Dear Breakfast, I Love You

Tip for making breakfast: Cook stuff you like. I happen to like goat cheese and portabella mushrooms. My BF would disagree (he can't stand goat cheese) and would vote for Swiss cheese and broccoli. Conveniently both of these are great breakfast choices when gently encased in a fluffy egg exterior. Omelettes people, omelettes. (Or perhaps scrambles people, scrambles).

Picking a vegetable and a cheese and putting it in an omelette is a surefire way to say, "Dear breakfast, I love you. Let's run away together to the Amalfi coast." It's okay to talk to your food. It is not okay if your food talks back.

Portabella Goat Cheese Omelette
--1 TBSP olive oil
--1/2 small onion, diced
--garlic, minced
--1 portabella mushroom cap, washed and sliced into 1" long x 1/4" wide pieces
--1 oz. goat cheese
--cooking spray
--4 eggs

Heat a skillet over medium heat. When the pan is warm add the olive oil and coat the pan. Sauté the onion and garlic for a few minutes, stirring regularly. Add the mushrooms and sauté for several minutes, stirring regularly, until they begin to soften and cook down. Using a fork, scrape off the goat cheese log into the pan. This will give you small crumbles that will melt and coat the veggies nicely. Stir to combine and remove the filling to a small plate.

Wipe out the frying pan with a paper towel, working quickly so as not to burn yourself. You don't need to get all the sticky bits off, just wipe it out well enough to give yourself a clean-ish cooking surface. Spray the skillet with cooking spray and return it to the hot burner. Use a small skillet if you wish to make two omelettes instead of one to share...

Crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk together using a fork [I don't use milk but some people like to add a little cream]. Still whisking, pour the eggs into the frying pan. The eggs will spread out to make a nice circle inside the pan. Cook for 2 minutes or until the bottom of the egg pancake is solid but the top is still liquid. Add the filling to the center or one side of the pancake. Using a flat spatula, carefully close the omelette by flipping the empty side of the pancake onto the full side to cover the contents, creating a half-moon shape.

Wait 90 seconds before attempting to flip the entire omelette over (though you might not need to as the eggs were mostly cooked before you squished it all together).

Dammit Jim, I'm a cook, not a doctor...
Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 2
Calories: 313 per serving

Banishing Breakfast Routines

I often fall into routines when it comes to making and eating breakfast at home. During the week I eat a bagel or a banana every morning. When I'm out of fruit or on the go I'll have a Luna bar. If I have enough time I might fry up two pieces of bacon and maybe an egg. Even on the glorious times known as weekends--when I have often enough time and creativity to think through different breakfast ideas--I'm still a creature of habit though and often turn to the omelette as a stand by.

So in an attempt to break some of that routine, I decided to use up some spices, work some deli meat, and do something a little different--but just as quick and easy as all those other stand-bys.


Rosemary Ham & Eggs

--butter
--1 shallot, finely chopped
--3 slices of ham, coarsely chopped
--2 eggs, lightly beaten
--1 sprig fresh rosemary

Over medium heat, melt the butter in a medium sized skillet. Saute the shallots for 2 minutes, until beginning to brown.

Holding the rosemary sprig in one hand, move the other hand against the grain to shuck the nettles from the sprig. Add as much or as little rosemary as you desire to the pan with the shallots and saute for 1 minute or so, stirring fairly constant.


Add the chopped ham and saute until starts to brown. Pour the eggs over the pan and using a wooden spoon or spatula move the mixture around so that the eggs scramble with bits of ham in the mix.


Scramble to your liking (I like my eggs very dry so those poor babies have to scramble 'til they can't scramble any more) and eat!