Pumpkin Waffles for General Conference

It's funny the things we remember. I have vivid memories of General Conference weekend when I was growing up. Even if we only did something once, it seemed like a tradition.

Like the soup luncheon in between sessions with our friends. I think we only did it one year, but for some reason that is what I think of when I think of "between sessions". Or the Bingo cards that Sandi made for the younger kids, but that we all filled out anyways. And how we didn't have tv channels so we used to listed to it on the computer, or go over to the neighbors. The boys would dump out this huge bucket of legos and play for 2 hours. One year I made a whole stack of greeting cards. I might even still have a few leftover.

While I was in Peru we listed to conference in a our little house over the internet. But to get a good enough computer connection we had to plug directly into the router. Except the router was hooked up in a room infested with fleas. So we stretched the cord as far as it would go to the doorway and then we all sat in the hallway on our mattresses and hoped the fleas wouldn't attack. Good times. Yay for another temple in Peru!

Wow, that was a lot more rambling than I intended to do. I really wanted to point out that as with many other people, General Conference means good breakfasts. I dont know how I got so side tracked...

In any case. This GC I tried something new. Pumpkin Waffles. And because pumpkins and cream cheese were a match made in heaven I also invented something I will call Cream Cheese Syrup (It is suspiciously a lot like Cream Cheese Frosting).

And so without further ado

Pumpkin Waffles
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 large eggs, separated
2 cups buttermilk
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil for brushing waffle iron or cooking spray

Pre heat waffle iron. Stir together flour, brown sugar, baking powder and soda, salt, and spices. Whisk egg yolks in a large bowl with buttermilk, pumpkin, and butter until smooth. Whisk in dry ingredients just until combined.

In a mixing bowl with a whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites until they hold soft peaks. Folk them gently into the waffle batter, until just combined.

Brush waffle iron lightly with oil and spoon batter (about 2 cups for four 4-inch Belgian waffles) into waffle iron, spreading quickly.

Cream Cheese Syrup

4 oz cream cheese (1/2 block)
1/3 cup powdered sugar
3/4-1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

Heat 1/2 cup milk and cream cheese in saucepan until smooth and powdered sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Add more milk until you have reached desired consistency. Serve warm over waffles.