Extreme Omelettes

I was slightly embarrassed as I started writing because I realized that I still can’t spell ‘omelettes’ without auto-correct. Please tell me I’m not the only one.
But, before we get to the omelette, we must speak of serious matters. Namely, this past Valentine’s Day weekend. This holiday has become one of my favorites, just because it’s a great excuse to show love to everyone. The giving is my favorite part. So here’s a little snippet of how my weekend went:

•watercolor valentines were delivered to friends with some dark chocolate short-bread cookies (and taped to the door when they weren’t home)
•YA romance novels were checked out from the library
•churro waffles with fried ice cream and dulce de leche was quickly devoured
•a new watercolor project was started
•deer was spotted and unsuccessfully chased after
•and, of course, the girls gathered, ate lots of chocolate, and practiced our closed mouth smiles

All this goodness started with these omelettes. My theory is to stuff as much in an omelette as one can. It usually works great every time until the whole flipping part happens. And then in some cases it turns into extreme scrambled eggs. However, I used restraint this time so we ended up with the real deal. This is loaded with mozzarella cheese, tomato, and spinach, as well as diced onions, mushrooms, and asparagus that’s cooked in with the egg. It’s so good, you’ll be having breakfast for dinner everyday.

Extreme Omelettes
1 serving

olive oil or butter
1/4 small onion, chopped
3 white mushrooms, chopped
2 stalks asparagus, chopped
2 eggs
dash of salt and pepper
1/4 tomato, chopped
handful of spinach
sprinkle of mozarella cheese

1. Heat olive oil or butter in a pan over medium heat. Add onion, mushrooms, and asparagus. Sautee for about 3 minutes, until soft.
2. Beat two eggs and add to pan. Gently push egg mixture towards the middle, letting all parts of the egg cook. Sprinkle in salt and pepper.
4. Add spinach, tomato, and cheese to one side of the omelette. Carefully flip the omelette over. And you’re done!

Orange and Dark Chocolate Buttermilk Scones

Scones have a bad rap with some people. They can carry around a reputation of being hard, dense, and like a mouthful of sawdust. This, my friends, is wrong. Because a scone made the right way is sent from the heavens: light, buttery and melt in your mouth status. But we’re flying past the basics with this recipe and going straight to the flavor. A sweet, citrus tang from the orange, a dark, slight bitterness from the chocolate, and a tartness from the buttermilk combine together and create magic. I make these scones every year for Mother’s Day, and that’s because they’re the best.

Originally from Joy the Baker [makes about six scones]

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons orange zest
2 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
1 large egg yolk
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cold buttermilk
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

1. Place rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, sift together flour, sugar, orange zest, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. I use my fingers to rub the butter and dry ingredients together. In another bowl, combine egg yolk and buttermilk and beat lightly with a fork. Add to flour mixture all at once, stirring enough to make a soft dough. Fold in the chocolate chips.
3. Turn out onto a floured board and knead about 15 times. Roll or pat out into a 1-inch thickness. Cut into 4 large or 6 small squares. Place on prepared baking sheet and bake at 425 degrees F for 12-15 minutes. These are best when serve immediately with butter and jam.

Egg-in-a-Hole

Egg-in-a-hole is exactly what it sounds like: an egg in the hole of a piece of bread. It’s so simple that you really don’t need a recipe. Although you may be wondering why you can’t just eat a fried egg and slice of bread separately, something magical happens when you combine them together. I give credit to the butter. Whatever it is, it’s good.

           

1/2 tablespoon butter
1 egg
1 slice of bread (any kind!)
salt and pepper

1. Melt butter on pan over medium heat. Using a cup, cut out a circle from the slice of bread.
2. Place bread on pan and gently break egg into hole so that yolk remains intact.
3. Cook until egg is set on bottom. Sprinkle salt and pepper on egg, then flip bread over with spatula. Cook on other side until egg is cooked and bread is golden brown. Yolk should be unbroken and butter should be soaked up by the bread!