Enjoying Eggs, Part Second

 Breakfast casseroles – eggs and cheese and meat all in one bite – what’s not to like? You make them the night before and put them in the oven all sleepy eyed, and about the time you fully awake and hungry, a steaming slice is ready for you. So perfect for holidays and overnight company, as well. For years I looked for a breakfast casserole that didn’t have bread or croutons in it, ’cause I was off bread for a while, yet still wanted the scrumptious convenience of a breakfast casserole. Finally, I was introduced to a simple, yummy casserole that met all my qualifications. Thanks to my mom-in-law for this great recipe.

I love this recipe because it has such a short heating time in the morning – most breakfast casseroles start with raw eggs needing to cook through in the morning. Sometimes when I make muffins to go along with it, my oven is at 350 but it does ok as long as I don’t let it stay in there too long. The idea is to heat it through, not cook it dry.

I serve this with fresh fruit and coffee cake for a company breakfast, to rave reviews. Even kids like it because it is basically just scrambled eggs, and doesn’t look foreign to them. I have also used crumbled breakfast sausage or diced ham in place of the bacon. Yum!

And now, for my all-time favorite breakfast – Mr. Siefka’s Omelets. I never liked lots of spongy egg in my omelet – I like an omelet that was just substantial enough to hold all the yummy fillings. That’s why when a good friend made breakfast for us once when he was visiting, I immediatly declaired his omelets to be the best ever. This requires a bit of a picture tutorial for those of you who have, in the past, hesitated making omelets a fear of creating something that looked like UFO crash sites. It’s really quite simple.

Toss your potato and diced bacon into your fry pan with a dab of butter. Saute until the bacon starts to crisp, then add your other veggies or fillings. Sprinkle with a dash of salt and pepper, and continue cooking until the potatoes are browned and cooked through. Scrap your fillings onto a plate and set aside. Drain excess grease from your pan – add more if it is dry.

Next, beat your eggs. Heat your pan to medium heat and pour in eggs until the bottom is almost covered. Stop now! To get a nice, thin omelet you don’t want too much egg. At this point, pick up your pan and tilt it to spread the egg till the bottom is covered, like making crepes.

Let the omelet cook until the bottom is set, but the top is still a bit runny. At this time I usually sprinkle it with a little salt. You’ll learn when is the perfect time to flip it with just a little experience. Slide your metal spatula carefully around the omelet, loosening it on all sides. When you can confidently get it under the middle of the omelet, act fast and FLIP it over. Immediatly grab your filling and spread a nice mound down the center of the omelet. Top with a generous sprinkling of cheese.

Now it’s time to fold it – I like folding it in thirds ’cause it’s easier than getting a whole 1/2 of the omelet to flop over and lay nicely in place on the first try. Just loosen one side of the omelet at a time and fold it gently over the top of the filling. You may have to hold it briefly with your fingers but the cheese will act like glue and it should stay with out too much trouble. Now, quickly transfer your masterpiece to a warm plate – you don’t want an over cooked omelet, and this one is perfect!

Just remember, if your omelet flops, and doesn’t come out picture perfect, that’s ok – it’s still gonna taste the same!

I love this omelet because it contains carbs from the potato and with all those yummy fillings – it’s a complete meal. Come to think of it, would work for dinner, too! You don’t have to serve anything else with this. It is very filling. And my husband and kids love it – another bonus.

Try the omelet and tell me what you think!