What My Waffle Maker Means to Me…by Jessica Ogilvie

I have a deep sentimental attachment to my waffle maker.  I am sure that raises some questions.  Do I eat waffles often?  Was it given to me by a very special person?  Did I win the waffle maker in a waffle making or waffle eating contest?

I eat waffles twice a year at most.  While I received the waffle maker as a bridal shower gift back in May 2004, it was given to me by one of my mom’s friends.  In other words, not someone I am particularly close to.  And, lastly, I have never entered any type of waffle contest.

You may not believe this but the waffle maker represents a really wonderful phase of my life — when Tim and I started to build a life together.

In October 2002 — when we were boyfriend and girlfriend of almost three years — Tim and I bought our land in the Berkshires.  The 2.67 acres our house sits on represents the first big decision we made together and a clear indication that we planned to share our life going forward.  Neither Tim nor I had ties to the Berkshires, so the location in and of itself marked that we were comfortable charting our own course together, independently of our families and friends.

Ground was broken on our house  just before our wedding in the summer of 2004 and we moved into the house 5 years ago last weekend!  On Friday, February 25, 2005, we drove out from Boston — where we were living at the time — with an air mattress and some other necessities — and started the wonderful process of decorating, landscaping, and making this place our own.

So, where does the waffle maker come in?  Well, when we first moved in, while the stove had been delivered, but it was not set up to properly convert the propane to gas.  So, all we had to cook with was a microwave, small outdoor charcoal grill, and, you guessed it, a waffle maker!  Our house is in a somewhat remote area so takeout wasn’t an option.  We ate a lot of waffles during those early weekends at our house.  Even though we didn’t even have a kitchen table to sit at, those early breakfasts will always be among my favorite meals at our house.

Five years later, we have bought the adjacent land giving us 17 acres of wooded beauty, planted countess bushes, flowers, trees, and other plants, refinished furniture, put on an addition, built a greenhouse, and decorated and filled every room and closet (to the point, I think I need to purge to make room for the baby).  We have a wonderful place Tim and I both love coming to, where we can truly unwind and do the things we love to do outside of New York City.  Tim is an avid gardener and likes to drive around in his 1952 Ford truck; I love to cook in my more spacious kitchen; and, we both love to hike and swim with the Berkshires’ biggest fan, Angus.

While Tim and I have since made decisions much bigger than the house — starting a business together and having a baby to name two small ones — the house was one of our first big wins as “Team O”.  Even after we sell the house down the road, I will always cherish and be proud of 67 Cherokee Road.

In honor of 5 years in our house, I made waffles for us this morning.  They were delicious and brought back some great memories!

If you are interested in bringing this wondrous waffle maker into your home, you can buy it at Williams-Sonoma.  One of its best features is that it makes chirping noise when the waffles are cooked to your desired doneness.  I typically take a shortcut when it comes to making waffles and use a mix.  Some of my favorites are below.  These tend to be pricier mixes but since I only make waffles a couple times a year now, I figured it was worth the splurge.

Golden Malted Pancake & Waffle Mix

Stonewall Kitchen Farmhouse Pancake and Waffle Mix (the blueberry is also quite good!)

(By the way, this happens to be my 250th post!)