Two Sides to Breakfast

Last week I had to bring a casserole to a special breakfast we were having at school. I have limited experience with making breakfast casseroles other than my Crab and Roasted Red Pepper Strata.
My thoughts wandered back to a dish that my friend, Jen, made for a little get together we had. I remember eating one serving and then casually passing by the food table about 100 more times to keep getting more.
I wish I had gotten a picture of this dish last week, because they look so yummy! By the time I thought of taking a picture, they were practically gone!

Ham and Cheese Sticky Buns
~These are quite the crowd pleaser~

• 24 party size potato rolls
• 1/2 lb. sliced swiss cheese
• 1/2 lb. sliced ham
• 2 sticks (1cup) butter
• 1/3 c. brown sugar
• 2 Tbls. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 Tbls. mustard
• 2Tbls.poppy seeds

1. Slice rolls in half and place bottoms in 9 by 13 baking pan.
2. Layer on cheese and ham and top with roll tops.
   
3. Melt butter in a saucepan and add sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and poppy seeds. Bring to a boiland let boil 2 minutes.
   
4. Immediately pour over rolls and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Can be made ahead and heated when ready to serve.

These sticky buns may be delicious, but they are not great if you are calorie counting. I was browsing my June 2010 edition of Everyday Food Magazine and saw this healthy twist on the traditional "Egg-in-a-hole", which is usually made by frying a slice of bread with an egg in the center. I made them for dinner tonight and we were delighted with the result!

Bell Pepper "Egg-in-a-hole"
~This took less than 10 minutes to make!~

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 bell pepper (any color), cut into four 1/2 inch thick rings
• 4 large eggs
• Salt and Pepper
• 2 tsp grated Parmesan (I actually shredded some sharp Cheddar instead)
• 4 slices multigrain bread, toasted
• 8 cups mixed salad greens (I scrapped this and make some home fries with a potato I had laying around)

1. In a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet, heat 1 tsp oil over medium-high.
2. Add bell pepper, then crack 1 egg into the middle of each pepper ring.
3. Season with salt and pepper and cook until egg whites are mostly set but yolks are still runny, 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Gently flip and cook 1 minute more for over easy. Sprinkle with Parmesan (or Cheddar) and place each egg on a slice of toast (I put the eggs between two slices of toast to make a breakfast sandwich).
5. Toss salad greens with 1 tsp oil and season with salt and pepper, serve alongside eggs (like I said before, I didn't do this because I didn't have any greens...but I made some home fries instead).

Since I made this for dinner, we finished it off with some old fashioned oatmeal chocolate chip cookies that I made last night as a "Series Finale of LOST Special Treat". I found the recipe online at allrecipes.com

Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
~These are my husband's favorite cookies~

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 cups quick cooking oats
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (I skipped these)
• 1 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. Mix in the quick oats, walnuts, and chocolate chips. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.
3. Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Girls Only Getaway to the Mountains

For my Aunt Kathy's 50th birthday, we went on a Girls Only trip to the Poconos. It was my Mom, my sister, and my Aunts (Aunt Kathy and Aunt Lori). My Mom's other sister, Aunt Diana couldn't be with us and we missed her terribly. She always brings such joy and laughter to the people around her. She also is a phenomenal cook and baker and would have loved all the things my sister and I created. We will do the trip again, Aunt Diana, and you'll be with us next time!

We had a wonderful time. My Aunts live in Florida and North Carolina, so I don't get to see them that often. It was so much fun to talk until the wee hours of the morning and just hang out with one another. My sister and I decided that we would cook the entire weekend because we don't often get to cook together. She's been cooking long before I started and it was such a special time for us to be in the kitchen side-by-side.

We took pictures of most of the food we made, but they weren't on my camera and I need everybody to email them to me (hint, hint). The house that my Mom's good friend graciously let us use was absolutely unbelievable! I wish I had snapped a picture of the kitchen, because it was divine. But here's what the dining room looked like:

And here's what the view from the main balcony looked like (every bedroom also had it's own balcony):


And without further ado, here was our Menu (some are links and the many can be found in the recipes below)

Friday Evening
Shrimp and Zucchini Tostadas
Spinach and Strawberry Salad
Pear Cardamom Bread

Saturday Morning
Banana Sour Cream Pancakes
Herbed Scrambled Eggs

Saturday Evening
Zesty Ravioli Skillet
Herbed Garlic Bread
Parmesan Roasted Broccoli
Plum Galette

Sunday Morning
Crab and Roasted Red Pepper Strata
Pecan Praline Bacon
Cranberry Lemon Scones
(I used lemon instead of orange)

Snacks
Fresh Corn Salad
Puppy Chow
Banana Bread


Banana Sour Cream Pancakes
~These have a really unique flavor~

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp grated lemon zest
• unsalted butter
• 2 ripe bananas, diced, plus extra for serving
• Pure maple syrup

1. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones, mixing only until combined.
3. Melt 1 tbsp of butter in a large skillet over medium low heat until it bubbles. Ladles the pancake batter into the pan to make 3 or 4 pancakes.
4. Distribute a rounded tbsp of bananas on each pancake.
5. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes until bubble appear on the top and the underside is nicely browned. Flip the pancakes and then cook for another minute until browned.
6. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, add more butter to the pan, and continue cooking pancakes until all the batter is used.
   
7. Serve with sliced bananas, butter and maple syrup.

Recipe taken from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Family Style

Herbed Scrambled Eggs
~These went nicely with the pancakes~

Crack 1 dozen eggs into a large bowl and whisk together with a 1/2 cup of milk and 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Cook over medium and allow to set a little bit before "scrambling". This gives the eggs a nice texture that is more like folds of eggs instead of lumps. Then add shredded provolone and/or Parmesan cheese while the eggs cook and then sprinkle with chopped fresh herbs such as chives and Italian parsley when they are done cooking.

Zesty Ravioli Skillet
~Fresh and flavorful!~

• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• 4 cups loosely packed fresh baby spinach leaves
• 6 oz. provolone cheese, grated
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 14.5 oz cans of diced tomatoes with onions, undrained
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1 package small frozen cheese ravioli
• Halved grape tomatoes (optional)

1. Add oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Finely chop the jalapeno and add to the skillet. Cook for 1 minute or until crisp tender. Add garlic to the skillet and cook for 15-20 seconds until fragrant.
2. Add tomatoes, salt, and pepper to the skillet and cook 1-2 minutes until simmering. Add ravioli, stir to coat. Cook, uncovered, 4-5 minutes or until tender.
3. Stir cream into skillet. Cook, uncovered, 1-2 minutes or until simmering.
4. Sprinkle spinach over ravioli and cook, covered, 1 minute or until spinach starts to wilt.
5. Remove from heat and top with cheese. Cover the hot skillet and let stand 1-2 minutes so that the cheese can melt. Garnish with grape tomatoes, if desired.

Recipe taken from The Pampered Chef

Herbed Garlic Bread
~I ate what seemed like 500 pieces of this~

• 1 loaf of nice crusty Italian bread
• 1 stick( or maybe a little less depending on how big the loaf is)of butter
• 3 or 4 cloves of minced garlic
• dash of garlic salt (optional)
• a couple tbsp chopped fresh herbs like Italian Parsley and Basil
• Olive oil
• Handful of shredded provolone or Parmesan cheese.
  

Soften some butter and mix some minced garlic in it, you could add some sprinkles of garlic salt as well to add flavor. Spread that on the bread. Then add the chopped herbs. Drizzle with olive oil on top and added shredded provolone and Parmesan cheese. Put it in the broiler and WATCH IT until it gets golden on edges and cheese melts.

Plum Galette
~This recipe was so easy and very impressive~

• 2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for rolling (skip 2 1/2 cups of flour if using ready made pie crust)
  
• 1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces (skip if using ready made pie crust)
  
• 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sugar (only need 5 tbsp if using ready made pie crust)
  
• 1 teaspoon salt (skip if using ready made pie crust)
  
• 1/2 cup ice water (skip if using ready made pie crust)
  
• 1/4 cup whole, skin-on almonds, toasted
  
• 5 to 6 plums, halved, pitted, and sliced inch thick (keep slices together)
• 1 to 2 tablespoons heavy cream

*I used a Pillsbury ready made pie crust from the refrigerated section and it worked wonderfully*

1. If you choose to make your own pie crust, follow these directions. In a food processor, combine 2 1/2 cups flour, butter, 1 teaspoon sugar, and salt; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup ice water. Pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed (if necessary, add up to 1/4 cup remaining ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time). Don't overmix. Remove dough from processor and shape into a disk; wrap in plastic and refrigerate 1 hour.
   
2. Here is where I began. Wipe bowl of food processor clean and add almonds, 3 tablespoons sugar, and 2 tablespoons flour; pulse until ground to a coarse meal.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness (I didn't have to do this...I just unrolled the ready made crust). Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet (I made it on a stoneware pizza stone); sprinkle almond mixture over dough.
   
4. With a spatula, transfer plums to dough; press lightly to fan out, leaving a 2-inch border. Fold edge of dough over fruit. Refrigerate 20 minutes.
   
5. Brush crust with cream; sprinkle galette with 2 tablespoons sugar. Bake until crust is golden and underside is cooked through, about 70 minutes.

We had such an amazing time as a family. There is nothing in the world that makes me happier then sitting down to a table of delicious food with the ones that I love.

Happy Birthday, Aunt Kathy!

Birthday Brunch

The morning after the lovely Salad Nicoise, I made a special brunch for my Mom's birthday. I was amazed at how easy it was to create a delicious and hearty brunch once I made a game plan. I just think that taking the time to sit down and create a plan saves you tons of time when you're actually preparing food.

Birthday Brunch Menu

Crab and Roasted Red Pepper Strata
Rosemary and Mustard Breakfast Sausage
Pecan Praline Bacon
Fruit Salad
Cranberry Orange Scones

The Crab and Roasted Red Pepper Strata can be made the night before and left to soak in the fridge until morning. The Rosemary and Mustard Breakfast Sausage can also be mixed the day before and even formed into patties. The Cranberry Orange Scones can also be made in advance.

So when you get up in the morning, you don't really need to do very much work. The strata and sausages can go directly into the oven. The scones are done and just need to be set out on the table. The bacon is extremely simple and takes only a few minutes to make. The most time consuming thing would be cutting up all the fruit for the fruit salad, but you could technically cut it up ahead of time and store it in the fridge. You can put on a delicious and elegant brunch without getting up at six in the morning to cook!

Crab and Roasted Red Pepper Strata
~This is a really simple but elegant recipe~

• 6 large eggs
• 2 cups half and half
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 cup onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped drained roasted red peppers from a jar
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 green onions (scallions), chopped
• 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
  
• 1 lb fresh crab meat*
• 8 cups 1 inch bread cubes from a French Baguette (keep crust on)
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp ground black pepper
• freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Prepare a baking dish (rectangular casserole dish) with cooking spray or butter.
   
2. Whisk eggs and half and half in a medium bowl to blend.
   
3. Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and celery and saute until soft (about 5 minutes). Add peppers and garlic and saute 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Stir in green onions, parsley and thyme. Transfer mixture to large bowl and add crab and bread crumbs, tossing to combine.
5. Add egg mixture, salt, and pepper. Mix until well combined, taking care not to break up the crab too much. Transfer to prepared baking dish.
6. Let stand at least 30 minutes, but overnight in the fridge works even better.
7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake until browned and puffed (about 1 hour). Cool on rack 20-30 minutes (could serve sooner, if needed). Using a sharp knife, cut into pieces and serve.

*If you don't want to buy fresh jumbo lump crab meat, which can be really expensive, you can also use jumbo lump from a can or fresh crab meat that isn't jumbo lump and is less expensive.

I really enjoyed preparing this brunch because I don't often entertain in the morning. It's a great time to experiment with some new recipes!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Breakfast for Dinner

Oh how I love going to cooking classes. This week I went to a week night class called "Breakfast for Dinner". My husband, who is not apt to join me in the kitchen ever, came along with me! This is partly because he loves me and wants to do things that I enjoy, and partly because he's a breakfast fanatic.

Once again, I forgot my camera...but hubby came to the rescue with his cell phone and we snapped a couple of pictures as we devoured the delicious food.

Here was the menu:

Cardamom-Pear Muffins
Crab and Roasted Red Pepper Strata
Huevos Rancheros
Rosemary-Mustard Sausage
The Ultimate Sticky Buns
Pecan Praline Bacon

I'm not actually a huge breakfast person. I eat it because I have to...and let's face it, the really good breakfast food isn't really that good for you anyway. I usually choke down some yogurt or an English muffin with honey on it. These recipes may not have been for calorie counting...but boy were they they tastiest darn things in the world! I'll share a few recipes now and save a few for future posts.

Cardamom Pear Muffins*
~I had never tasted anything like these~

• 1 2/3 cup all purpose flour (I bet you could use 1/2 whole wheat, 1/2 all purpose)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cardamom**
• 1 1/2 cups chopped, unpeeled pear***
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 large eggs

• 1 tbsp sugar (for topping)
• 1/4 tsp cardamom (for topping)
  

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin tin or line with paper cups (if using a loaf pan, grease the bottom of it).
2. Mix first 5 ingredients together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix pears, vegetable oil, milk, and eggs.
3. Combine dry and wet ingredients and mix only to combine. Pour batter evenly into muffin tin (I use an ice cream scooper to ensure even distribution) and sprinkle topping over each muffin.
4. Bake for approx. 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
5. Cool in tin for 10 minutes, remove and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

*This can be made as a loaf of bread, too. Instead of using muffin tins, use a loaf pan. Increase the cooking time to about 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

**This is a really unique spice. It's available in the grocery store, but can be a bit pricey. To make it last, store it in the freezer. If you prefer to use something cheaper, cinnamon will work. However, the cardamom has a really special taste and I highly recommend using it.

***We used Bosc pears. When you are baking with fruit, it does not need to be ripe. If you would prefer, you could use apples instead of pears. But I think the pears go perfectly with the cardamom.

Huevos Rancheros
~I am in love with this recipe~

Ranchero Sauce*

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 cup poblano pepper, roasted and chopped**
• 2 cups canned crushed tomatoes
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp cumin, ground
• 1/2 tsp salt or more to taste
• 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice

• Vegetable oil for pan-frying
• 8 corn tortillas
• 8 large eggs
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Pepper Jack cheese and/or sour cream to garnish

1. For the sauce, warm the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute the onion and garlic for 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Mix in the poblano pepper, tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, cumin, and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 15 minutes, until thickened.
3. Stir in the cilantro and lime juice into the sauce shortly before removing from the heat.
4. Heat about 1/4 inch of oil in a medium to large skillet. Dip the tortillas into the oil, one at a time, and cook for a few seconds, until soft and pliable. Drain the tortillas on a paper towel.
5. Fry the eggs (we actually did them scrambled and likes them very much that way). Season with salt and pepper.
6. Top each tortilla with a fried egg (or a couple spoonfuls of scrambled). Sprinkle cheese and sour cream, if desired, and then top with ranchero sauce.

*The Ranchero sauce is wonderful to have on hand. Make a double batch and store the extra in the freezer. It can be used to top chicken or salmon, too. If you use it with eggs on Monday, save some and use it over chicken later in the week for a quick meal!

**To roast the peppers, pop them under the broiler, turning occasionally until they are blackened on all sides. Then, while they are still hot, put them in a bowl and cover the bowl to allow them to steam a little bit (this will help the skin come off easier). Place them on a flat surface and use the back of a knife to scrap the blacked skin off of the peppers. You don't have to get it all off, just most of it. The peppers are then ready to chop. For a shortcut, they are available canned.

Rosemary and Mustard Breakfast Sausage

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary (or 1/2 tsp dried)
• 1 14 oz. package bulk breakfast sausage, mild or spicy
• 2 tsp whole grain mustard (using whole grain works best)

1. Heat oil in small skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and chopped rosemary and saute until golden (about 10 minutes)
2. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add sausage, mustard, and generous amount of pepper. Mix gently.
3. Form into 12 two inch diameter patties (you can make more smaller ones, or less bigger ones too).
4. Arrange sausages on a heavy baking sheet (can be made 1 day ahead up to this point, store in fridge until ready to bake)
5. Set rack at lowest position in oven and preheat to 500 degrees. Bake sausages until cooked through, about 6 minutes. If sausages have not browned, you can broil them for 2 minutes.
6. Transfer sausages to paper towels to drain, then arrange on platter.

Pecan Praline Bacon
~ This was my favorite recipe of the night~

• 1 lb thick cut bacon (about 12 slices)
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 cup pecans, chopped fine

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. On rack of a large broiling pan (or baking sheet lined with a Silpat) arrange bacon slices in a single layer.
3. Cook in the middle of the oven for 10 minutes or until they just begin to turn golden.
4. In a small bowl stir together sugar and chili powder. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle bacon with sugar mixture and pecans.
5. Return pan to oven and cook until bacon is crisp and browned, about 5 minutes.
6. Transfer bacon, praline-side up, to paper towels to drain.
   

Recovering

Last week was a doozy, I'll tell ya...
(I actually had to look up the spelling of "doozy"...you can spell it "doozie", too...I'm sure you don't care and are tired of reading this parenthetical comment)

Things have been hectic, stressful, busy...people have been sick....there has been sadness at the loss of a life...there have been endless papers to grade and endless papers to write for my class...I'm worn out.

My husband is still on a "let's not eat anything exciting" diet and I tried to plan food that wouldn't upset his recovery too much.

Monday: Tri-colored spiral pasta with turkey meatballs

I cooked a double batch of pasta. I took 12 fully cooked turkey meatballs out of the freezer and put them into a saucepan with a jar of marinara sauce. They thaw as the sauce heats up. I combined half the pasta with the meatballs and sauce. The other half of the pasta went into a container in the fridge.

Tuesday: Parma Rosa ShrimpThis is very tasty and very simple. My sister used the sauce at a family dinner years ago and I thought it would go so well with shrimp.

1. I buy a small envelope of a sauce mix called Parma Rosa (it's made by Knorr).
2. Follow the directions on the package to make the sauce (it takes less than 10 minutes).
   
3. I pull some raw shrimp from the freezer (I always buy raw instead of cooked because it's much tastier if you cook it yourself). I heated up some olive oil in a frying pan and put the shrimp in a single layer into the pan. I let it cook for a minute or two and then turn each one...don't overcook them, they will turn rubbery. I promise they will be done after only 3 to 4 minutes total.
   
4. I heat up the pasta in the microwave, then combine it with the shrimp and parma rosa sauce. I've even thown a handful of peas from the freezer into the mix. This could not be more quick and delicious.

Wednesday: Breakfast for Dinner

I made omelettes and homefies...the recipes can be found here.

Thursday: Random snacks

I planned to make dinner and then collapsed from exhaustion after school. Sonny ate leftovers and I ate cheese melted onto tortilla chips...very gourmet.

Friday: Date Night!

Sonny surprised me with an "Italian" date to Fiorello's for dinner and Wegman's gelato for dessert! Gelato makes my heart happy.

Saturday (today): Slow Cooker Chicken Casserole

I am going to try a new recipe using my crock pot. I got the recipe from one of the blogs I follow. It's called Slow Cooker Chicken Casserole. Check out Confessions of a Stay-At-Home Mom for other tips and recipes.

*Update: We had this slower cooker chicken casserole for dinner and it turned out great! I will certainly be using this simple recipe again*

I got my new edition of Everyday Food Magazine and see tons of recipes I'm eager to try. I'm searching through the circulars this weeks for deals (and see quite a few deals to be had) and then I'm going to plan my meals. I'll post as soon as I'm done my two papers for my graduate class...which will be never, it seems.

Breakfast for Breakfast, Breakfast for Dinner

My husband, Sonny, loves breakfast food. We usually eat breakfast food for breakfast...but sometimes we eat it for dinner, too! Either way. Breakfast is a quick and easy meal to get on the table.

There are lots of opinions out there on how to make a proper omelet. I personally learned how to make one by watching Julia Child's The French Chef. She felt very strongly about eggs and how they should be made. I've always done it her way and it's always worked.

At this point, I feel that I need to prepare you for a future post on my love and admiration for Julia Child. I watch her show and pretend we are friends. I also do this with Ina Garten. I like to pretend that Julia, Ina, and I hang out and cook together (which would be impossible because Julia died several years ago). But that's for another day, another post.

Julia's Omelet Technique
(I'll take pictures next time I make one)

Don't be afraid of the amount of steps listed...it's not that complicated. I just wanted to be really detailed.

2 or 3 eggs per omelet
Salt
Pepper
Butter
Endless option for filling (more on that below)

1. Determine the amount of eggs you will need and crack them into a bowl.
2. Whisk vigorously with a fork until the eggs are beaten. Add a bit of salt and a bit of pepper.
3. Use a small pan (I use a an 8 inch...when I try to use bigger, it doesn't work as well). Turn your burner up to high and let the pan sit on it to get hot.
4. Once the pan is hot (a couple minutes) drop roughly a tbsp of butter into the hot pan. Immediately pick up the pan and rotate it so that the butter coats the whole thing (including the sides).
5. You'll know the butter is hot enough when its bubbling dies down. Don't let it sit there too long or it will turn brown and not taste right.
6. Pour just enough of the egg mixture into the pan to thinly cover the bottom.
7. This part is important. Immediately begin to shuffle the pan forward and back over the heat (which is still on high). This allows the eggs to cook but keeps them from sticking to the bottom or becoming overdone. Rotate the pan around to allow the uncooked egg to flow to the sides to cook.
8. This is the point where you add filling such as cheese, vegetables, meats, etc.
9. Allow the filling to melt or heat up for just a moment and then take off the heat. Julia is a stickler about not overcooking the eggs.
10. To un-mold the omelet onto a plate, begin to shuffle one edge out of the pan. Once you get about a third of the omelet onto the plate, bring the pan upward and flip the rest of the omelet over-top of the part that's already on the plate. It sounds complicated, but it's really easy. Once you do it a few times, it's as simple as can be.

Fillings: There is no end to the things you can put in an omelet. I usually just find odds and ends that didn't get used throughout the week. Here are couple ideas/pointers:

• Any meat that you put in cannot be raw...cook it first.
• Unless you like your vegetables really crunchy, saute them beforehand.
• It's best to heat the meats or vegetables before adding them to the omelet because sometimes there isn't enough time for them to get warm while the eggs are cooking.
• Sonny and I love to put mushrooms, chedder cheese, and red peppers in our omelets.
• Other options are spinach, swiss cheese, broccoli, any kind of pepper, sausage, prochiutto, mozzarella cheese...really anything that sounds good to you.

Sometimes, for a treat, I'll make homefries to go with our omelets. They are also very easy. Begin the homefries before the omelets because the potatoes take longer to cook and the omelets are done within minutes.

Simple Homefries

1 all purpose potato per person (for a smaller servings, 1 potato could serve two)
Olive Oil
Butter
Kosher Salt
Pepper
Fresh parsley, rosemary, or thyme (if you have any...I don't always add them)

1. Cut up the potatoes into little cubes. I try to get them to be around 1/2 inch. They are not going to be perfect at all, they just need to be about the same size so they will cook evenly.
2. Heat up a tbsp (or more if you are making lots of potatoes) in a large frying pan. Throw a slap (tbsp) of butter in there too. Oil has a high burning temperature so you can get it really hot. Butter has lots of flavor...so you get the best of both worlds.
3. Add the potatoes in an even layer to the hot oil and butter. Let them cook a bit and then toss them around to get the other sides cooked. The time this takes relates to how many potatoes you are making...it typically take me about 10 minutes when I make two potatoes. Do it by feel...if they are golden brown and crispy, they are ready
   
4. Add salt, pepper, and chopped fresh herbs to the hot potatoes and toss with a wooden spoon or spatula.
5. Serve hot beside a yummy omelet.

If you want something sweet with your breakfast meal, you can make Healthy Banana-Blueberry Muffins or you could make scones. Here's my favorite recipe that I learned at The Kitchen Workshop. You can use the basic recipe (without the orange zest and cranberries) and add anything you'd like to it (lemon zest, cinnamon, raisins, etc.)

Cranberry Orange Scones

3 cups all purpose flour
1/3 sugar (sometimes I put a smidge more in for kicks)
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 baking soda
1 tbsp orange zest
1 1/2 sticks chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 pieces
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda into a large bowl.
3. Mix in orange zest
4. Add butter and rub in with fingertips or pastry blender until mixture resembles course meal (the size of peas)
5. Mix in dried cranberries.
6. Gradually add buttermilk, tossing with fork until moist clumps form.
7. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface.* Knead briefly to bind dough, about 4 turns.
8. Form dough into a 1 inch round and cut into 8 wedges. Transfer wedges to a scone pan** or greased cookie sheet.
9. Brush one egg mixed with a tbsp of water onto scones and bake until tops are golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

* Sometimes I just knead it in the bowl to save time and mess. I just form it into a flattened ball and cut it into wedges right in the bowl. This really only works when you are pressing the dough into a scone pan.
** A scone pan is a really neat thing to have if you are in to making scones. It's super easy to use because you can just press the dough into the pan.