By New Year, new decade, new plan. 2020. The number looks like the future, like something from a science fiction book I read as a kid where people had flying cars and robot servants. We do not have flying cars. We have spreadsheets and mortgage calculators and a dream of a restaurant that my wife is turning into a business plan with the same precision she applies to other people's taxes.
January goals, set with Jessica at the kitchen table on New Year's Day: 1) Continue competing — enter at least three events in 2020 to build the resume and the name. 2) Expand the social media presence — post consistently, engage with the Phoenix food community, build the audience that will someday walk through the door of Rivera's. 3) Save aggressively — Jessica has calculated that we need approximately $150,000 in startup capital beyond the pension, and we are currently at $43,000. That is a gap. But gaps close when you are disciplined, and Jessica is the most disciplined person I have ever met.
4) Start scouting locations. Not to lease — it is too early for that — but to understand the market. What spaces are available in the East Valley? What are the rents? What does a 2,000-square-foot restaurant space cost per month in Mesa versus Tempe versus Chandler? I will drive around on my days off and look. Just look. The way you look at a fire before you engage — assessing, planning, understanding the terrain before you commit.
At the station, the new year means new certifications. I am sending Travis to EMT-Advanced training, which will make him more valuable on medical calls. Rodriguez is up for a commendation for his work on a structure fire in November. And I am submitting a proposal to the department for a firehouse cooking program — a formal thing, where crews learn nutrition and cooking skills as part of their wellness training. The department has been pushing wellness initiatives, and I have been cooking for fourteen years. The connection seems obvious. Jessica helped me write the proposal. She put it in a binder. With tabs. The woman loves tabs.
Made black-eyed peas for New Year's Day — the Southern tradition, because Texas and Arizona share enough culture that the tradition has migrated west. Black-eyed peas with ham hock, onion, garlic, and a bay leaf, slow-simmered until the beans are tender and the broth is rich and smoky. Served with cornbread. Jessica says the black-eyed peas are for luck. I say the cornbread is for happiness. Together they cover the bases.
Jessica gets the credit for the black-eyed peas — she’s the one who reminded me that luck doesn’t just show up, you have to invite it in. But the cornbread? That’s mine. With a $107,000 gap to close and a business plan growing tabs by the day, I needed the happiness side of that equation to really deliver, so this year I pressed the cornbread batter into the waffle iron instead of a cast iron skillet — crispier edges, more surface area for butter, and just enough of a twist to feel like 2020 deserved something a little different. When you’re building a future one disciplined dollar at a time, you earn the right to make your cornbread exactly the way you want it.
Cornbread Waffles
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- Nonstick cooking spray or additional butter for the waffle iron
Instructions
- Preheat the waffle iron. Heat your waffle iron to medium-high and lightly coat the plates with nonstick spray or a thin brush of melted butter.
- Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar until evenly combined.
- Mix wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, buttermilk, and melted butter together until smooth.
- Combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined — a few lumps are fine. Do not overmix, or the waffles will be tough.
- Cook the waffles. Pour enough batter to fill your waffle iron (about 3/4 cup, depending on your iron’s size). Close the lid and cook until the waffles are deep golden brown and crisp, about 4–5 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter.
- Serve. Serve immediately alongside black-eyed peas, a bowl of soup, or with honey butter and a drizzle of hot sauce for breakfast. Waffles can be kept warm in a 200°F oven on a wire rack while you finish the batch.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 285 | Protein: 8g | Fat: 10g | Carbs: 40g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 390mg