Stressed Out? Escape to Belgium Waffles & Berries

Stay Sane with Belgium Waffles and Berries

by Cal Orey

“I've waffled before. I'll waffle again.”
Howard Dean

Ever wake up to an imperfect world and wish you could just crawl back into bed? Yeah, it's one of those not so fun days. I'm suffering from writer's "Computer Hell."... My 7 month old laptop (a real lemon) has been diagnosed (again): defective hard drive. I may lose all programs, all work, all of it. All gone. So what can make me feel better?

I'm taking a jet plane to Belgium (in my dreams). No, that's not in the cards for me today. But I am going to go to Belgium Waffles and Berryland. Homemade? Not this time around. But on a good day I am going to do just that and do it right. Enter: The Belgium/Belgian Waffle: According to the quick and resourceful Wikipedia, "The Belgian, or Brussels waffle, is prepared with a yeast-leavened batter. It is generally, but not always, lighter, thicker, and crispier and has larger pockets compared to other waffle varieties. In Belgium, it is served warm by street vendors, dusted with confectioner's sugar, and sometimes topped with whipped cream or chocolate spread."

For now, it's Belgian Van's all natural multigrain waffles.--Gourmet style. Read: No trans fat, made with whole grain, complete with good stuff like protein, calcium, and iron. The bonus? I'm topping two of 'em (just 230 calories) with fresh, organic blueberries. These little blue gems are full of vitamins A and C (stressbuster), both essential to your health. One cup of blueberries has a mere 82 calories, and no fat.

Once I get my computer craziness settled, I vow to celebrate and buy a real waffle maker and I even checked out this Web site for Belgian Waffles--so you can make the real thing if your day is a happy one and you want to make these babies from scratch. I glanced at the site, the different shapes and prices of waffle makers as I munched on my hot, once frozen delights. But hey, they were light, crispy, topped with fresh and juicy blueberries and that real maple syrup that I do love despite the cost...Sure, I'd love to savor the homemade waffles like my Mom used to make on Sunday mornings. I'd hold the butter and use California's Sciabica olive oil so the waffles wouldn't stick to the new gadget that I don't have today. (Or maybe the makers are nonstick?) Life goes on...But hey, in the real world sometimes you have to make lemons into lemonade. Speaking of lemons, I loathe my computer. How many hours does it take to fly to Belgium?

One more thing: Oh, oh, oh...Did you know that there are a variety of waffle types?