voilà an omelette

From underwhelming to just right - I'm going to write about breakfast. Again.

Eggs are amazing and I've been eating them a lot lately. Scrambles and egg sandwiches for dinner, breakfast burritos... You name it I've been eating it. Typically after a night out all I can muster is a simple scramble the next morning, but last weekend I was extra inspired and decided to make an omelette.

Let me be the first to tell you, I have no actual knowledge about how one is 'supposed to' make an omelette, but I made it work. Yes, there's a hole, but trial and error, right? I have a vague recollection of seeing people do this on TV and moving the pan really fast or something, but on a tired morning that was a little more than I could handle.

I was most familiar with what my mom used to do, so here's how I did it -

• scramble 2 eggs in bowl
• heat 8" pan w/butter (nonstick saved my life)
• pour in eggs
• as they set, use a spatula to lift up the set eggs and let the runny eggs flow underneath
• it's ok if you make holes, just let the runny eggs fill it and cool, be patient
• once most of the egg is set, place your fillings on one half - I had cheddar and avocado in the fridge
• fold over the other side

Et voilà! An omelette! Or at least something that will taste good, look fancier than a scramble and just perhaps pass as an omelette.

I'll have to do a little more research on proper technique and report back, but for now I'm going to go with what works for me and tastes great too.

too minty for me

I just received the May issue of BA and realized that I haven't written about anything from April yet! The reason being twofold - 1) I never received the April issue, some confusion with my new address 2) The recipe I made was pretty underwhelming. Nevertheless, I will tell you about it because cooking is about trial and error.

I scanned my parents copy of the magazine last weekend and settled on Quinoa and Spring Vegetable Pilaf, sounds good, right? Not so much. To be fair, I'm pretty sure my disappointment came from the fact that I just don't really like mint. I love me a good mojito but mint in my food (or with chocolate in my candy) is not always my thing...

Quinoa and Spring Vegetable Pilaf

It sure looks pretty. Quinoa with asparagus, mushrooms, peas, leeks and shallots - all of which I love. The twist however comes in that you blend some peas, veggie stock and mint to create a sauce for the whole dish. The concept is great, seeing as that there is flavor infused in each bite of the quinoa instead of just waiting for the bite with veggie. The downside for me was the mint because again, it was infused in each bite of the quinoa! There was something about it that just didn't work for me.

This recipe was my first attempt at quinoa and it really made me want to try quinoa in other ways. It's a nutty chenpod (so Wikipedia tells me) that is a great alternative to rice or couscous. There's a little more texture and flavor than either of those two grains and I think it would be great with some feta a cucumber and tomato, or raisins and nuts for a middle eastern twist.

quinoa pre-cooking

I'm all about trying things that are not your favorite, because maybe there'll be that one time when you will love it. So I'm glad I tried this; however, I did learn a lesson - when you're cooking for one, preparing a dish that serves 6 may not be the best idea... just in case you don't like it :)

pretty pasta

It's amazing what three little ingredients can do. Along with the carrot find at Berkeley Bowl, I also picked up some asparagus, kielbasa sausages, and fresh house made red pepper pasta. I've never made fresh pasta, nor had I really bought it, so I was pretty excited to give this a try.

I sauteed the asparagus with some salt and pepper, added the sausages to warm them through and finally tossed with the pasta. I could have sworn there was some cream in my fridge, but alas there was not, so I tossed it with olive oil to finish.

The asparagus and sausage were amazing, but I must say I was a little underwhelmed with the pasta... It had more flavor than the every day dried variety, but didn't pack the punch I expected. Nonetheless, it was a tasty simple meal that's proof you don't need to get complicated to get good - not to mention it made me feel great that there were more veggies than carbs... maybe next time I'll try making the pasta myself!

Rainbow Carrot Salad

Berkeley Bowl is quite simply amazing - it's like the farmer's market every day. Tons of gorgeous, delicious fruits and veggies, along with a fabulous assortment of bulk dry goods and as local and organic as you can get in a grocery store. The icing on the cake - it's cheap!

I picked up these carrots during my trip on Saturday and finally brought to life a vision I've had for a while now - a salad of rainbow carrots ribbons...

I started by peeling off the outer skin and just kept on peeling to create my ribbons. I tossed them with a home made dressing of white wine vinegar, mayo, roasted garlic and tarragon... While it was good, I kind of wished I'd simply put a little olive oil and aged balsamic on it. Though you have to admit that it's beautiful, no matter the dressing.

Brown Sugar Bacon

Brown Sugar Bacon - need I say more?

Dinner club this month turned into brunch and I immediately though of what an amazing excuse it was to try this bacon. I borrowed the recipe from Gina Neely on the Food Network, and impressed everyone at brunch. We all LOVED it and you MUST try it.

What makes this recipe so amazing is that there's a little bit of spice! It called for cayenne pepper and since I had ancho chili powder, I used a little of both. The cayenne gave it some heat and the ancho chilies added smokiness, which were perfect complements to the sugar and bacon.

I was worried it might be overly sugary and sweet, but not at all - it's just the right ratio of bacon to sugar and is kind of like bacon candy, if you can imagine such a thing. It was chewy, a little crisp, and not at all grisly like bacon can sometimes be... Go make this. Now.

Brown Sugar Bacon

1/2 cup Light Brown Sugar

1/2 teaspoon Ancho Chili Powder

1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

16 oz. Thick Cut Bacon

• Preheat oven to 375. Line a cookie sheet with foil and place a wire rack on top.
• Mix the sugar and peppers together. Toss with the bacon.
• Lay bacon in single layer on wire rack.
• Cook for 15-30 min until brown and crisp
• Don't be crazy and eat it right away, even though you will want to, give it a few minutes to cool down.