Daddy's Waffles with Pure Maple Syrup

One of my favorite qualities about my dad is his ability to make things feel really special. When he gets excited about something, he has a unique brand of enthusiasm that is totally infectious. He'll start bursting with energy and practically wiggling with joy and he'll break out in a big huge smile.

When we were little, sometimes my parents would organize a day trip to San Francisco for our family - so we could go to Chinatown or the Exploratorium (a super fun science museum). My dad called these day trips "Bozo Excursions." When we woke up on the day of the trip, my brother and I would head downstairs and find little clues and hints scattered around the house about what sort of adventures we would have that day.

Christmas Morning Waffles!!

My dad is also a very sentimental person and he loves traditions... two traits I have definitely inherited from him. Because I am my father's daughter, I love to do the same thing every year on Easter. I love special day trips and I love to make a big deal about them. And, I love to make the same special dish for Christmas morning: waffles!

I don't remember when our Christmas morning waffle tradition got started, but for the past many years it has been going full steam ahead, and my dad and I have combined our shared passion for sentimental traditions to fully promote it! Every year, Mr VE&T and I head over to my parents house on Christmas morning. Usually my brother and his family show up too, and sometimes my aunt Laura comes too.

My dad's favorite syrup jar (long story!) 

My parents actually buy the Grade B syrup at Trader Joe's 

and then decant it into this one! 

Then, we have a super tasty and sentimental waffle breakfast - complete with Orange Juice and coffee. My dad really prefers pure maple syrup, and so do my mom and I! But Mr. VE&T and some of the family kiddos prefer the not-real syrup (like Log Cabin). So, we always need to have both varieties at the table. Plus Earth Balance and dairy butter. And non-dairy milk and dairy milk for the coffees. Ha ha. So there are all sorts of choices on the table, but most of all we all love the tradition of having breakfast together.

There's something about doing this year after year that builds up the meaning behind it. Our Christmas morning waffle breakfast is not a flashy event. Nothing unexpected happens. We just gather, with our love for each other and our happy Christmas hearts, and enjoy our breakfast together. It has become such a nice part of our Christmas celebration.

Since my dad has been recovering from his big surgery a couple of months ago, he hasn't had much appetite... so we've all been brainstorming about yummy things for him to eat. Somehow, we got this idea that we could have a waffle breakfast together! As my dad said, "You don't have to wait until Christmas to eat waffles!" Which is cute, because I certainly have waffles at other times in the year, but I don't think he does.

my waffle & fruity salad; with EB, OJ and coffee in the background

So, this morning we gathered for a waffle breakfast at my parents' house. In true Dad-style, my dad had decided that this breakfast gathering would be entitled "Waffle Blow-Out!" Ha ha. You see what I mean about making things feel extra special? He is awesome. I made a double batch of my number one favorite waffle recipes : Raised Waffles from Vegan Brunch. It took a few years to find a vegan waffle recipe so good that it was no longer necessary to make one batch of non-vegan waffle batter and one batch of vegan waffle batter. This is the recipe! We had such a sweet morning together... all the usual pieces: lots of family, lots of waffles, two kinds of syrup, two kinds of butter, OJ, coffee, fruit salad and lots of love! Even in September! 

the yeasted waffle batter, rising in the morning light in my parents' kitchen