Easy tips to get the best omelette

As usual, D has made my birthday especially special. To celebrate the big 3-0, I was kidnapped to a surprise beach trip earlier in the week and am now enjoying some time with family at home in Richmond. What with all these thoughtful surprises, I wanted to return the favor so I made us a nice omelette breakfast after my morning run:

I’m an egg kind of girl – I like ’em any which way – poached, soft-boiled, fried or scrambled. I do feel however, that they are rather finicky to prepare. I had all but given up on cooking omelettes because they always ended up looking more like scrambled messes than the fluffy concoction I was going for. Luckily, I’ve figured out some tricks. Herewith are my tips to cooking a successful omelette. (If you find them difficult like I did. If not, let me know what your tricks and tips are!):

-Use only a bit of olive oil in the pan (2 counts, about 1 tablespoon). I find it works much better than butter.

-Use medium to medium-high heat. I was impatient before and would try to cook them on high heat with consistently poor results.

-Use no more than two eggs. Two egg omelettes allow the flavor of the fillings to come through rather than just an overpowering egg coat. I think too many breakfast places use many more than two eggs, making the omelette way too heavy.

-Slightly pull up a side of the omelette and tilt the pan to allow the uncooked egg to slide under. I used to try and flip the whole eggy mess, thereby making an unintended scramble.

-Add in your chosen fillings (today we had avocado, bacon, onions, tomatoes and mozzarella cheese) when the omelette is cooked almost through. Then turn down heat so as not to burn the eggs but still allowing cheese to melt.

-I’m still mastering transferring the omelette from the pan to the plate. Inevitably I lose ingredients en route and so like to display escaped ones prettily on top as a kind of preview as to which flavors await.

What is your favorite omelette?

Memorial day weekend feasting

One reason D and I get along so well is our shared of love of food and drink. We love trying out or inventing new recipes and experimenting in the kitchen. I told you all a little bit about our attempts to eat as much local and organic as possible, which means we haven’t eaten tomatoes in months and are really loving switching from hardcore field spinach and kale greens to delicate baby spinach and arugula. The Baltimore Farmer’s market has been open for about two months now and we are gorging on fresh asparagus and impossibly sweet strawberries. (Well, I’m eating strawberries. D doesn’t eat fruit. It’s totally bizarre.)  Between drinks with friends and browsing the antique shops in Hampden this weekend (more on that later this week), we’ve made some super yummy meals and snacks ~

Officially  my favorite summer meal, we gnoshed on a shrimp boil on Saturday and Sunday night (leftovers yesterday). This was so easy to do, I’ll admit D did the lion’s share of the work, but all he had to do was throw together aluminum foil packets of shrimp, cut up some potatoes and onions, throw in a cob of corn and then season liberally with Baltimore’s favorite spice, Old Bay. Maybe it was the freezing cold white wine, maybe it was not having eaten corn in a year, but this was so GOOD. Plus, clean up was a cinch, wrapping up the foil and taking straight to the trash can. Almost no dishes!

Since our trip the farmer’s market yesterday morning, I haven’t stopped munching on these perfectly sweet strawberries. They’re almost gone less than twenty-four hours later I enjoyed them as a late afternoon snack and D opted for sheep’s milk cheese with pinot grigio sausage.

No, you can’t eat peonies, but I love these flowers so much and eagerly await these couple of weeks every year so I can feast my eyes, if not my tummy, on them. As usual, they are taking their time opening. I’m sure when I get home from work tomorrow, I’ll be shocked at how much they will have bloomed.

Tonight, we are trying a new recipe from Pinterest. I had to giggle when I clicked on the link for Prosciutto wrapped chicken in pesto sauce. You’ll see why when you do, too. In typical fashion, we’ll wing it. Mostly, I’m just excited to eat fresh basil from my herb garden! Bon appetit et bisous.

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Monument hopping

Spring break has sprung! I’m not sure my teacher friends and I actually believed it would arrive, but it did, as promised, last Friday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. I think I might have danced out of the door, I was so excited.

The beginning of break was especially busy as I battled 301 south traffic to scurry home to Richmond. A friend and I had decided to “run” the Monument Ave 10k, with 40,000 participants, the nation’s largest race of its kind. I had run it a couple of times before but have not exactly been a faithful runner the past couple of years so was pretty skittish at the idea of 6.2 miles. However, friend and I figured, why not, and signed up in the jog/walk wave.

We couldn’t believe it when we finished in 75 minutes! We figure we walked a total of a mile out of all 6.2, not bad for very few training runs on both of our parts over the past month or so! Although (full disclosure people), the last thing I wanted to do Friday afternoon was be stuck in the car for four hours and get up early the very first day of my break, I of course ended up ecstatic that we set a goal, held ourselves to it and had some great gossipy girl talk time. Fun! And of course now I feel inspired to keep working out. Plus, who wouldn’t enjoy a spring time run on Richmond’s most famously beautiful and historic street? Check out these pics …

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Monument Avenue is probably about 5 or so miles long total and is sprinkled every couple of blocks with Confederate war heros. The photo above is an aeriel view in fall-time looking down on Robert E. Lee’s monument.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here you have JEB Stuart, the monument at the end of the avenue, before it transitions into W. Franklin Street. I love this circle’s churches (one you can see, the other not).

 

 

 

 

 
This last photo gives you a clearer idea of how wide the avenue is, and the types of architecture you’ll find there. The monuments, coupled with mostly cobble stone streets and beautiful old houses, make you feel slightly like you’re in another era (if you can ignore the plethora of cars, of course). And running wise, highly recommendable, as it’s almost completely flat. Do you have any spring break or, if you’re not a teacher spring-time, plans or health goals?