Toastmaster

 No, I'm not going to speech-making school.  Rather, I purchased a little bit of my history--I bought a Toastmaster griddle.

I foolishly stored my Krups Belgian Waffle Maker on top of my fridge...tall side up, rather that flat side down. So a jog from the fridge door shutting sent it down to it ignominious death on the kitchen tiled floor.  I could have been beaned just as easily.

Booh!  Hooh!

A go-to dinner staple is Italian sausages with Belgian Waffles.  (I do no understand chicken and waffles...never had it; never will).  Now, my waffles are not the whipped egg whites...too much trouble.  Though I'm a perennial kitchen nerd.  Accordingly, I've cycle through and tested many many waffle recipes.  The fav goes up on the magnet on one of the fridge (killer!) sides.

Backstory:  I was helping my FIL connect his phone and computer to his new Dish network.  It was an easy thing to do.  One thing he likes to do is go to Barhamsville where there is a local thrift shop that operates Saturdays only.  It was a short drive from where he lives.  

He is the last parent alive between Mark and I as well as my BIL/SIL.  It was a treat to shuffle about the little thrift area.  I found some nice sheets which I will use for making bag liners.  (Though I imagine the stuff that I might have that will go to a thrift store at my demise).  My goal is to employ a two-pronged approach:  I will execute Swedish Death Cleaning over the next few years (I am 60 (gasping to myself) and in good health) along with creating like mad to transform "stuff" to usable things.

There's a little alchemist in all of us...alchemy is the root of creativity...or maybe the process of...

I digress.

On the way back, we stopped at a "Barn Sale".  It is was an on again off again place over these last 3+ decades.  There was a Toastmaster griddle (waffle/pancake) contraption. The original panini machine. Two surfaces:  waffle, smooth.  It was $10.  I passed.

I dropped my FIL home, and then on the way home  stopped at the thrift shop in Providence Forge.  I love shopping there as I always find something "needful"...a/k/a "deferred contributions".

There it was again:  A vintage Toastmaster waffle iron/pancake griddle.  Mint condition at the gasp inspiring price of $2.  Sold.  

Today I transported myself back into the way-back machine.  I made a grilled cheese sandwich:  perfectly flattened, toasted and gooey.  And the other thing that I remembered?  The glorious fried cheese that oozed from the sandwhich onto the griddle.

Who knew that $2 could buy bliss?

 

(I should also note that I saw same on ebay for considerably more money).