Omelettes are easy!

Who knew? I sure didn't. All my life I've been intimidated by the omelette guy at all the buffets. I thought it was complicated, and given my questionable history with eggs, I backed off. I was out of my league.

Until last week. The first words out of Tim's mouth were, "I'd like an omelette, please." I started sweating. And googling. I didn't know what I was doing. I even called my mom, even though it was 4:30 in California. Still, I knew she'd be up.

No answer. She was probably painting Max's toenails. She does that sometimes.

So with all my other options rapidly disappearing, I just guessed. And hoped. And prayed. And went for it.

And it was good...great, even. So I bring you good news — you, too, can make an omelette. Now, you all know I'm not sophisticated at all. I eat lots of hot dogs and I have four cavities from all the Diet Coke I drink. I'm low-key, so I made this omelette low-key.

Let's get started.

Basic egg, cheese and potato omelette

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs 
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese 
• 2 slices of bacon 
• Chives (optional) 
• Olive oil (to cook potatoes with)
• 1/4 cup milk
• Onion
• 2 potatoes, peeled
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

• We're going to start with the potatoes, because they take the longest. Go ahead and make them according to the instructions for my go-to breakfast potatoes. 
• If you want to save time, which I always do, don't boil the potatoes — microwave them! Toss them in there for about 5 minutes then continue with the recipe. They'll be just soft enough.
• Once the potatoes are prepared, set them aside.
• Crack the eggs and whisk them in a bowl. Add the milk and a dash of salt and pepper and the chives. Whisk until well-combined.
• Grab a small pan (this is important!) and put it on the stove on medium heat. 
• You need to have a small pan; otherwise, it's going to spread out and be weird. So be normal and use a small pan.
•  Spray the pan with Pam. If you don't, I promise, it'll stick. And that's just not right.
• Pour the egg mixture into the pan and let it sit on medium heat until the bottom is well cooked and can be easily folded in half. This took mine about 5-7 minutes. The top half will still look gooey, though.
• While that's cooking, go ahead and prepare your bacon however you feel called. Me? Microwaved bacon all the way.
• Make sure the bacon is crispy. When it's done, crumble it up and set aside.
•  Check on your eggs. If the side facing down can be easily lifted, add the cheese, bacon and potatoes and let it sit for a few minutes. 
• After about 2 minutes, fold the omelette in half and let it cook on medium heat for another 2 or 3 minutes. 

This is a beautiful mess of a breakfast. As I mentioned, I'm not classy, so I don't have classy fillings, but I've read about some pretty great ideas. Here are a few:

Mushrooms * feta * bacon * spinach * cut up ham * sausage * ground beef * onion * peppers * cream cheese * sour cream * jelly * hot sauce

I'm sure there are about a million more options, but those are the best I could find. Serve your omelette with some toast and a few extra breakfast potatoes. 

Love and new discoveries,

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Sourdough breakfast casserole

I have to admit that while I'm definitely a meat and potatoes kinda' girl, I really love carbs. I don't understand why naturally thin people don't eat bread and cheese all day long. I would. Unfortunately, I didn't win the genetic lottery and gained 3 lbs just from writing that last sentence. My favorite kind of bread is, without a doubt, sourdough. I love that it's nice and chewy and is a little tangy. I was definitely spoiled by the sourdough you get in Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. They just don't make it like that in the south, but the incorporation of sourdough into a breakfast casserole is what I would consider to be a teeny tiny miracle. Tim — who is normally extremely picky about leftovers — ate this without one word for the past three mornings. Okay, I changed my mind — that is a miracle.

Ingredients:

• 6-8 slices sourdough bread
• 3 potatoes
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 8 oz. block of cream cheese
• 10 eggs
• 1/4 stick butter
• 1 cup of milk
• 3/4 tsp dried mustard
• 8 slices of bacon
• Salt
• Pepper

Directions:

• Butter a 13x9 baking pan
• Didn't know butter was a verb? It is in this blog.
• Tear the sourdough bread into medium to large-sized chunks
• Throw 'em in the pan
• Top with half the cheddar cheese
• Cut the cream cheese up into small pieces (the smaller the better, because it will melt easier) and place evenly on top of the cheddar cheese.
• Peel the potatoes and using a grater, grate them like you would hashbrowns
• Toss the grated potatoes on top of the cream cheese
• Cook the bacon, crumble it and throw it on top of the grated potatoes
• I don't know about you, but I didn't have the time or inclination to cook the bacon on the stove. I buy the pre-made stuff and just warm it up in the microwave. It's less mess and fewer dishes, so don't judge.
• Crack all the eggs and pour them into a large bowl
• Whisk until smooth
• Add the milk and whisk until combined
• Add the dried mustard and whisk some more
• Add as much salt and pepper as you'd like
• Pour the egg mixture evenly over everything in the 13x9 baking dish
• Top with remaining cheddar cheese
• Cover with tinfoil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour. 
• This can take more or less time depending on your oven and the pan. Just keep an eye on it. You want to be patient with this, because no one likes soggy eggs.
• Once it's cooked thoroughly, take off the tinfoil and bake for another 15-20 minutes to get the top nice and crusty.

Every evening, I'm motivated to get up early and cook my man a hearty breakfast. Realistically, though, it never happens. Ever. Never a chance. But this was amazing because I made it the night before, and my early-rising hubby just had to spoon some on a plate and pop it in the microwave the next morning. I'm telling you guys, this is something special.

Love and miracles,
Rachael