I’m curled up on the blue couch in our living room, the one with a soft cotton throw on it, the same one that Juan’s mum gave us when we moved into our new place along with most of the other furniture in the apartment.
The washing machine is whirring away in the background, not so silently, and apart from a cup of now cold green tea, the other thing that’s keeping company is this: my Macbook balanced just so on my lap, the light from the screen bright and white in the darkness of the house.
It’s almost sunset, and on the first day of fall, I’m looking out of the windows into the cloudy evening sky. The temperature has dropped pretty much this week, and I’ve pulled out my current favorite sweater – a dark grey one which says “Brooklyn” on the front, the one that I bought as we wandered the streets of New York last December.
I just realized that in the past few months, I haven’t actually had the time to sit and practice writing without the distractions of self-imposed deadlines, photography shoots and numerous meet ups with friends old and new. Somehow, in the midst of an increasing workload this month, complete with so many things that I want to get done, I’d forgotten about the goal I’d made early this year: improve my writing.
There’s a constant yearning inside of me to write in a deeper way; lines that ebb and flow with a pulse and rhythm of their own; words that push their way to the reader’s heart; stories that grab your soul and make you hold your breath.
Writing, as with all other types of craft that demand practice, requires time, discipline and effort. It begs for your undivided attention, a dedicated span of time devoted simply to doing it and nothing more, and the patience to keep on at it until inspiration hits.
For any one of us to get good at anything, we must continuously work at it; day by day, bit by bit. We need to keep pounding the pavement, over and over again. It’s the same with writing. It’s never easy; it’s not always fun. Yet in as long as we are willing to sit down and begin, whether churning out pages at once or just mere sentences, it’s the act of sitting down and the decision to write that’s more than half the battle won.
I want to do a lot more of sitting down and writing – whether typing on my laptop, taking notes on my iPhone, or scribbling in a journal. It’s almost the end of March, which means a quarter of the year will soon be over, and I want to make the most of what remains.
Writing, almost as essential to me as oxygen, has to be given its rightful space and place. Which means, setting aside an uninterrupted period to improve my craft; learning to prioritize this desire to be a better writer; and starting to say no to things or relationships that no longer add anything of value. It also means observing life more, listening with a careful ear, and watching out for real-life tales that could be inspirational for my stories.
Writing is a life-time activity that constantly evolves and changes with the circumstances or influences. Yet writing is also an activity that is always there. The way I’m writing today may be different from how I used to write 10 years ago, and it may change 20 years in the future.
But there’s one thing I know for sure: writing will always be a part of me.
So in an effort to do something about my writing, instead of just thinking about it, I signed up for Nicole’s 6-day free writing e-course in a bid to walk the walk rather than just talk the talk. Bring it on. I’m ready for this challenge; I’m ready to start writing better.
Today, I’m sharing you a recipe for mashed potato and spring onion waffles with a savory roasted red pepper sauce – the exact type of snack that gives me energy to complete a long, uninterrupted session of writing.
These are simple but tasty waffles made from ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen. Made mainly with mashed potatoes, chopped green onions and yogurt, the batter for these waffles is quick to prepare and cooking is completely left to the waffle iron, which requires a little patience before all the batter is used up. Trust me, however, that when all the waffles are done, it’ll be worth your time and patience.
As for the sauce, all you need are roasted red peppers along with water, olive oil, Greek yogurt and a bit of salt, which you pulse together in your processor or blender until you get a deliciously creamy sauce.
Drizzle some of this amazing roasted red pepper sauce over your mashed potato and spring onion waffles and you’re good to go!
Mashed Potato and Spring Onion Waffles with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: 10 waffles 1x
Description
Made mainly with mashed potatoes, chopped green onions and yogurt, the batter for these waffles is quick to prepare and cooking is completely left to the waffle iron. Drizzle the waffles with an amazing roasted red pepper sauce and you’ve got a power-packed snack!
Ingredients
- For the waffles:
- 2 cups of mashed potatoes
- 2 tablespoons of melted butter (or coconut oil)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
- 1/4 cup of Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup of tapioca flour
- 1/2 cup of chopped green onions
- 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter for brushing waffle iron
- For the roasted red pepper sauce:
- 2 red peppers, stems and seeds removed and sliced into half
- 6 tablespoons of water
- 2 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of Greek yogurt
- 2 teaspoons of salt
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400 deg. Fahrenheit (200 deg. Celsius) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
- Place red pepper halves on prepared baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes or until skin start turning dark
- Meanwhile, pre-heat waffle iron to medium until light turns on to indicate waffle iron is ready
- In a large bowl, mix the mashed potatoes, butter, salt, yogurt, gluten-free flour, and chopped green onions together until you get a homogeneous batter
- Brush top and bottom sides of waffle iron with a bit of melted butter, and pour 1/3 cup of batter onto the surface of the oiled waffle iron
- Close waffle iron and allow batter to cook for around 4-5 minutes, or until they are slightly crispy
- Repeat until all batter is used (Place cooked waffles in oven at 300 deg Fahrenheit (150 deg. Celsius) to keep warm until all batter has been used up.
- While waffles are in the oven, roughly chop roasted red pepper, and combine with water, olive oil, Greek yogurt and salt in bowl of your food processor or blender and pulse until you get a thick liquid texture. Check for taste, add more salt if needed.
- Serve waffles with roasted red pepper sauce
Notes
Barely adapted from: Healthy Nibbles & Bits
- Category: Snacks
- Cuisine: Gluten-free
What type of waffle iron do you use?
★★★★★
Hi Clark, nice to meet you! I use this Oster Belgian Waffle Maker 🙂 Click on the link and you’ll see the model I’m using!
Hi Felicia,
Although writing has never been easy for me, I alwlays have the intention and desire to do journaling. Journaling as in writing usually excites me at the beginning but the truth is that I have great difficulties in trying to maintain a constant discipline to write continuously. My journaling experience has been pretty sporadic and I guess what I lack is the self-discipline and the patience to sit down and write.
I will promise myself to keep on trying and be consistent with my journaling – like you said day by day, bit by bit, and who knows what I will see at the end of it all.
Blessings!
Mum
★★★★★
Mummy! Journal day by day! Maybe you should even start a blog! It’s a great way to practice your writing 🙂
It’s so funny, I was just thinking about my writing not that long ago. I’m an incredibly slow writer, always have been. I always find myself staring at a blank screen when I try to write a blog post, and it usually takes me hours to figure out what to write. I would love to find some time to sit down and work on my writing, but the pressure to constantly post recipes every week plus my job makes this a more difficult task. I have started journaling a bit more in the mornings, which, at the very least, gets me more into the habit of writing. I guess this is just a long way for me to say that I completely understand how you feel!
(P.S. Can I come over for brunch?)
Lisa! So glad you understand how I feel 🙂 Writing is something we have to make time for, just like everything else that matters! And of course, come over for brunch please!!! 🙂 Would be a pleasure to have you over!