Omelet-ville

So I had originally planned this post for Mother's Day. Instead of an omelet, I was going to call it a "momelet." Schedules being what they are however, that didn't happen. So instead for my parent's breakfast this morning, Father's day, I made momelets and "dadlets" in a tribute to both of them!   

Circa 1980. When I was blonde and Dad had hair.

If I could be thankful for just one thing in life, I would be thankful for my parents. They are kind and giving people. Even to this day, my dad mows my lawn because I don't have a lawn mower and helps me put together IKEA furniture because I am not smart enough to follow instructions. (Hey - they don't teach how to use an Allen wrench as an MBA class.) My mom is the chief dog nanny slash personal assistant. She even will pick up my dry cleaning and not pass along the bill. Recently, she has been revamping my backyard and is the toast of all the neighbors.  

The menu for the morning:

- Smoked Salmon, Shallot and Gruyere Omelets
- Mushroom, Chive and Chevre Omelets 

- Breakfast Potatoes  

 

I just recently was taught how to make a good omelet. Some tips that I have learned on my journey so far:

- Cook omelets in a non-stick pan, greased with butter over low heat. If the butter is browning, the pan is too hot.

- A good rubber spatula is your best omelet success tool

- Experiment! Any topping can be a new egg adventure. Although I kept it traditional today, it's kinda like pizza. Sometimes unlikely combos are the best and most interesting options.

Corks and Dorks

Firstly, I am not calling my friends “dorks.” I’m the dork. Zeuggie is the other dork – he likes to watch 60 Minutes  and Fringe with me. Though with Fringe, he is not nearly as taken with Joshua Jasckson as I am.

Today, I did afternoon cocktails with the ladies. The theme for the menu was spring and light to accompany white wine. Z and I just added the dorks to the corks. J

Menu  -

·        Meat and Cheese Plate

·        Lime and Mint infused Shrimp with Pea Puree

·        Chilled Cucumber Soup

·        Champagne Zabaglione with Strawberry Compote

I’m a big fan of the meat and cheese plate, so we have to save that for another post. The hit of the evening was the Zab… so here is the recipe.

Champagne Zabaglione with Strawberry Compote

* Ingredients *

1 cup champagne

3/4 cup powdered sugar

5 egg yolks

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

6 tablespoons whipping cream

1/2 pound strawberries, chopped

* Instructions *

1. Whisk together champagne, sugar, eggs and corn syrup in metal bowl. Place metal bowl on top of sauce pan with boiling water.

2. Heat mixture to 160 degrees. Remove from heat.

3. Using an electric mixer, beat till cooled.

4. Whip cream until soft peaks form.  Fold into egg mixture..

5. Serve in glasses, alternative fruit and custard mixture.

Full Circle

I made jewelry today - earrings to be exact. I used to make baubbles all the time. Haven't in a along time and I'm not sure what quite gave me the inspiration. Maybe, its because I finally found me - a good combination of old and new.

So, haven't blogged in a while. Many people have asked, "what's been going on?"

Change #1, gotta a puppy. He's pretty awesome. Except when he gets up a 5:15 am. Thanks to all the girls who have made a special trip to come meet him. Zeuggie weighs 16 lbs now and is your general Standard Schnauzer badass. He will be up to 50 lbs pretty soon and able to keep up on the long runs. For now, he is just the cute little bugger hanging out on the patio at the Attic.

Change #2, I'm a red head and I kinda love it. It's spunky. I was told yesterday by a guy friend, "You are way too witty to be a blonde." Now... if I had gone to blonde from red, he probably would have said, "You are way to sexy/fun-loving/funny/ insert adjetive here, to be a red head." Still love the blondetourage, but the red is here for a little while.  And BTW, the *witty comment* is still the best compliment that I have gotten yet.

Change #3, I went on dates. For the record, I hate dating. Always have. I hate the game-playing and the ambiguity of it. I went out with a chef, firefighters (3), a 26 year-old, a saddle-maker, a bio-chemist, an ex-NFL player, an archeologist and a man who pretended to be a special agent (no lie). No one ever made it past date 3. Most not past 45 minutes. I am now more convinced more than ever there is no good man for me and I'm good with that. Single is good and jewelry making is a better past time.

Change #4, I committed myself to things I have always wanted to do. I got a trainer. Learned how to make omelettes. Signed up for a marathon (Portland baby!) and bought tickets to SE Asia (Angkor anyone?).

Yesterday, I was in for somewhat scary medical stuff. I was super nervous and crying. My nerves were set off when the nurse after looking at my test results screamed "OH MY GOD!" I realized shortly that  what she was screaming at had nothing to do with me. A giant spider was on the floor. I jumped up from the hospital bed and killed the sucker. He didn't have 6-legs. And now I know, things have come full-circle.

Desayuno in a bite!

I don't often cook Mexican food --  so this truly one of the times I am experimenting. Most of the time I think burritos, enchiladas and the like are more in the "gut bomb" vs. fine cuisine category. (I know Rick Bayless would disagree...). However, recently I have been a little more excited about the breakfast Mexican style. 

Since I don't have any power breakfasts coming up, but I am doing cocktails for Cinco de Mayo. 

(Sidebar: do people in Seattle really have power breakfasts? Hmmm. I think that east coast habit may have gone the same way as the power suit. Seattle might be more about the power bathing suit. At least in my circle...)

For today's recipe and as a compliment for my Mexican cocktail hour (Viva Zapta!), I decided do to a Huevos Rancheros as an appetizer. Not only are these more fun than chips and salsa or your basic 7-layer dip, but they also are healthier too!   

The secret to making this dish is a small egg. You want something that people can eat as finger food, not with a fork and knife. I opt'd for quails eggs. A poached quail egg allows you to get a whole egg in one bite. Quail eggs also are a low calorie option - 15 calories vs. a 70 calorie chicken egg.

In Seattle, the best spot for quail eggs is Pike Place Market Creamery. Outside of Seattle, these also can be found at Whole Foods or speciality markets. 

* Huevos Rancheros Bites *    

* Ingredients * 
1 tablespoon olive oil 
8 Corn Tortillas, trimmed into 24 3-inch rounds using a pastry or cookie cutter 
1 14 ounce can tomatoes in juice 
1/4 cup chopped onions
1/8 cup chopped cilantro 
1 tablespoon chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo
1 clove garlic chopped
1/2 cup black beans 
1 dozen quail eggs 

* Instructions * 

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat. Stack 2 rounds of tortillas and toast each side. Approximately 2 minutes per side. Remove frying pan and set aside. 
2. Place tomatoes, onions, cilantro, chiles and garlic in food processor. Pulse until pureed. Heat in pan used to cook tortillas until warm.
3. Poach 12 quail eggs. 
4. Assemble on plate, placing tortillas on bottom and top with sauce, beans and eggs. Garnish with cilantro. Serve warm.   

I wanted a boy, I got a puppy…

OK. Maybe it’s not quite like that, but a little. Being single gets well… lonely. Not gonna lie, it  still gets lonely - and I have a lot of fun friends. J Who doesn’t want to be cuddled in the morning? So for a pal, I decided to make a new addition to the family – a black standard schnauzer. What can make you more happy than a puppy? Answer: nothing.

For those of you who don’t know, standard schnauzers are the perfect dog. Big enough to hike to the top of Mt. Pilchuck or run 10 miles, but still small enough to cuddle on the couch. Unfortunately, standards are also impossibly rare, but I was lucky enough to find a breeder in Milwaukee who had a boy ready for me on guess when… my birthday!

Already, lil Zeuggie  has been quite a pal. We have done HHs at Mcglivras and Ohana. (He is german, so of course, he likes beer. Err, only Miller Lite – Milwaukee influence.) So,  in honor of Zeuggie’s arrival, today’s recipe is dedicated to canine friends.

Pumpkin Peanut Butter with Bacon Icing

* Ingredients*

2 1/2 cups wheat flour

2 eggs

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

2 tablespoons peanut butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

3 strips bacon

8 ounces cream cheese

* Instructions *

1.      Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.     Mix together flour, eggs, pumpkin, peanut butter salt and cinnamon into  a solid dough. Roll out on floured surface and cut into shapes.

3.     Bake on greased pan for 40-45 minutes.

4.     Cook (microwave or fry) 3 slices of bacon. Reserve 1 tablespoon drippings.

5.     Melt 8 ounces package cream cheese in the microwave under defrost heat. Mix bacon drippings.

6.      Dip in biscuits. Let cool on wired rack.