the recipe is below (photo © King Arthur Flour).

[4] Chocolate sauce for the fudge waffles; the recipe is below (photo © King Arthur Flour).

[5] You can use the chocolate sauce to make s’mores waffles (photo © Posie Harwood | King Arthur Flour).

[6] Or, just use a simple chocolate drizzle (photo © Linus Mimietz | Unsplash).

[7] Or, make a banana split waffle sundae. Here’s the recipe (photo © Krusteaz).

August 24th is National Waffle Day.

With roots dating to the Neolithic Age (ca. 6000 B.C.E. to ca. 2000 B.C.E.), waffles, along with pancakes and bread, began as a rustic hotcake made of cereal pulps, cooked on heated stones.

As is still done thousands of years later, the cake was “flipped,” so that both sides could be cooked by the heat.

But these were bland sustenance foods: no syrup, no whipped cream and no chocolate sauce, of course; and likely, no salt and pepper.

Check out the history of waffles.

Before we jump into dessert waffles, check out How To Make Better Waffles, which includes cooking tips plus an introduction to savory waffles for lunch and dinner.

Also, the different types of waffles.
 
 
RECIPE #1: FUDGE WAFFLES (Photo #3)

Think of dessert waffles as waffle sundaes: the same ingredients as a sundae, with a waffle added.

This recipe, from King Arthur Flour, is like a hot fudge sundae on a waffle.

Prep time is 10 minutes, cook time is 30 minutes.

There are more dessert waffle recipes below, plus a template to customize your own dessert waffle recipes.
 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the eggs, butter and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and beat until light, about 2 minutes. Blend in buttermilk, then flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Gently fold in nuts and chocolate chips.

2. COOK the waffles in a preheated, well-greased waffle iron until done, following manufacturer’s directions.

3. SERVE with the ice cream of your choice and fudge sauce (recipe follows). The waffles can be served immediately, or wrapped in plastic wrap and served the next day. Warm them in a toaster oven if you wish.
 
Variation: S’mores Waffles

Top with toasted marshmallows and graham cracker streusel. Here’s the recipe.
 
 
RECIPE #2: FUDGE SAUCE/CHOCOLATE SAUCE (Photo #4)

People interchangeably use the terms chocolate sauce, fudge sauce, hot fudge and chocolate fudge sauce. The difference is in the details.

The main difference between hot fudge and chocolate sauce is the texture. Hot fudge tends is thicker and richer from the cream and butter used, while chocolate sauce is thinner, less rich and more pourable, due to corn syrup for added for pourability.

Ingredients For 1 Cup

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the sugar, cocoa powder, corn syrup and milk half & half in a small saucepan. Stir to blend.

2. COOK over medium heat until mixture comes to a full boil; then reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes.

3. REMOVE the sauce from the heat and add the butter and vanilla, stirring until the butter melts. Cool to room temperature, then store in the refrigerator.

4. SERVE warm or at room temperature. The sauce reheats easily in a glass cup in your microwave.
 

MORE SWEET DESSERT WAFFLE RECIPES

 
 
SWEET WAFFLE TOPPINGS

 
 
MORE DESSERT WAFFLE RECIPES

August 22nd is National BLT Day; April is National BLT Month.

We’ve applied the BLT concept to foods beyond sandwiches—from cocktails to guacamole. See the recipes below.

Thanks to DeLallo, we’ve now tried it with a bowl of fusilli col buco*. We’ve had it both as hot pasta and as a room temperature BLT Fusilli Salad.

There’s no mayonnaise; but rather, lots of Italian flavors.
 
 
RECIPE: BLT PASTA WITH FUSILLI COL BUCO

Ingredients For 4 Servings

 
Preparation

1. BRING a large pot of water to a boil. Carefully add enough water to make the water salty enough to taste like sea water (usually 2-3 tablespoons of kosher salt; add two tablespoons and check to see if it’s salty enough).

2. PLACE the pasta in the water and cook to al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving about 2 cups of pasta water. Set both aside.

3. PLACE a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the pancetta and cook until well browned and sizzling on all sides. Add the minced garlic to the pan and toss for 1 minute more.

4. ADD the sliced tomatoes to the pan and stir until softened, about 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add the kale or spinach, and the antipasto mix. Toss to combine; the greens will begin to wilt in the heat. Add a good pinch of both salt and pepper.

5. ADD the pasta and about 1 cup of the pasta water. Toss to combine and warm through. The pasta water will help thicken the mixture, but if you’d like the mixture a bit saucier, add more of the reserved pasta water. Cook for about 3 minutes more on the stovetop. Taste and season as necessary.

6. ADD to a large bowl or individual plates. Garnish with the torn basil leaves, parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper flakes.
 

BLT RECIPES THAT ARE NOT A SANDWICH

 
And Sandwich Variations

 
 
> The History Of The BLT
 
> The History Of Pasta

[1] Here’s the BLT topping for the pasta (all photos © DeLallo).

[2] The ingredients for BLT Pasta.

[3] Fusilli pasta is a hollow, long-strand (ribbon) pasta. If you can’t find it locally, buy it online.

*Fusilli col buco is fusilli (corkscrew pasta), with a hole (col buco). That is to say, the strands are hollow. They’re long strand fusilli, not the more familiar short-cut. The hollow center makes it fun to eat. Numerous artisan brands make it; and you can buy it online from DeLallo. If you can’t find it, substitute spaghetti.

†DeLallo Antipasto Delight is a giardiniera-style mix of pickled vegetables, featuring crispy carrots, celery, cauliflower florets, sweet red peppers, Spanish stuffed green olives and mild pepperoncini, with tangy vinegar bite. Buy it online from DeLallo. Here’s a recipe to make your own.

[1] A Thai fusion larb salad, here with red California grapes. The salad sits on a bed of jasmine rice (photo © Grapes From California).

[2] Larb can be mixed in a bowl or served in separate ingredients on a plate (photo CC BY 2.0).

[3] Fusion: larb in lettuce cups (photo © SunBasket).

[4] Ground chicken (above), beef or pork are typically used. Duck, fish and mushrooms can be substituted (photo © Good Eggs).

[5] While any color of grapes will supply the flavor, red grapes bring color to a “beige” dish (photo © Good Eggs).

[6] If you don’t like the conventional green cabbage, you can substitute the milder bok choy, Chinese cabbage (photo © Good Eggs).

Do you like the dishes of Southeast Asia for their lively mix of flavors—chiles, cilantro, lime, mint, peanuts and rice vinegar?

Then a larb salad might be just up your alley.
 
 
WHAT IS LARB?

Larb, also spelled laap, larp, lahb or laab, is a Thai or Laotian ground meat salad.

Vegan versions are made with mushrooms (portabellas have a meaty flavor). We’ve seen American vegan recipes that use minced beets, carrots or other root vegetables.

The meat can be served raw or cooked; the dish is served at room temperature.

Pork larb is the unofficial national dish of Laos, and larb is popular in the Isan region of northeast Thailand, where the majority of the population is of Lao ethnicity.

Chicken is more common in other areas of Thailand.

Variations of larb also appear in the Yunnan province of China and in parts of Myanmar.

How To Pronounce “Larb”

The Thai word isn’t actually pronounced “larb,” but “laaaap,” with the pitch of the voice falling during the vowel sound.

Don’t pronounce the “r.” The “b” at the end is more like an unvoiced “p.”

Larb Ingredients

Larb is most often made with beef, chicken, duck, fish, mushrooms or pork. The meat can be either raw or cooked.

 
As is true everywhere, different regions incorporate local spices and other ingredients, to create their own variations on the dish.
 
 
RECIPE: CHICKEN LARB WITH GRAPES

This recipe (photo #1) is based on classic larb ingredients: ground chicken seasoned with chiles, cilantro, lime, mint and fish sauce.

Grapes From California, the consumer website of the California Table Grape Commission, made this recipe more accessible for American cooks:

 
Other possible variations:

 
Prep time is 20 minutes, cook time is 10 minutes.
 
Ingredients For 4 Servings

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the combine onion, grapes and rice vinegar; in medium bowl set aside.

2. HEAT the oil in a large skillet, over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring frequently, until just cooked through, about 6-7 minutes.

3. SEASON the chicken with salt and pepper. Stir in the chilies, fish sauce, lime juice, cilantro and mint.

4. DIVIDE the rice between four plates and top with the chicken, cabbage, marinated onions and grapes; sprinkle with peanuts.
 
 
________________

*Use whatever fish sauce you have (except for Worcestershire). There are different types of fish sauce, each country combining its own types of fish and seasonings. For example: Bagoóng in the Philippines, colatura di alici in Italy, naam plaa and pla-ra in Thailand, nuoc mam in Vietnam, padaek in Laos, and Worcestershire sauce in the U.K.

†Red cabbage contains 10 times more antioxidant vitamins than green cabbage. These are cancer-fighting flavonoids.

August 20th is National Lemonade Day. When was the last time you had a glass of fresh-squeezed lemonade?

Most of the lemonade drinks sold in supermarkets are made with lemon juice concentrate or worse, lemon flavoring.

Treat yourself to the real thing!

In addition to the recipes below, check out How To Glam Your Homemade Lemonade.
 
 
FLAVORED LEMONADE RECIPES

 
MAKE FROZEN LEMONADE

Use fruit purée or syrups to create frozen lemonade. Here’s how to make frozen lemonade.

Also try it:

 
LEMONADE COCKTAIL RECIPES

 
Our current favorite lemonade cocktail is Fishers Island Lemonade, sold in cans.
 
 
LEMONADE TRIVIA

Lemons originated in China, India, and Myanmar, and as sugar also originated in the general region, it’s safe to assume that some form of sweetened lemon water was first enjoyed in the ancient Far East.

 
 
VARIETIES OF LEMONADE

 
 
> The History Of Lemonade
 
 
> The History Of Lemons

[1] The easiest: Mint lemonade. Just crush a sprig of mint in your hand and drop it in (photo © Simit & Smith).

[2] Strawberry lemonade (photo © Cocina de Color Lila).

[3] Blueberry Watermelon Lemonade (photo © Blueberry Council).

[4] Layer other flavors, like this lime zest rim, or a combination of lime zest and chili powder (photo © Saint Marc Pub Cafe |

[5] Start squeezing! (photo © Caroline Attwood | Unsplash).