Breakfast for dinner is the best! It’s a fact, and certainly not a subject up for debate. It’s indulgent and progressive. Eating breakfast for dinner is like giving the middle finger to society norms and expectations. Not to mention, it is a sure-fire way to gain major mom points with your kids. When my children were little and my husband would be out of town for work, I would make chocolate chip pancakes for dinner, and they would act as if they had just won the lottery. They would call those nights “Opposite Days,” and the recollections of them giggling as they dug into their pile of flapjacks stacked high on their plate still makes me smile.
But for me, those days when I served up breakfast for dinner were much more than just trying to make wonderful memories. After a long day, when I was tired, feeling drained, and overworked, I needed a meal that was easy and one that offered me a bit of comfort. A meal that reminded me of times when adult responsibilities were not a thing. That meal was and still is breakfast, regardless if that means eating it at night.
Eating scrambled eggs and toast, a bowl of Captain Crunch cereal, or my all-time favorite – chicken and waffles – at dinner time is like pushing a reset button. It’s like coming home after a long trip away. So, it didn’t really surprise me when, after a few really trying days filled with worry and stress about sending kids back to school or not, I started craving chicken and waffles. And as if it were destiny, I learned of a new restaurant that has just opened here in Lake Nona called Consumable Moments, a boutique-style eatery that specializes in … wait for it … savory or sweet waffles!
So when Hubby asked the family the usual take-out-Saturday-night question, “What do we want to eat for dinner?” I jumped out of my chair in excitement and literally screamed, “Chicken and waffles!” And so, I sent my sweet husband on a mission at 7 p.m. at night to go to Consumable Moments in the middle of a thunderstorm and bring me back what I longed for … an order of crispy chicken, sweet waffle solace!
I sat there waiting for him, trying hard not to think about how quickly I was going to join the clean plate club when he got back home. I sat at the table, I got out my syrup (just in case he forgot to get some of theirs on the side), and I watched my clock counting down the minutes like a kid waiting for Santa. And then, I got his call … “Honey, why didn’t you tell me it was their opening day?” “Oh, I forgot to mention that. Why? Is there a big line?” “Nope, because they are closed. They sold out! HOURS AGO!” There had to be a mistake. I quickly grabbed my phone and headed to their Facebook page, and that was when I saw their post.
To make me laugh, he joked, “I’ll just stop by PDQ and get some chicken strips, and you can eat them with an Eggo!” “That’s a great idea,” I said, once again excited. “But not the frozen Eggo part. I’ll make a batch of waffles!” And that is the story of how PDQ and Hungry Jack pancake mix lifted me out of my rainy-day, stressed-out funk! It wasn’t Consumable Moments quality, but it sure did taste good!
A huge component to being a so-called “GROWN UP” is learning to take care of yourself. To take care of oneself, one must be able to acknowledge when they have had enough and are in need of some TLC. And if something as simple as eating chicken and waffles for dinner can bring a smile to your face, a dance to your step, or a little thrill down your spine, by all means, get frying!
