Homer Simpson’s Space-Age Out-of-This-World Moon Waffles:

• One bag caramel cubes
• Waffle mix
• One bottle Liquid Smoke
• One stick butter

• Empty bag of caramels onto waffle iron.
• Add generous portion of waffle batter (Oooooh… Waffle runoff…).
• Add one bottle of Liquid Smoke.
• Cook until burnt.
• Wrap waffle around a stick of butter.
• Serve on a toothpick.

A panini press, or panini machine, is like a waffle iron, but the plates that get hot are flat or, more likely, ribbed, like a grill pan. You can buy one for as little as $40 or as much as $100.

The press is usually quite heavy for its size, as the top plate presses down on the sandwich, flattening it a bit and causing the sandwich contents to squish together and become one glorious, warm, melded interior.

Because both the top and bottom plates of the press get hot, the sandwich requires no turning and cooks evenly on both sides.

I use my panini machine to make every kind of sandwich, including good old-fashioned grilled cheese, but if you aren’t interested in cluttering up your counter with one more device, you can use a George Foreman-type grill to great effect in making hot sandwiches. Or you can use the method that short-order cooks have used for decades: Set the sandwich in an ordinary skillet to cook, but put a heavy pan or cast-iron skillet on top of it to press it down.

Good to know…

Grilled cheese sandwiches work fine in waffle irons, although the sandwich will look more like a waffle.

(Prep and cooking time 1.25 hours)

• 2 pounds fresh cherries, rinsed and pitted
• .75 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 8 ounces mascarpone cheese
• .5 cup whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• .25 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• .25 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup milk
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• Cooking oil spray
• Powdered sugar

In a 3- to 4-quart pan over medium heat, stir cherries, .5 cup granulated sugar, orange juice, lemon juice and vanilla bean until cherries are juicy and sugar is dissolved, 3 minutes. Adjust heat to maintain a simmer; stir occasionally until cherries are soft, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat; if making up to 2 days ahead, cover and chill (reheat before serving).

Meanwhile, in a bowl with a mixer on low speed, beat mascarpone, cream, vanilla and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar until soft peaks form. Cover and chill up to 2 days (if needed, whisk to thicken before serving).

In another bowl, mix .25 cup granulated sugar and the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. In a bowl, beat egg to blend with milk and butter. Stir into flour mixture until evenly moistened.

Turn a waffle iron to high heat; spray both sides lightly with cooking oil spray. When hot, add about 1.25 cups batter; close iron and cook until waffle is well browned, about 9 minutes. Remove waffle; keep warm on a baking sheet in a 200 F oven up to 15 minutes. Repeat to cook remaining waffles.

Place a waffle on each of 6 dessert plates; sprinkle with powdered sugar. Top with cherries and juice (discard vanilla bean), then mascarpone cream.

Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 632 cal., 10 g pro., 33 g fat (20 g saturated), 78 g carbo., 3.7 g fiber, 376 mg sodium, 110 mg chol.

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Overnight Waffles

• 1/2 tsp. instant yeast
• 2 cups flour
• 1 T. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 cups milk
• 8 T. butter, melted and cooled
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• Oil or Pam for waffle iron
• 2 eggs

Before going to bed, combine the dry ingredients and stir in the milk, then the butter and vanilla. The mixture will be loose. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside overnight at room temperature.

Brush the waffle iron lightly with oil and preheat it. Separate the eggs and stir the yolks into the batter. Beat the whites until they hold soft peaks. Stir them gently into the batter.

Spread a ladleful or so of batter onto the waffle iron and bake until the waffle is done, usually 3 to 5 minutes. Serve immediately or keep warm for a few minutes in a low oven.

Here’s some more Waffle Recipes.

From GoErie.com: Your house becomes Waffle House with clone recipe

And then there’s Homer Simpson’s Space-Age Out-of-This-World Moon Waffles:

Ingredients

• One bag caramel cubes
• Waffle mix
• One bottle Liquid Smoke
• One stick butter

Directions

• Empty bag of caramels onto waffle iron.
• Add generous portion of waffle batter (Oooooh… Waffle runoff…).
• Add one bottle of Liquid Smoke.
• Cook until burnt.
• Wrap waffle around a stick of butter.
• Serve on a toothpick.