I’m an Eggo head. Growing up, Kellogg’s Eggo waffles were my go-to breakfast item, even dare I say, more than cereal, which I’ve talked up extensively on this blog.
I have an aside for you that’s an insight into my weirdness. Spoiler: I have a weird relationship to food, and I’m not just talking about liking to eat it. I mean, a weird relationship, and have for as long as I can recall. That is, breakfast became such a vital part of my day because I’m worried I’ll get stuck in a position without food and go hungry. I have no idea where that fear comes from, but since I was a kid, it’s driven how I eat at breakfast. As an example of what the heck I’m talking about, I remember in elementary school, we took a field trip to Columbus, the capital of Ohio, to see Edgar Allen Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart performed live. Given it was a 90-minute drive, and an unfamiliar location (I had never been to the capital before) out of my control, I was worried I wouldn’t be able to eat for a long time, and would go hungry. So, the day of the field trip, incidentally to this overall post, I ate a bowl of Waffle Crisp cereal. Then another bowl. And then another bowl. I had three freaking bowls of Waffle Crisp cereal to load up in fear I’d go hungry! It’s absurd, obviously, but for whatever psychological reason, I’ve operated like that ever since. When I began working at the age of 15, I predominantly switched to Eggo waffles, thinking that would give me more calories and energy to last through the day in case I couldn’t eat than cereal would. Load up on four waffles, and boom, I’m saved.
Yup.
Now, unless there’s a coconut style I’m unaware of, I like all the styles of Eggo waffles: homestyle, blueberry, cinnamon brown sugar like these are, chocolatey chip, and buttermilk (my personal favorite). I don’t know how anyone eats these plain (although I’m sure they’re fine plain), as I like to add my Smart Balance butter and buttery syrup, and I’m good to go. Sometimes, if I’m feeling frisky, I’ll throw some blueberries or raspberries or strawberries or bananas on top of the waffles, but most times, if I’m going for Eggos, I’m probably impatient, and just want to eat it. Not that adding fruit takes that much longer, but, well, ya know.
Let me make this clear. As if with most things I can think of, homemade and from scratch is the best as opposed to frozen and premade. In fact, my favorite breakfast meal is probably a homemade waffle, and in that case, you can infuse the fruit into the waffle much better. I even have a mini-waffle maker (alongside a regular sized one) I’ll have to show to the blog eventually.
So, as I mentioned, these are the thick and fluffy cinnamon brown sugar — now with more cinnamon and brown sugar, it promises — in the Belgian style. I have to say, I don’t remember the Belgian style as a kid. They were flat ovals, right? In any event, the Belgian style is clearly, demonstrably the best waffle style.
As is the case with frozen waffles, I popped them in the toaster, and my not-so-much-a-trick trick is to do it on the third heat setting thingamajig (which, let’s be honest folks, I don’t get how these toaster settings work and they don’t seem to line up much), and then when they pop up, I put them down again on the one or two heat setting thingamajig. I personally don’t like them to still be soft, so that helps to get the waffles an extra bit crispier. Add that butter and buttery syrup, cut ’em in half, and boom. Tasty, easy treat.
These had a nice cinnamon taste to them, of course, and because of my syrup I added, it’s hard to know how much of the maple taste came through. The main attraction, though, is just that nice, thick Belgian style of the waffle. Fluffy, not so much, but thick? Yes, please. And if you’re counting calories like I used to, we’re only talking 340 calories for the two I had, which admittedly, I sometimes have three or even four in one sitting. Add 50 calories for a tablespoon of syrup and something like that for the butter, and it’s not bad for one meal.
But, it is carbs, and from what I understand of carbs, it makes me sleepy. Alas, because of, uh, the news today, I’m more wired post-waffle consumption.
Are you also an Eggo head? Or do you have a different waffle brand you prefer or maybe you go homemade?
Milam's Musings 