GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. --  Lifestyle and kitchen expert Ross Sveback joined us today with a creative recipe for using your waffle iron to make pizza.  Ross said most people probably have all the ingredients in their kitchen to make different types of waffles.  Ross also brought along examples of cinnamon bun waffles and huevos rancheros, which uses a cornbread batter.

Ross is hosting a few "Waffles Redefined" cooking classes.  On March 16 at 6:00 p.m. he'll be at Warners' Stellian in Edina.  On March 18 at 6:00 p.m., Ross will be at the Warners' Stellian in St. Paul.

For more information on Ross and the classes, visit www.kon-tent.com.

Pizza Waffles

Basic Yeast Batter:
1 ½ cup milk
8 T butter
½ cup warm water
1 pkg dry yeast
2 1/3 cup all purpose flour
½ tsp salt
1 T sugar
2 large eggs
¼ tsp baking soda

Place the milk and butter in a small pan over medium heat until the butter has melted. In a liquid measuring cup, place the warm water, sugar and yeast. Stir to combine and let sit for ten (10) minutes. Combine the flour and salt. Add the milk/butter mixture. Stir in the yeast mixture. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 1 ½ hours. The mixture will bubble. Remove the plastic wrap and stir in eggs and baking soda.

For Pizza Waffles:
1 ½ cup minced pepperoni
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese (plus more for garnishing)
2/3 cup fresh diced mozzarella cheese
1 recipe Basic Yeast Batter

For the waffles, stir pepperoni, parmesan and mozzarella cheese into batter. Pour batter into waffle iron and bake until brown. Transfer onto a rack in the oven that has been preheated to 200 degrees to keep them crisp if necessary.  Serve with tomato-basil sauce (recipe below) and Parmesan cheese.

For Tomato-Basil Sauce:
1 - 28 ounce can chopped tomatoes
2 T olive oil
1 T minced garlic
½ bay leaf
1 thyme sprig
1 tsp oregano
8 basil leaves, minced
Salt

Heat oil in a frying pan and add garlic. Heat until it has softened. Add tomatoes, bay leaf, thyme and oregano. Cook slowly for 15 minutes to reduce the juices and infuse the flavors. Remove from heat and stir in basil.