Recently we had to get rid of some things in our appliance cabinet to make room for a large countertop pizza maker.

Two items bit the dust: an old Cuisinart kept as a “back-up” for 15 years, but have never needed to use; and a beautiful double waffle iron, barely used (we’d rather make French toast or pancakes than drag out and clean the waffle iron).

Then, I took some advice from Posie Harwood of King Arthur Flour, who noted with sagacity that “a waffle iron is just a teeny, tiny oven…a much cooler version of a panini press.”
 
WAFFLE IRON BENEFITS

 
STARTING TIPS

 
1. BROWNIES IN A WAFFLE IRON

One of the nicest things about a waffle iron is how much time it saves you, especially when you’re baking a single serving. Sometimes you just want a brownie, and you want it right away!

Just ladle in your batter of choice, close the lid, and cook until baked through, like a waffle. This may even be the preferred way of cooking brownies for those who like the “edges”: The waffled brownie is crisp and crunchy.

 
2. MUFFINS IN A WAFFLE IRON

Cook the muffin batter and you get what is essentially a jumbo, crisp muffin top.
 
3. COOKIES IN A WAFFLE IRON

Portion your favorite cookie dough into individual scoops and freeze them. When you need a warm cookie, bake one or two. Help you make just one instead of a baking pan full of temptation.
 
4. DOUGHNUTS IN A WAFFLE IRON

We haven’t tried it, but Posie says: “Doughnut batter performs surprisingly well in a waffle iron. It bakes up into a puffy, light disc with a wonderfully crunchy top. It’s not shaped in a circle, but it tastes just the same.” She recommends drizzling a glaze (and loves this apple cider glaze recipe) or a ganache frosting. Add coconut, crushed nuts, sprinkles or other garnish.

[2] Waffled hash brown potatoes (photo © King Arthur Flour).

[3] Pop grilled cheese and almost any sandwich into the waffle iron (photos #2 and #3 © Posie Harwood | King Arthur Flour).

[5] Waffled biscuits with sausage gravy. Here’s the recipe from Food Network Kitchen.

[6] Get 53 recipes for waffled food in this book (photo © Workman Publishing).

5. GRILLED CHEESE & OTHER SANDWICHES IN A WAFFLE IRON

Consider your waffle iron as a panini press with different grill marks. Spray the waffle iron, add a slice of bread, the cheese and any extras (bacon, tomato, etc.) and the top slice of bread. Close the iron and cook until the cheese is melted.

A tip from Posie: Spread some mayonnaise on the outside of each slice of bread. It makes the sandwich extra crisp and golden.
 
6. HASH BROWNS IN A WAFFLE IRON

They’re not just for breakfast, either. For a quick dinner, top the hash browns with a fried or poached egg, leftover proteins and/or vegetables. Rosie likes to add wilted greens.

But all you need is grated potatoes (we grate in onion as well, and you can also add cheese). Wring out as much liquid as you can, season with salt and pepper and waffle a thick layer until crisp and brown.
 
7. PANINI IN A WAFFLE IRON

Ditto. You get waffle marks instead of grill marks.

 
8. WAFFLED POLENTA

For breakfast or as a side with lunch or dinner, here’s a recipe from Julie’s Jazz.
 
WHAT ELSE CAN YOU WAFFLE?

Posie has also made waffled calzones, omelets and zucchini fritters—even simple buttered toast.

There’s a whole book on the topic, Will It Waffle? Get your copy on Amazon with 53 foods to waffle, including:

 
Here are more recipes from Food Network including:

 
Also check out Greatlist.com., which features a bunch of the recipes above plus a healthier Waffled Eggplant Parmesan!
 
Who knew?
 
 
  

If you drink wine often, you no doubt have a favorite to drink with your favorite foods, from snacks to mains to desserts.

What happens if you step out of your comfort zone? You may discover grape varietals you haven’t had before, and pairings that you like even better.

While it’s common wisdom that the wines of a particular region pair best with the foods of that region, don’t let that impede your decisions. The most important pairing is with the food and its preparation (light or heavy, herbal or spicy, etc.).

Entire books have been written on the topic, but here’s a brief overview from DiscoverCaliforniaWines.com. You can search online for recommendations, or ask your wine store clerk: an invaluable source of information and recommendations.

If you’re not familiar with the grape varietal, look it up. Wines in France, Italy and elsewhere are often named for their region of production, not for the varietal labeling of Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the U.S.

 
It gets much more complicated than this, involving history, law and other factors. But let’s get on to the wines.
 
WINE & FOOD PAIRINGS FROM A TO Z

Some are red wines (R), some are white wines (W), and some are both (R&W).

[1] An Italian red is a traditional pairing with salami, olives and other nibbles. But why not try a Cabernet Franc, Malbec or Zinfandel (photo courtesy Rebelle | NYC)? [2] Don’t want beer or saké with your sushi? Try a light white wine, such as Albariño or Chenin Blanc. Our personal favorites are Gewürtztraminer and Riesling—more assertive, because we just can’t get enough of them (photo by Lognetic | Dreamtime). [3] With a well-seasoned grilled cheese sandwich, try a medium-bodied red: Barbera, Malbec, Merlot, Rhone blend, Sangiovese, or the lesser-known Montepulciano.

[4] For pasta, match the wine to the sauce. With a meat sauce or meatballs, Sangiovese, Rosso di Montalcino and Barberas are popular in Italy. But a good old American Zinfandel is also a popular match. [5] Wine with chocolate? Absolutely: We have an entire article on pairing wine and chocolate, as well as pairing wines and desserts (photo courtesy Taza Chocolate).

September 5th is National Cheese Pizza Day, honoring the original modern pizza, the Margherita. It was named after Queen Margherita, consort to Umberto I, King of Italy from 1878–1900.

As the story goes, during a visit to Naples, she asked the best pizza maker in town, Don Raffaele, to make her a pie. He made it in the colors of the Italian flag, a simple but delicious pie of basil, mozzarella and tomatoes. Here’s the history of pizza.

 
WHAT’S A STOVETOP PIZZA OVEN?

Simply this: a steel case that sits on top of a gas burner and cooks your pizza atop pizza stones. There’s no electricity, no wood chips, no nuthin’ but the Pizzeria Pronto and your gas range.

We love it: from the pizza stones that create an oh-so-delightful crust to the top quality ingredients we used. As long as we have dough in the fridge, we can have a pizza anytime we want, better than anything delivered. efficient new way to make pizza at home.

Pizzeria Pronto is made by Companion Group, a company that began more than 30 years ago with the original Charcoal Companion charcoal chimney starter. The line now includes other grilling tools and accessories, and the Pizzacraft® line of artisan-quality pizza stones, pizza ovens, tools and accessories.

In 2013 the company launched the first propane-fueled outdoor portable pizza oven, which pre-heats in 10 minutes and cooks the pie in 5 minutes. In 2016, the indoor Pizzeria Pronto® Stovetop Pizza Oven was released nationwide—the first gas range-powered indoor oven.

Small but mighty, Pizzeria Pronto transforms your favorite dough and toppings into perfectly-cooked pizzas in just minutes (after all, the name means “pizza in a hurry”). With its heat-efficient design, it traps and reflects heat to harness the power of your gas range, creating an optimal cooking environment of up to 600°F. Yet, the room is no warmer than if you used your oven.
 
How To Use Pizzeria Pronto Stovetop Pizza Oven

 
The electric plug-in pizza ovens we’ve tried can’t hold a candle to it.

It’s well worth the space it requires if you’d like to make pizza weekly or more often. We don’t have extra room in our kitchen so we did a bit of housecleaning. So long, old backup food processor and biannually-used waffle iron.
 
 
WHERE TO FIND IT

Pizzeria Pronto is available at major retailers such as Bed Bath & Beyond, Sur La Table, Williams-Sonoma and online. Williams-Sonoma carries a gray-top model instead of the standard red-orange model shown in the photos.

Prices vary but it’s currently $106.27 on Amazon (a deep discount off the MSRP of $179.99).

[2] Close the oven door.

[3] Cook for six minutes.

[4] Remove the pizza, fragrant and bubbling.

We invited the crowd over for a pizza party and bought (or over-bought, as is our won’t) the ingredients: regular and whole wheat doughs, sauces and cheeses for red and white pies.

We provided lots of toppings: anchovies, garlic, jalapeños, mini meatballs, mushrooms, olives, onion and zucchini. But the crust (dough purchased from Fairway), sauce (the Classico brand Riserva line [not Bertolli Riserva]), mozzarella and ricotta (Bel Gioso) were so good that most people opted for a plain pie.

We personally, however, had anchovies from Cento: not salty, just right.
 
 
FEATURES & TIPS

Features

 
Tips

 
HAVE FUN WITH IT!
  

[1] Tea can be classically staged, like this one from Tea Time Magazine, or [2] modern service, like this at the Langham Palace | New York. Instead of classic British tea sandwiches on crustless bread, you can substitute tartines—French open-face sandwiches—or Italian crostini. Here’s a close-up from Honestly Yum.

 
SEPTEMBER TEA PARTY

 
OCTOBER TEA PARTY

 
Bonus: Provide oranges, pomanders and optional ribbon, and let guests make their own party favors: pomanders!
 
NOVEMBER TEA PARTY

 
DECEMBER TEA PARTY

WHAT TO SERVE AT TEA PARTY

Perhaps the most fun of planning a tea party is deciding on the goodies. Just search online for “tea party recipes” and you’ll find enough for a lifetime of teas. The basic categories:

With curd or jam and clotted cream, they’re a classic favorite. It’s easy to bake your own moist scones with gourmet mixes from King Arthur Flour or other quality producer. They also sell gluten-free mixes.

 
Healthier Tea Party Foods

[4] This beautiful sandwich cake yields a wedge [5] of savory sandwich. Here’s how to make it from AmusesBouche.fr.

 
TEA PARTY ETIQUETTE

Etiquette expert Arden Clise erases common ideas of “proper” tea behavior. She says:

“People often think proper tea drinking means sticking your pinky out. That’s actually rude and connotes elitism. It comes from the fact that cultured people would eat their tea goodies with three fingers and commoners would hold the treats with all five fingers. Thus was born the misguided belief that one should raise their pinky finger to show they were cultured. Tuck that pinky finger in.”

Find more of her comments at CliseEtiquette.com.

[1] You don’t need a tiered stand, but you can find inexpensive ones. This one is less than $20 (photo © Chef Buddy | Amazon).

[2] Anna Maria Russell, Duchess of Bedford, inadvertently invented the custom of afternoon tea in 1840 (photo © Woburn Abbey).

THE HISTORY OF AFTERNOON TEA

In the U.K., afternoon tea is a longstanding tradition: a light meal in mid-afternoon, between lunch and dinner. It can be simple or elaborate, consisting of a pot of tea plus finger sandwiches, scones with jam and clotted cream, cakes and pastries.

September 3rd is the birthday of Anna Maria Russell (1783 – 1857), the seventh Duchess of Bedford. In 1840 she inadvertently created the British custom of afternoon tea, a midday meal.

As their main meal of the day shifted from midday (luncheon) to evening, English high society didn’t dine until 8 p.m. The hungry duchess needed something to tide her over during the stretch between lunch and dinner.

She ordered tea with small sandwiches to be brought to her room. Over time, her friends joined her, and “afternoon tea” expanded from her circle to all of society.

It was an elaborate social and gustatory affair with sweet and savory delicacies, special tea cakes and even tea gowns to bridge the fashion gap between casual afternoon and formal evening dress. As the custom spread downstream, tea rooms and tea gardens opened to serve tea to all classes (no change of clothing required).

Be the Anna of your circle: Plan afternoon teas as regular get-togethers, quarterly or more often. People can take turns hosting; and it can be as simple or elaborate as you like.

While today’s ladies are more likely to work, consider afternoon tea instead of Sunday brunch. Feel free to invite the gentlemen.
 
 
AFTERNOON TEA VS. HIGH TEA

Afternoon tea is not the same as “high tea.”

While it is not part of the tradition, you can add a modern “pre-cocktail” touch. Go for light and/or fruity:

A YEAR OF TEA PARTY IDEAS: PART 1, JANUARY TO JULY

JANUARY TEA PARTY

 
FEBRUARY TEA PARTY

 
MARCH TEA PARTY

APRIL TEA PARTY

 
MAY TEA PARTY

 
JUNE TEA PARTY

 
JULY TEA PARTY

 
We placed the Boston Tea Party teas in July because of Independence Day; but you can as easily have them in December or March.
 
 

[4] There’s no need to buy a tiered stand. This one was put together with regular plates balanced on tea cups. Clever! (photo © Sketch.uk.com.