Why use extracts, when you can use the real deal?!

People who know me well, know that I can be a bit of a snob as relates to my margaritas and wines. Oh, and chocolates. Alright, food - LOL. Who doesn't love an authentic meal, I ask you?!

So when it comes to baking and creating flavors, I'm just as persnickety. I truly do dream flavors. Sometimes I'll taste something and go oooooooo....wouldn't THIS be good in a cake?! And off to flavor wonderland I go. So, what about all those flavor extracts???? And especially the ones that are alcohol flavored. Grand Marnier for example? To pun a phrase "There's an extract for that". With the multitude of extracts that are now available, one could start a mini lab. A drop of this, a dollop of that.

Did you know that about 99% of ALL extracts are alcohol based??? Hmmmmm....sooooo if THEY are alcohol based, why not just use the real deal? It's alcohol too, right? RIGHT!!!!!!! What about the fruity citrusy flavors; Lemon, Orange and the like? Again, why go fake?

Vanilla extract, historically is used to sort of bring the cake flavor to a nice balance. But I bet you that historically, Vanilla as we know it now, was QUITE different. No alcohol to preserve or dilute it, a more pure and stronger flavor. TRULY extracted from the beans therefore much more concentrated.

We unfortunately have become a society who accepts and indulges in fraudulent flavors. Our poor, poor taste buds have been distorted!!! Can you imagine what it must taste like to use fresh fruit purees, juices or liquors?

HOW do you do this, you ask?  SIMPLE! Unless you're using Vanilla Bean Paste (and lots of it) FUGGEDABOUTIT! Replace Vanilla with....juice from maraschino cherries, pineapple juice, Grand Marnier, Kirsch, Bailey's...WHATEVA.  HOW you ask? Well, a typical cake formula calls for a measly 1 tsp of Vanilla. WHO'S gonna taste that??!!! START with about 2 or 3 TBS! Taste your batter, if ya can't taste it, it ain't enough! Trust me, you'll be ok. Just don't go beyond about 1/4 cup of liquid. Beyond that and you may need to make adjustments to your formula.

Still need more flavor? No worries. You can puree about 1/4 of fruit and add it to your batter; Make a nice fruit puree to put between the layers. Bananas are especially good as are chopped apples. Any kind of berry makes a delicious puree and the left over can be made into either a sorbet or added to a simple syrup and poured on pancakes, waffles, biscuits or people! (jus' sayin).  That simple syrup can also be added to certain kinds of  icings.

There are a myriad of things you can do to get out of the flavor extract zone. And hey, if you screw it up, so what, it's still edible, right? Hopefully....maybe - LOL.

I'm curious, I know I'm not the ONLY one who thinks of flavors that would be good in cake. What flavors would YOU add? What about your kids? I'm sure theirs would be REALLY interesting - LOL. Play with it!!

As always, I'd like to hear YOUR experiences and help you navigate the wonderful world of Cakery Bakery!!

SCRATCH: That's the word of the Day!!!!

 
Soooo, this past Saturday, PLC and I went to the National Capitol Area Cake Show. She had a great time looking at all the cakes on display and I started plotting her first cake entry in two years :-)
 
As we were departing, we happened on a Demo being conducted by a World Famous area cake decorator and his team. Their work is awe inspiring and they've won numerous TV competitions, national/international awards and have been commissioned world round.
 
What he said during his pontification on his travels and accolades took me aback; He said, quote: "There's nothing wrong with Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines" WHAT????!!!!!! DID HE REALLY JUST SAY THAT??????? BLASPHEME, I thought!!!! Blaspheme!!!! Here is a man who I'm sure charges an obscene amount of money for his cakes, just on his Rep alone and he says that Box Cakes are OK???? REALLY???!!!  Now ,I must admit that a couple years earlier, I attended NCACS and tasted one of his cakes, it...was....in fact box and I was SORELY disappointed! I thought maybe by chance this was cake just for the show and not his Norm, But, to hear that he actually ENDORSES this horrific practice, has enraged me quite honestly.
 
What has alarmed me so, is that I take VERY seriously how my desserts are presented and the work I put into them. I am not at this point in my career a sculptor, but a DARE you to find many others with my flavor profile. I focus not only on flavor, but texture, aroma AND aesthetics. For me, there is nothing better than a dessert made from scratch. It's awesome to have a cake that looks so good that it deserves to be on the cover of a magazine, but if it TASTES like crap, ppl will remember that long after all the pictures have been taken.  Now, granted when I have desserts made by friends or family I do NOT expect that they are as hard core as me, nor do I judge their efforts, because, they TOO have put their hearts and souls into something delicious. I DO however, have different expectations for professional bakers and this is where my frustration lies.


In speaking with two fellow bakers, they echoed my sentiment. I did pause however to consider another perspective: Time. The time it takes to do Mis En Place (Everything in it's place, prep and measure ingredients can swell into thehours depending on the job.  Time...is...money and eliminating the 'scratch ' can save valuable time that could be spent on decorating and getting desserts out the door. I get it. When you are in big production, EVERY second counts. But, my heart STILL goes back to authenticity and presentation.

Many small bakeries, like myself, crave for more opportunity. So my prayer in this realm is to find a way to make 'Scratch' baking more equitable. "BRING THE SCRATCH BACK INTO BAKING" will be a new motto I will tote!!

For now my friends, HAPPY BAKING!!!!!!! HAPPY CREATING!!!

What are YOU'RE fears on baking from scratch? Let's talk about it :-) Let me help you down from the chemical ridden Boxed Mix Ledge!!!

I dream in flavor, flour and sugar!

OK - So I am FASCINATED really by the whole science behind cakery bakery! To the occasional baker, it doesn't occur the roles that flour, sugar, butter, eggs and milk play in baking a cake.

Well - I'm here to tell ya....ALOT! And HERE, in all this science, is where I REALLLY like to play! But - don't tell my secrets, shhhhhhh! Lets' keep them between you and I, ok?

Flour isn't just 'flour'. ALL flours serve a specific purpose and most of it comes down to one tiny little difference, gluten. Yup, that thing that many people are now allergic to eating.

Gluten, as relates to baking, serves to make dough elastic and to extract moisture in batters. So, if you are baking bread, you typically would use bread flour. Cakes, All-purpose or Cake Flour. Pastry Flour has the highest content of gluten and is used to make pastry dough used for tarts, pie crusts and such. The lowest amount of gluten is found in Cake Flour.

Now, think about how dense a tart is compared to a soft piece of cake, Angel Food cake for instance. Dense and chewy vs. Soft and melty-like. THAT my friends is gluten at work!

How sweet the sugar! Not only does it add the sweetness, but the water content in those liiiiitle grains of goodness help the cake brown! As the cake bakes, moisture is released, sugars rise to the top (hence the reason why the very top part of the cake is just a bit sweeter than the rest) and the edges begin to brown. Ahhhhhh - you may say....how very interesting! YES it IS interesting. Here's some MORE fun stuff; Did you know that brown sugar is really just white sugar that has molasses added for taste and color? YUP! It has Noooooooo added health benefits! Sugar in the raw or 'natural' sugar however, is a different story.  It is not as produced as white sugar and leaves a bit of the natural molasses from the sugar cane. The granules however are larger than white sugar, so they don't break down in the same manner and that doesn't bode well for a delicious balanced cake.


One of the things that typically happens to dry cakes is....overbeating! However, the more a batter or dough is worked, the more dense and dry it becomes. You would think that a cake batter should be beat for minutes on end to make sure all ot the ingredients are properly incorporated. Alas, no!!! That is actually COMPLETLY WRONG.. So STOP DOIN IT!!! You only want to beat a batter to incorporate the ingredients. On their own, they will become cozy with each other and eventually form one beautiful, fantabulous dessert!

Ahhhh Eggs! THE most versatile ingredient! Eggs are wonderful because the have like a ga-zillion uses! Let's use the tangy delicious Lemon Meringue Pie for an example. To make the Lemon Curd, you use only the yolk portion of the egg and to make the meringue, only the white can be used. How ingenious!!

Everything is better with butter, right? RIGHT??? And, the more fat in the butter, the better. So, having said that, as in many things, store brand ain't the best brand! They contain more water and less fat than competitors. I will say, however that I have noticed Land O' Lakes is a heap bit lighter than it used to be.......hmmmmm. Butter is primarily responsible for the moist texture in cake.

Milk - Mooooooooooo!!!!!! Milk is another producer of fat. But, is it enough to make a masterful, wonderfully moist, highly praised and drempt about cake? NOPE...Not in MY book it ain't. Things just aren't produced the way they used to be...PERIOD.  Maaaaaaany years ago, dairy products were delivered FRESH from the farm and full of all that goodness the animals produced. Now, with mass production and economy, EVERYTHING is watered down and pumped full of chemicals.

This is one reason why you see recipes using things like mayonnaise, yogurt, pudding and applesauce ingredients to add moisture. MY solution however is a tad bit different.

So, what DO I do? Well - I play with my flours, milk and butter! I adjust them all to ensure a lower level of gluten development and higher level of moisture content. I also don't overbeat my batter!

Cakery Bakery at it's finest!!!! Don't you feel like a scientist now?? LOL. Or is your head just spinning around going.....uuuummmmm....what did she just say?? LOL. Either way, NOW you know....TRULY what goes into those yummy bites of deliciousness! Well - at least from a scratch baking perspective. I don't believe that box cakes are real, so don't even get me started down THAT path!

Let's make this a discussion, shall we? What are YOUR experiences or questions about Cakery Bakery? Do you have or WANT to have as much fun as do I? Are ya scared of the mixer or oven? Let's talk about it!!

Welcome to my 'sweet' brain!

Sometimes Sweet....Sometimes Savory and Sometimes.....Bitter

So...inherently this post is not about desserts, well maybe a bit of dessert stuff will be thrown in here and there - LOL.

Life, as we all know can be sooooooo......soooooo  very sweet! The laughs, giggles, hugs and blessings that make everyday feel like it's a perfect summer day when all the flowers are in bloom, dreamy white clouds lazily float by and you lay in the warmth of the day trying to imagine what shapes the clouds are making.

For sometime however, my days have been more snowy than sunny and the clouds have been more ominous than dreamy....literally and metaphorically!  WORST....WINTER....EVER!!!!!!!

God in his awesomeness has though given provision, clarity, love and a TON of hugs and kisses, which has made the snowy days feel at times, like summer. For THAT AND His Grace and Mercy, I am eternally grateful!!! I DO believe that all.....ALL things are intended to work together for the good! NO matter HOW dark, cloudy and down right ugly life can become.

Many of us who are of some form or other spiritually connected, particularly us Christians speak of a 'Hell' that we are experience at times in our lives. "Pray for me Saints, The Devil is Busy", is a theme that resonates through many a church on Sunday morning, or in the hallways of work or stores as we pass each other. MANY of us speak of an almost unbearable circumstance or set of circumstances for which we ask for prayer.

What we DON'T admit too often is....how...we...got there, or WHO put is in this Hell we speak about and we are slow to admit our own wrong doings or repeated offenses even AFTER we have been given a MULTITUDE of chances, outs, forgiveness and fresh starts.

Well, I have been TRULY in a Hell that seemed insurmountable...AND..... I'm the one who got me there! Yup - no longer ashamed to admit.....My shit don't smell like a flower garden! (Although, I would like to have thought it did).

Pretty daunting thing when you think about it! Admitting that through all the posts, the smiles, the laughs and pretty pictures, my feet was burnin' from the Hell I allowed myself to fall into.

Well DAMNIT - I'M TIRED OF BEIN IN HELL AND TIRED OF RESITIAVISM!!!!!!!! THIS IS SOME SHIT, Y'ALL!!!!

BUT.......SPRING is SPRINGING and I am embarking on new ventures and a new ME!!!! I will NOT in this post or in verbal utterance PROMISE to do ANYTHING  Fantasimal, Stupendance or otherwise High and Lofty OTHER THAN BE ME - authentic and wonderful.  THAT is (as I have been told) is good enough! Find the strength to stretch, search, do and BE who I am meant to be in this life.

Going on my Mom's recent theme 'No Expectations'. My addendum to that....Just follow authentically and with respect and reverence in the path I am supposed to follow, that is all.

This Hell that I have jumped into has TRULY been Life Altering! Got my Ass KICKED and brought back to reality. Along the way however, I HAVE experienced PROFOUND forgiveness, prayer, love and encouragement! THAT has made this hell a great bit cooler and extremey humbling.

So the Sweet...where is it? It's coming!!!!!! SOON, I pray! Soon! Nowhere to go from here, but up. There really isn't a lower down to reach.

Is there fear? Ummmm...maybe, but (talking to myself now), I need to move through it with strength. I am by nature a risk taker....blindly at many times and calculated at others (more the former than latter). So, now in moving out of this hell, I look forward to seeing the pictures that occur. The ones that I CAN look at and say...I'M HAPPY! This is a picture I like! No fear behind it, no angst, just a Happy Me.

So - no this post is not inherently about desserts and my adventures with them, but maybe in part it is as well; because while I have been in this hell, I have created the most amazing desserts to date! I have had some projects that this time last year would've caused me to turn into a Mad Woman, yet somehow I found the hutzpah to do them beautifully and without stress. All things - ALL things working together for the good! To find the strength to commit, to do and deliver. Unapologetically and Professionally, deliver what I would deem as MY best. This I believe too, is a part of the many lessons I am learning.

OY - The Sweet, Savory and at times, bitter of being a grown-up! There is a great deal of relief in coming out of this hell; Looking honestly at myself and saying....This is ALL ON YOU, BOO! Not pointing at others for the hell and admitting to my loved ones, I did this, I'm sorry (for the millionenth time) and praying, trusting and believing, this hell....I will never see again.

I lean now on a prayer someone prayed for me....My latter shall be better my former!

I'm seeing Stripes!!!!!!

MY FIRST ZEBRA STRIPED CAKE!!!! WOO HOO!!!! My Sister-in-law Jenai graduated HS and for her party, she wanted a pink Zebra cake. One tiiiny little thing...I'd NEVER done Zebra stripes, sooo there was just the tinsiest bit of learning to do - LOL. Soooo a few days before I started the cake - I YouTubed Zebra Striped Cake and up popped a WONDERFUL and short video tutorial! EXTREMELY helpful!!! THANK GOD for the Internet. 

The two tiers are different flavors - bottom - Red Velvet..top - Black Forest (Chocolate with a cherry ceneter) The icing for the Black Forest was among THE best I've EVER done!!!! It was an Italian Buttercream made with Chocolate Curacao liquer, milk chocolate and a bit of espresso - DEE-FRIGGIN-LI-CIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG - I don't usually get geeked over my desserts because I am admitted perfectionist, but DAAAYUM!!! The combination was just incredible!!!!

Of course, no new venture is free of problems - LOL.  The ones I experienced with this cake were ensuring the bottom of the tiers were done right, avoiding collapse and a stubborn cake that wouldn't come out of the pan!!!!

Challenge No. 1 - The Red Velvet cake said 'NO - I'm NOT coming out of this pan! I DON'T WANNA get ate up'? Sooooo after careful use of a rubber spatula - out it came.....in TWO pieces....EACH PAN!!! I'm noooooot quite sure what happened! Maybe I didn't spray the pan enough - not quite done...blah blah blah. The BEAUTY however is that, I don bin down this road before, so my panic was averted :-). As an aside - you NEVER know what goes on behind the bakery curtain. There are 10 million calamities - ALWAYS. But Bakers are Doctors essentially and by the time we're done fixin stuff - ya'd never know there was ever a problem :-). Thank God for the lessons, So...I fixed it  and NO one is the wiser - well - till NOW of course - LOL.

Challenge No. 2 - I had TWO shades of pink fondant and NOT one. Crisis averted how? Thanks to God I have a crayola palette of food coloring :-). I simply put the two shades together...added some fuchsia and VOILA....HOT PINK!

Challenge 3 -  Making stripes! I think they turned out o....kaaaay. but I should've cut them thinner. The process for adding the stripes on the cake is quite simple actually....you roll out the base color, place the stripes on top and roll once again to make the stripes look like it's one piece. Rolling them thinner would've allowed the stripes to be a bit more distinctive.  I'm still proud of it as a first time run, but now I know what to do next time.

Challenge No. 4 - My Arch Nemesis to this point!: Fondant!!!! Fondant is NOT the easiest of mediums and can be downright disastrous. I again, didn't measure correctly and there were some areas of concern on the bottom of the cakes.  They weren't able to be fixed by stretching the fondant because it was already pretty thin. So - Thank God for decorative trim :-)

Challenge No. 5 - Weight, Construction and Delivery Time - OY! The bottom was Red Velvet and top Black Forest; Different weights. The filling for Red Velvet is just cream cheese icing and Black Forest has Cherries and Icing. Stacking them isn't the issue per se, but weight CAN be if the bottom tier is not properly doweled. Doweling a cake means that you insert wooden sticks (called dowels) in the cake, usually clock wise at the 12, 3, 6 and 9 positions.  Depending on what's going on top, will determine: how many you actually need, how far apart they should be placed and the thickness of the dowels. The last step in doweling a cake is that once you've got all the tiers stacked, you take one long dowel (the exact length of the cake), sharpen the end and stake the sucker straight down the center like you're staking Dracula...hard and fast - LOL! This helps ensure the tiers don't fall off :-)

Here's where I could've made a better choice.  I should've cut the dowels about 1/8 in. taller and maybe a bit thicker dowel would've helped. The OTHER thing I could've done, using the same dowels, is wait till the next day to stack them, after they'd been refrigerated overnight. What happened was that even though we drove with the AC on pretty high and immediately put it in the fridge when we arrived at our destination (an 1 1/2 hour drive....with the sun beaming on the car), it still sank just a bit.  Nobody but me really noticed, but I noticed and that means...it's a problem.

So what went REALLY well were the flavors!!!! I have a new secret weapon for my cakes to make them even richer than before :-). The Red Velvet was probably the best I've made and the Black Forest  - WOOOOOWSERS is all I can say!!!!!! Deep....Rich...Chocolate with a hint of cinnamon. Maraschino Cherries cooked down with Barados Sugar in the Raw and Kirsch Liqueur, and the icing.....hold on to your hat!  Milk Chocolate Italian Butter Cream made with Chocolate Curasao Liqueur and Espresso!  I could've slapped my OWN Mamma!!!!

I think I learn something new everytime I do a cake and I LOVE it!! Each time (prayerfully), there's something better and that's always a great thing!

I wish my chocolates were better, but alas, it's a learning process as well. :-)

What's MOST important is that the graduate, Miss Jenai loved it!! In the end, that's alll that matters to me :-)

Getting back up to speed!

So I've been on baking hiatus of sorts since Kendal was born and it....has......been TOUGH getting back into the swing of things!! By the time I get home with her, we play, eat dinner and then it's time for little girl to go night, night. I MYSELF, am all tuckered out by that time! Needless to say, getting back in the kitchen has been quite the challenge.

When I was pregnant, I just KNEW I'd quickly get back up to speed after delivery; I had this master schedule in mind and everything would be beautiful!  HA! I didn't take into accout the energy I'd expend taking care of my princess! Getting up and trying to get TWO ppl dressed in the time I did ONE!  NOOOT!  Getting  her to bed successfully (that means no fussing in the first 15 mins after putting her in her crib), cleaning up after her, and then trying be productive with MY goals has been a bit like climbing Mt. Everest!

Needless to say, Sweetly Savory has been on the shelf for a while.  But, I'm ready to pull it off, blow the dust away, put on my Chef coat, crack my knuckles, turn on the oven and get back to being creative!! This, for me will be NO simple task and I give a rousing standing ovation to Mothers who hold down careers, take care of families and STILL successfully pursue other time consuming passions! These women are my SHEROES!!!

I have prayed and hoped that God would help me move forward one cupcake and truffle at a time. It is time and Christmas Season proved that my hypothesis is correct! I baked oooooooohhhhh over 1000 cupcakes since Mid-December, DOZENS of chocolates and a few cakes - LOL. It is time!

I'm also ready to stretch my writing muscles and start blogging and writing more often. I would LOVE to write a column for a magazine newspaper. Maybe I could do some travel food writing; I could start with Barbados or Italy :-)

This being a new Mommy is TOUGH, but experiencing the world through her is THE most awesome thing ever!!!! Watching her particularly with food is worthy of a book in and of itself! She's a girly girl eater! LOL; She doesn't just pick it up and say...'oh...this must be food'. NO - she MUST hold it herself, inspect it and THEN taste it.  If it ain't up to snuff...OUT it comes...like a polite 'pardon me, but blech!  this is not to my liking'! If it's something she likes, weeellll then, we get an eyebrow raise, maybe a smile and DEFINITELY a whine and reach for more. With the added look of...'Heeeeey....I want Moooooore. Come Oooon, no faaair!

As a baker, one of the things I TRULY look forward to with her is, of course, cooking and baking. I TRULY hope she has a big sense of kitchen curiosity! I have visions of her cracking her first egg and beating batter; getting her hands covered in flour and creating her first bread. Seeing the look of satisfaction on her face as she presents her first cookie or cupcake! Like most parents, I want her to be and do whatever she wants. Alas, there is that place in my heart for the kitchen - LOL.

I am TRULY praying for a banner year with Sweetly Savory.  I'd love to go more in depth with chocolates. I dunno, maybe I'll become a World-Class Chocolatier! :-). 

There aren't many classes offered country wide, but I've found two; One in Chicago and the other here in MD.  I will do some more investigating, but I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE  to go and really roll my sleeves up and become great at chocolates.  I REALLY would also love to have a guitar (an instrument used to perfectly cut chocolates and candy - not the one you play - lol), but their rather expensive...so maybe there's a fairy chocolate person somewhere :-) (batting eyes...coyly smiling).

This getting back to me thing is quite honestly one of  the toughest things I have EVER had to do and I have a TON of work ahead of me.  I wish (like all of us - LOL), that I could be the recipient of a financial windfall, take a month to get stuff back in line and then start fresh with a clear head, renewed spirit and hands ready to work!

So what WOULD that look like? Well - I'd put allll my passions together into one BEAUTIFUL career!  The chef, interpreter, traveler AND writer would be stirred together with some Barbados sugar, Madagascar Vanilla and Cinnamon Bark; Poured in a souffle pan; Baked to perfection and served En Masse for the world to enjoy! THAT would be me!

I am reminded by my favorite quote: "God can dream a bigger dream for you...far beyond anything You can imagine' - Oprah.

OK - God, there's mine....what's yours?

The great 'Chicken and Waffle' quest.

Marriages are interesting; Two people with different backgrounds, quirks and idiosyncrasies come together and say  "OK - this is it! It's just you and me baby! Till death do we part, either by natural causes or Iron Skillet!" Often times, individual likes and dislikes become fodder for disagreement and anguish. There ARE times, thankfully that these individuals share some commonalities and these shared pleasures become reason for travel, experimentation and great conversation.

Such is the case with us! WE....LOVE.....CHICKEN AND WAFFLES!!! (CW) If I asked my husband Herb what is ultimate comfort food would be, he'd no doubt say..."Chicken and Waffle". We should probably have bumper stickers that say "I Brake for Chicken and Waffles".

Now let's get something clear from the beginning, we don't mean IHOP's version, which is Chicken Strips and Waffles - NOOOOO...SO not acceptable. TRUE CW can ONLY be enjoyed at small individually owned establishments and cooked by Chefs who KNOW the history of CW and play within the guidelines of this treat.  The theory here follows the same for Red Velvet Cake. ANYBODY who thinks it's Chocolate Cake with Red Food Coloring is just WRONG and needs to be seriously schooled and/or whooped!!!!

Historically speaking, there are a few schools of thought regarding the inception of both CW and Red Velvet. Interestingly enough, both histories are steeped in cultures from both above and below the Mason/Dixon Line! (Hmmm...maybe these were causes for the Civil War - LOL).  Some say Red Velvet is a product of the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in NYC and many claim it's a Southern tradition in which most recipes are secret and only passed down orally. I promise you though, if you go to ANY southern family reunion and bring your version, it better be right because your survival in that family may be hinged on your prowess! Particularly if you're trying to MARRY into the family. Thank God mine was well received!  We may not have my little cupcake if I'd jacked it up! 

I have, for a few years have been trying to create the perfect Red Velvet cake. There's a recipe in my book, but alas, that iteration is no longer good enough. I think now I have a good profile and formula for the crimson delight, but, that could change.

I digress! Back to CW!!! SO....many people are familiar with Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles. They became famous in the 70's and 80's for bringing this dish to widespread popularity. Kinda like Arnold Palmer with the 1/2 Sweet Tea 1/2 Lemonade.  HE didn't invent it by a LONG shot! But he sure did make it famous! Gladys Knight also had a version of CW. Both places serve it the way it's SUPPOSED to be served!  Bone-in fried chicken atopor alongside a waffle. According to Wiki....CW was created by Slaves as a special treat on the rare ocassion they received poultry scraps from their masters and usually served for Sunday morning breakfast. That certainly does seem to still be the case in Southern African American culture.  Anytime you say CW....hearts race, eyes get big and folks jump!

Enter Herb and I! Our love for CW truly is steeped in tradition and a desire for gooood ole fashioned comfort food!  We are ALWAYS on the look-out for CW! Especially here in DC. You'd think that since we're below the Mason Dixon Line, there'd be places aplenty!!! But, alas, NO!  Many places have fallen short of our expectations and we've left many a place slamming our napkins down and decreeing "Welp...scratch THIS place off this list.....NEXT!!!"

That is....until....one FINE Saturday morning...August 18, 2012 in fact. While in Durham, NC we were sightseeing and foraging for food before preparing for his cousin's wedding.

Picture it....He's driving....I'm riding, taking in the sights and talking on my cell phone when on the left....I see it...a sign bearing: "Dame's (Almost) World Famous Chicken and Waffles". Immediatley, we pull into a parking lot, not DARING to pass up an opportunity to have CW! Especially in NC! He puts our name on a looong list.  But we don't care and I pass time in a boutique next door. 

FINALLY, it's our turn. We're seated at this wonderful table and admiring the restaraunt's decore. I open the menu and begin to salavate! Rather than boasting 100% pure maple syrup for the waffles (which, is my favorite), the boast 'shmears'. Butters infused with wonderful flavors like Apricot/Peach and Orange Honeycomb.  My eyebrows raise in intrigue as I further read their offering of Panko breaded chicken breast served with Creme Whiskey Sauce. Wha..wha...WHAT??!!! You're KIDDING??!!

Then....my eyes begin to well up as I read "Pick your waffle flavor": Classic, Sweet Potato, Gingerbread. *sniff...sniff* Say it ain't sooo!!!

Our jaws DROP as we watch plates being  delivered to other customers.  Excitedly....we order.  Herb Classic Chicken and Waffles with a side of Macaroni and Cheese.  Me: Panko breaded chicken cutlet with whiskey cream sauce, Sweet Potato Waffle with Orange/ Honeycomb shmear, cheese eggs and grits!

As we wait, we laugh and joke as we play hangman and tic tac toe on the white paper on the table and I draw Kendal's name in an obvious display of missing her.

Our food has arrived!!!!!!

We damn near cry as we savor every bite. THE MACARONI AND CHEESE was THE BEST I HAVE EVER EATEN. And lemee tell ya, with THESE hips and my forty years of life...I've eaten ALOT of Macaroni and Cheese!  I tried to bribe and bat my eyes to get the recipe, but alas, even my smile and batting eyes were futile.  All I can say is that it was creamy, delicious and I'd drive ALLLLLL the way back to Durham, NC JUST for that macaroni and cheese!!!!!!

The waffle and shmear...sigh....There are NO words!!! Fan-ta-bu-lous!!!!!!!!! PERFECT in every way!!!! Served hot....thick....tongue poppin flavor and the shmear....OOHHHH!!!! Syrup on THAT waffle with THAT butter, would have been blasphemous!

FINALLY!!!!!!! We had arrived at Chicken and Waffle Nirvana!!!! (que heavenly music and opening skies)

I cried as I discover that my belly can't hold anymore and that I must take my waffle with me. I tried, but then I realized that in two hours, I must put on a pretty dress (that I'd NEVER worn) and sit comfortably through a wedding ceremony.

TRUE bliss was experienced that day!  Ture Bliss!  Our quest for delicious CW lives on, for sure, but atop our list now: Dame's (Almost) World Famous Chicken and Waffles in Durham, NC!!!!!!! Guy Fieri.....Road trip to Durham is required of you!!!!!

As an aside, I DID make it into my dress (whew) and Natalie and Ashley's wedding was beautiful!