Fridays are always a little bit of a stretch for breakfast. I shop the farmers market-- or Feria-- on Fridays, so I'm on my last legs with produce. Thankfully with my six little happy chickens I am always flush with eggs. We did run out of bread and yogurt, so I had to replace those. And Friday lunches are always fun with a bag bursting full of fresh food.
Breakfast: Cheese Omelet and toast, breakfast smoothie
I've recently fallen into omelets. As a kid I would order them at restaurants when we ate out, but I could never finish them. Like a buffet, my eyes would always be bigger than my stomach, and I would load them up with so many things the omelet would become a beast that devoured my plate, and little me had no chance eating enough of the omelet to see the plate again. But now I love nothing more than a three-egg omelete with a little cheddar cheese, split between the two of us. The more manageable size and flavors make for something that is more of a treasure than a task.
Cheese Omelet
Serves 2
1 tbs butter
3 eggs
1 tbs creme fraiche, natilla, or Mexican crema
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup or less grated cheese
In a small bowl, crack eggs and add crema, salt and pepper. Whisk lightly with fork and set aside. Add butter to a cold 8 inch omelet pan or well-seasoned cast iron skillet and place over a medium low flame. When butter is melter, rotate pan to run butter well up the sides all around the pan. Add egg mixture, and let it sit for at least a minute. When sides start to set, run a very thin spatula around the edge, then roll the liquid eggs around the pan. Continue building up the sides like this until the eggs are mostly set. Add cheese to half one side, allow to set for a moment, then fold the other side over the cheese. At this point, I slice the omelet in half with my spatula, and put my half on a plate because I like it goopy. The husband likes it set, so his side stays in the pan for another minute or so.
Serve with buttered toast and breakfast smoothie.
Lunch: Confetti Salad with homemade vinaigrette and sliced pear
The salad here is just a mixture of what I had on hand from the Feria: red and butter lettuce, spinach, shredded carrot, bacon, avocado, tomato and cucumber. Everything was sliced into ribbons.
The salad dressing is just my basic vinaigrette. The recipe changes based on what I have available and whether I feel up to complementing the rest of the meal. I typically just make it pretty basic because I always have leftovers to be used with future meals. But, vinegars can be exchanged for others, as with the oils. Sometimes I go crazy and sub lemon juice for some of the vinegar. Some sweetener should always be used to balance out the acidity of the vinegar, but how much and what kind is up to you. Flavorers like mustard, paprika, herbs, garlic, etc. can always be played around with. What you're looking for are the right proportions, and you'll know it when you taste it.
Makes your tongue curl? More sweetener or more oil
Meh? More vinegar or more salt
Just keep playing with it until you get it right. You may end up with a huge bottle of dressing, but you'll probably use it before it goes bad.
Basic Vinaigrette
Serves 6-8?
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp honey
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil
Add vinegar, mustard, garlic, honey, salt and pepper to a small capped bottle (such as a washed out mustard
bottle) and shake vigorously. Add oil, and shake again. Taste, and adjust flavorings until it's good.
Extra: Buttermilk Oatmeal Sandwich Bread
Dinner: Leftover Pastarole (Pasta Casserole) and Garlic Knots
I made this "pastarole" a few weeks back, but decided to half it and put the other half in the freezer. I won't go into it now, but it was yummy and we enjoyed it thoroughly. Not really the most healthy dish, but sometimes a good mac and cheese will do you better than kale and lentils. I do recommend you make it up sometime.
In anycase, we had it in the freezer, and since I had some bread to bake I thought it would make full use of the oven and toss this guy in for dinner.
The garlic knots, on the other hand, were far more interesting of a task and very delicious. When I made the bread earlier in the day I set aside a little less than a third of the dough to shape into knots.
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