Omelets

eggs (1-3, depending on preference)
pancake batter, 1 tsp. per egg
a dash of water
toppings of choice (we like shredded cheese and cooked ground sausage)

Mix water, eggs and pancake batter. Coat non-stick pan with Pam (or equivalent). Heat to just above medium, but not quite medium high. Pour egg mixture into pan and swirl so that egg mixture is spread over the bottom of the pan evenly and in a circle (so much easier if the pan is circular). Place toppings of choice on one half of the circle. When egg is dry on edges and puffed up, fold in half. Let sit for a few minutes, but watch closely so it doesn’t burn. Then flip over. Once egg is completely cooked, remove from pan and serve (we like them with grits).

WHAT I LEARNED
I had always had a hard time with omelets. But I have finally gotten it down. First, we got me a pan that is specifically for omelets. It is non-stick and the round bottom is perfect for a 2-3 egg omelet. Then I got a spatula that is flexible and very thin, making it easier to slide up under the omelet without tearing the egg. With these, my omelets were getting better, but never right. One day we were at the local IHOP and I was perusing the menu when something caught my eye. They said that they put pancake batter in their omelets! So I tried it the very next day, and after some experimenting have found that it seems to work best to mix in one teaspoon of pancake batter per egg. It makes the omelets puff up so nicely, and they’re LOADS easier to flip now.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

So, my husband, daughter and I LOVE cordon bleu. But buying the premade frozen ones is expensive. And making them from scratch is a pain. Also, I've had a hard time find a recipe that tastes like the store bought ones. Most recipes make heavy use of Swiss cheese, the store bought ones are mozzarella. We have found that we don't like the Swiss cheese because it is so strong tasting, but straight mozzarella is too runny. I found this recipe a while back, and after some tweaking, I think I've found a winner. As the casserole is a bit runny, we serve this in a bowl over mashed potatoes. Yummy and easy!

RECIPE
2 lbs skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size chunks
dry breadcrumbs
1 1/2 cup milk, divided
1 egg
1 cup Swiss cheese, cubed
2 cups mozzarella, cubed
1 cup ham, cubed
1 (10 3/4 ounces) can cream of chicken soup

Mix 1/2 cup of milk with egg. Dredge chicken pieces in egg and milk mixture, then toss with bread crumbs, coating well. Fry chicken lightly (light golden brown). Place chicken in a 9x13 baking dish. Spread ham and cheese over top. Mix soup with remaining milk and pour over casserole. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes, until tender and bubbly.

INVOLVING KIDS IN THE COOKING
This is a fairly easy recipe to let the kids help on. My ten year old cubed the cheeses and ham while I prepared the chicken, cutting the prep time in half.

Rice Crispy Treats

3 tbsp butter
1 pkg (10 oz) regular or 4 cups miniature marshmallows
6 cups rice cereal

In a large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. Add rice cereal and stir well until coated. Using wax paper (side towards treat generously coated w/ cooking spray), evenly press mixture into 13x9 pan (pan also coated w/ cooking spray). Cut and serve.

WHAT I LEARNED
Number one, can you believe I’m 31 and this is my first time making these? Crazy!

But, the main thing I learned is that this stuff is stickier than you expect. Make sure anything that is going to touch the mixture off the stove is well coated with cooking spray.

And the other thing? Apparently, you can melt the butter and marshmallows in the microwave! Just nuke them on high for abt. 3 minutes, stirring after two. Stir until smooth and then mix with cereal and follow above steps. But I’ll admit I enjoyed doing it on the stove and watching the marshmallows melt.

Tortillas

2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
¾ tsp baking powder
3 tbsp lard
2/3 cup warm water

Mix flour, salt and baking powder in bowl. Rub in fat, stir in the water and knead lightly to a soft dough. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rest 15 min. Divide into 12 pieces and shape into balls. Roll out on a floured surface into 6-7in. rounds. Heat a heavy frying pan or griddle, add one tortilla and cook for 1 ½ - 2 minutes, turning over as soon as the surface starts to bubble. It should stay flexible. Remove from the pan and wrap in a towel to keep warm while cooking remaining tortillas.

WHAT I LEARNED
First off, I didn’t know what the recipe meant by rubbing in the fat. So I called mom. And she explained that it was what I used to watch her do while making biscuits. You hold the lard in your hand and pick up the flour mixture, pressing them together between your palm and fingers and letting the mixture slip through your fingers. You do this over and over until all of the lard is evenly distributed. I found it very interesting how easily I could feel the lard breaking up into the flour and find left over clumps to break up.

Second – when rolling out the tortillas, it takes a lot of flower. The dough is fairly sticky and you need the flour to be successful in rolling it out. Make sure you roll the dough very thin, almost translucent. Otherwise your tortillas will puff up more like a pita.

Third – don’t think you can roll one tortillas out and cook it, then roll out a second and cook it, etc. Roll them all out at once, and then start cooking. The reason is very simple. Your pan is going to be very hot and there is loose powder on the tortillas after rolling them out. If you let the pan sit in between tortillas for any amount of time, the loose flour left behind burns and will get on your next tortilla (and make the house stink).

Last – don’t coat your pan with any non-stick agent, like Pam. It will cause your tortilla to fry instead of bake, making it stiff and tough instead of soft and flexible. Don’t’ worry about your tortillas sticking. They are fairly dry and cooking hot and fast, I didn’t have any problem with them sticking in a pan that is horrid for cooking eggs.