"Waffle Slider Banh Mi Pork Belly Thingy Covered in Maple Syrup That Could've Easily Become a Taco" would've been a more appropriate title, TBH

I'm apologizing in advance for how long this post is, but I've got some exciting stuff to say! As you probably know (and are tired of hearing), I've spent the last month or so travelling around the West Coast and South West. I've had such an amazing time, because duh, but ohmygod ohmygod it is so damn good to be home. So. damn. good. It's time get my life in order. Well, it'll never be in order but, it's time to... stop being a mess? It's time to be productive. Yes, that's it. I finally have time to be productive. I'm going to clean the damn house, go to the stupid gym, and get this freaking new blog up and running (oops I said it).

I've been saying there are going to major changes to the site, and that's it! The new blog will have a new name and a different URL, though probablybaking.com will still link to the new site. In fact, Probably Baking will still exist, it will just be a subset of a larger blog that Matt and I will be running together (!!!). But like why am I doing all of this? Soooo, Probably Baking was born out of stress during my last year of college - I hated school, I hated my job at the time, and I wasn't being creative. Like, at all. I mean, I've always baked, but stuff I was making was lacking. Hai, who wants some more white cake with cream cheese frosting? So, I decided to go public with my baking and experiment more in the kitchen, and Probably Baking was born (C-section, obvi).

Now that I'm not miserable and have a good bit more time on my hands (lol I don't have a real job), I want to share even more of my hobbies and the shit I do on a daily basis. As for Matt's involvement, well, that just kind of happened. His words of encouragement were one of the main reasons I started the blog, but he definitely hadn't planned on being a blogger. As time passed, though, suddenly we were doing photo shoots of my food together and he had opinions about it. We began planning recipes and he started editing stuff on his own, so, it seems dumb not to just work together!

Luckily, we share a lot of the same interests, so having the new blog be a collaboration seems so... natural? You can basically expect lots of baking, but also cooking, more healthy stuff, much more drinking, design, and some fashion. Oh and probably more of our faces because we love exploiting our lives. I hope you all stick around to watch! Also - a big thanks to everyone that has been keeping up with this site and my little corner of the Internet. The blog is less than 6 months old at this point and the amount of support I've gotten and the number of amazing bloggers I've met has been outstanding. Like, really.

But shit, before I get all of that done (or bury myself in a pillow and ignore it), here's a recipe for cornbread waffle pork belly banh mi slider things! A month or two after Matt and I started dating, we decided to take a three month-long trip to Vietnam to teach English. It could've gone horribly, horribly wrong. Well, it was an incredible experience and we learned a lot AND we didn't hate each other (!!!) One of the other things we learned was that you can buy a banh mi sandwich for less than a dollar. We bought lots of banh mi. In fact, Matt became bfflz with the banh mi lady down the street and they formed a weird friendship that I was excluded from. Watch out, banh mi lady.

So, um, here's a recipe! Also holy smokes thanks so much to Bob's Red Mill for sponsoring this post! All opinions are my own.

Pork Belly Cornbread Waffle Banh Mi

Makes 2 waffles, or 4 sandwiches

In a medium bowl, whisk together the fish sauce, soy sauce, 1 Tablespoon of rice wine vinegar, chopped cilantro, red pepper flakes, and dark brown sugar. Add the sliced pork belly and evenly coat in the marinade. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for half an hour, or up to overnight.
In a separate bowl or mason jar, whisk together the cup of rice wine vinegar and the white sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Add the sliced carrots and turnip and cover with plastic wrap (or lid if you use a jar) and refrigerate for half an hour, or up to two weeks.
To cook the pork belly, turn your oven broiler to high and bring a skillet on your stove top to medium-high heat. Sear the slices of pork belly on each side for two minutes before placing the skillet under the broiler for about 8 minutes. Watch closely as the belly will cook slower or faster depending on how thick you've cut it. It should have a nice brown caramelized color once it's done.
Remove from the oven and set aside.
Preheat waffle maker to medium heat and grease with a drizzle of olive oil.
In a medium bowl, mix together the corn flour, oat flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a separate, smaller bowl, whisk the egg. Whisk in the honey, yogurt, and olive oil until combined. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir until it all is just coming together, being careful not to overwork the batter. Let sit at room temperature for about 7 minutes.
Using a spoon, scoop half of the batter onto the waffle maker and gently spread until even.
Cook until golden brown (about 4 - 5 minutes for most standard waffle irons).
Remove from the waffle maker and repeat for the next waffle. Set cooked waffles aside and let cool slightly before cutting into 4 even triangles.
Once your pork belly and waffles are ready, assemble the sandwiches by layering the carrots and turnip on one waffle triangle, followed by the pork belly and any garnishes (cucumber, jalapeno, cilantro). Top with another fourth of the waffle and pin it all together with a toothpick!

3/4 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Corn Flour
1/4 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Oat Flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 large egg
3/4 cup whole fat plain yogurt
2 T olive oil
1 T honey
1/2 lb pork belly, sliced into 1/2" thick pieces
1 t fish sauce
1 T soy sauce (I used gluten free tamari)
1 cup rice wine vinegar + 1 Tablespoon
2 T dark brown sugar
2 T chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 T dried red pepper flakes
1 large carrot, sliced into thin strips.
1 large white turnip sliced into thin strips.
4 T white sugar
Cilantro, cucumber, and jalapeno for garnish
Maple syrup for drizzling

The recipe for the waffle portion of this dish was adapted from Ashley over at Edible Perspective.

Pork Belly Cornbread Waffle Banh Mi (gluten free)