The Wafel Shop

For once, one of my blog posts was completely unplanned.
It was Saturday evening, and my boyfriend and I were strolling around downtown. We popped into an old record store, and while he flipped through the musty racks I sipped on a cup of cherry coffee and browsed. 
I wasn't even hungry at that point. But then I remembered that The Wafel Shop was just around the corner.
For those of you who don't know, The Wafel Shop is a new establishment in Ann Arbor that makes some of the best breakfast-style comfort food EVER.
They have two different kinds of waffles, Brussels and Liege, that start at $5 each. You can top your waffle with free syrup, butter, chocolate shavings, or powdered sugar, or you can upgrade to $1 and $2 toppings like Nutella, bacon, and chocolate sauce.

I went traditional with a Brussels waffle topped with butter, chocolate shavings, and Nutella. Because it's criminal to not get Nutella when getting Nutella is a possibility.

Light, fluffy, but packed full of flavor, this waffle is definitely one that you'd want to top with some sweet and chocolatey options. It was a hybrid between a dessert and a scrumptious breakfast item.
My boyfriend went for the Liege waffle topped with syrup, butter, and bananas. He also grabbed a large coffee, which I immediately regretted not doing because The Wafel Shop serves Zingerman's brand coffee.

Scrumptious, buttery, and a bit nutty in flavor, this waffle was definitely unique.
Not that I didn't enjoy my chocolate mountain or anything.... 

Needless to say, I'm already planning my next trip. Maybe caramel sauce next time? Who knows....

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Roasted Bananas

Nowadays, it's rare to find someone who isn't watching their weight. Someone who doesn't have little rules they set for themselves about when and what they're allowed to put into their mouths.

I, too, have been guilty of this folly from time to time. And my biggest cheat is to throw in a vegetable or a fruit and call it healthy.

Oh, a pile fried eggplant smothered in cheese? It's a vegetable, so it's healthy.

Oh, this caramel apple covered in chocolate, M&Ms and graham crackers? It's fruit, so it's healthy.

Let's not kid ourselves, folks.

That's why I'll openly start out by admitting that despite the fruit content, this recipe is unapologetically not healthy.

It's just delicious.

Now, I don't want to limit your creativity here, so don't feel like these are the only toppings you can use. BUT, if you want to recreate the chocolate monsters I made here, grab these ingredients:

1 banana
Nutella
1 handfull chocolate chips
tin foil

Start by laying your banana flat on its side. Tear off a piece of the peel so that when the banana lies flat, its flesh is exposed upwards. 
Next, slather on some Nutella. Sprinkle with chocolate chips, marshmallows, or whatever else you see fit for your treat. 
Wrap the whole thing in tinfoil and stick it under the broiler for 3-5 minutes.
When it's done, you'll have an ooey gooey mushy warm banana covered in melty chocolate chips and warm Nutella.

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Nutella Banana Muffins

I've been MIA for almost a week now due to the dreaded Hurricane Midterms Week that has swept through my life and left my apartment, sanity and laundry basket in shambles.
Fortunately, I'm going to make it up to you with something that gave me endless amounts of study motivation.
Nutella Banana Muffins.
I know what you're thinking - it's not possible! Something as delicious and caring as Nutella couldn't possibly be in cahoots with banana bread to make a gooey chocolatey dessert.
Think again...

Snagged this idea from The Londoner, but used the classic banana bread recipe from Fannie Farmer. I promise, if you make yourself a tray of these and say "I get to eat one of these after I (insert studying verb 1)..." you'll be on your way to an A in no time.

To make this, you will need:

3 ripe bananas

2 eggs

2 cups flour

3/4 cups sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda
4 Tablespoons Nutella

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Start by mashing your bananas until they're mushy and gooey. Beat your two eggs and add them to the banana mixture. Throw in your flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Combine until you have a soft dough.

Line a muffin tin with muffin cups and equally distribute your batter into each cup (though aim for each one to be 3/4 full). Next, add a teaspoon of Nutella to each of the muffin cups. Using a knife or a toothpick, stir the Nutella around a bit in the batter so that it's not all lumped into one area (you want your Nutella to be swirled throughout the muffin, don't you?)

Place your muffin tray in the oven and wait an ungodly 20-25 minutes.

When they're done, try not to burn yourself on the gooey pockets of warm Nutella.

And try not to eat the whole tray in one sitting!*
*Under certain circumstances this cannot be prevented. I understand.

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Crepes

I'm not ashamed to admit that Nutella is my best friend. Nutella listens to you when you're down. Nutella will always be there for you when you've had a rough day. And, most importantly, Nutella never judges you for how much Nutella you eat.

My favorite way to eat Nutella? On a homemade crepe with bananas.

The key to any long-lasting recipe is versatility. Can this dish be prepared for breakfast, lunch, or dinner? Can it be a dessert, side dish, or main dish? Can it be seasoned to highlight different flavors? If you answered yes to all of these questions, you've got yourself a versatile dish.

For me, this dish is the basic crepe. Inherited from my grandmother, this recipe has two parts. The first set of ingredients creates a savory crepe that can be filled with bacon, eggs, chicken and veggies. The second set of ingredients, when added to the first, makes a sweet crepe for jams, fruits, chocolate chips, marshmallow fluff, and whatever else you can think of.

This two-part recipe includes:

Savory                                                                                    Sweet

2 cups milk                                                           Add 2 Tablespoons sugar

2 eggs                                                            2 Tablespoons melted butter

1 ½ cups flour                                                                1 teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

Like I said, if you're making meat-filled or veggie crepes, go with the recipe on the left. If you're making a sweet crepe, make the recipe on the left and add the ingredients from the right column.

Mix everything up in a bowl, slap a generous dollop of butter into a pan, and fry your batter into super-thin pancakes. Make sure they're golden brown on the bottom, then use a wide spatula to give them a quick flip and brown the other side. Repeat until you're out of batter.

Once they're cooked, fill them up with whatever you see fit!
Like I said, I went with my comfort foods - Nutella and banana.

Cover your extra crepes with plastic wrap and save them for another dish! Like I said, crepes are incredibly versatile.

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