Herbed Almost-Egg White Omelet

This is part of a new series I'm calling "Kelly is Poor and Can't Cook."

Historically, I have not been a big eater of breakfast.  Which is sad, as breakfast foods are about my favourite across the board.  However, if there's one thing an early-morning walk does, it's awaken a hunger for breakfast.  At first, I relied on fruit smoothies after each walk, as I discovered that I had conditioned myself to want them after years of rewarding myself with a smoothie after every college workout.  Of late, however, I have been going with the tried-and-true method of digging through the fridge until inspiration strikes.  Yesterday, it struck in the form of a turkey sausage English muffin sandwich.  Today, I noticed the spinach.

I'm not a huge fan of eggs (I tend to get creeped out by their runniness--it's dumb, I know), but egg whites were a whole different kettle of fish  (not really.  There are no fish in this recipe).  I called this an almost egg white omelet because it was the first dish I've made using only egg whites rather than yolks, and some yolky bits made it in.  Anyways, here's my recipe, slightly adapted from the original.  I say "adapted" because it sounds fancy, but what it really means in "I added more cheese.")

Herbed Egg White Omelet

• 3 egg whites 
• 1 tablespoon skim milk 
• 1/2 tsp Penzey's Sunny Paris Seasoning
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh baby spinach 
• 1 tablespoon shredded sharp cheddar
• 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese

Combine eggs, milk, and herbs in a bowl.  Spray a non-stick pan with cooking spray, then put it over low-medium heat.  Add spinach.  Once the spinach starts to wilt (this happens pretty quickly), pour the egg mixture over it.  As the edges set, use a spatula to lift them and tip the pan to allow remaining liquid underneath.  Honestly, I didn't need to do much of that.  My eggs pretty much stayed where I poured them.  When everything's set, sprinkle cheese on top and fold in half (or thirds, as I did).

All in all, I was pleased with my very first omelet.  The recipe called for any type of mixed herbs, but I liked this with the Sunny Paris, which has shallots, chives, green peppercorns, dill weed, basil, tarragon, chervil, and bay leaf in it.  If you have a specialty herb store anywhere near you, you should check and see if they carry Penzey's.  Good stuff.  I wish we'd had green onions in the house, or I would have added them to the omelet, too.  Ah, well.

Overall, it was a light but filling meal.

end note: You might have noticed there are photos in this post, after I whined about not having a camera.  Well that is because I stole my mother's for this.  You might also notice that none of the photos are in color.  That is because my mother's camera produces the worst color I have ever seen.  On the up side, however, while rummaging for the upload cord, I found my camera's charger.  Yay!

christmas cookies

A week ago, two of my best girlfriends came over and we had a Christmas cookie baking party!  We had such a blast, and the cookies turned out so very tasty, that I had to share.  I used a sugar cookie recipe which is sort of a family one--it came from my aunt's mother.  It is delish!  I think it's the almond extract, but here: you may judge for yourselves.

Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup crisco shortening
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon baking soda
8 tablespoons milk, heated
4 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions:
1. Cream the first four ingredients (sugar, butter, shortening, and eggs)
2. Add the baking soda to half (4 T) of the hot milk, mix with above ingredients
3. Add the remaining 4 T of the milk
4. Sift together flour and cream of tartar, add to mixture
5. Add almond and vanilla extracts and salt, mix
6. Refrigerate dough for at least an hour
7. Roll out on floured surface and cut
8. Bake at 375 degrees for about 7 minutes

The odd thing about this recipe is that, for whatever reason, the dough warms and softens very quickly, regardless of how long you refrigerate it.  What we end up doing is moving it to the freezer once we start cutting, and taking baseball-sized amounts out as we go.  If you're using large or complicated (has lots of little nooks and crannies) cookie cutters, I recommend sliding a spatula underneath the cookie (still in the cutter) to move it to the cookie sheet.  Our cookies got much prettier once we started doing that!  But you're still not done--you need icing!

These cookies taste best frosted with a mixture of powdered sugar, butter, milk, and almond extract.  And that's as much information as my mom's recipe card gives.  However, if you are like me and need more specific instructions, here's what I used:

Buttercream Frosting
from Domino Confectioners Sugar box

Ingredients:
3 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
milk (3-4 tablespoons to start)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions:
1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl
2. Beat at medium speed until creamy, adding milk as you go until you've got the consistency you want--be careful not to add too much, or the frosting won't set well
3. Separate frosting into small bowls or ramekins for dying--don't forget to leave one undyed if you want white!

After you've iced the cookies, leave them out for a good, long while.  I tried to store mine too soon, and the frosting ended up very smudged.  Still, smudged or not, within 4 days those cookies were gone.

top photo by Marley, others by me

winter salad

Today I decided to make this salad.  I came across the recipe at Smitten Kitchen a few days ago, and it mainly caught my eye because of the prosciutto.  I love it when a recipe calls for prosciutto, because then I have an excuse to buy it and have it in the house.  But this is so much more than prosciutto.  It is the perfect winter salad.

Fennel, Prosciutto and Pomegranate Salad
Adapted from Bon Appetit, November 2008

Serves 4 to 6

2 cups very thinly sliced fennel bulb
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
6 cups arugula (about 4 ounces)
1 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup thinly sliced mint leaves
1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
6 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, torn into strips
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

Toss fennel and 1 tablespoon olive oil in medium bowl. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Combine arugula, green onions, mint, vinegar, and 2 tablespoons olive oil in large bowl; toss. Season with salt and pepper.

Divide greens among plates. Top with fennel, then drape with prosciutto. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds over.

I basically halved the recipe and ended up with about two servings (both of which I ate, oh yum). I also went light on the fennel, primarily because I'd never eaten it before and it frightened me. The most time consuming part of the process by far was the pomegranate (I used instructions found here), so if you plan to whip this up for a party, I would definitely do that part way in advance. The fennel can also be done in advance.  I also used an aged balsamic vinegar because I like a strong vinegary taste, and I really loved how it worked with all the other elements here.

This afternoon, I also decided to make a batch of Nutella Pinwhell Cookies. On the down side, the recipe was wrought with misfortune and took me about a million years from start to finish. On the up side, the cookies are delicious and I now know how to shell and roast hazelnuts! Yay.