Every cook must have a great omelet recipe. There’s just no getting around it. Before you approach the recipe, however, you need to make sure you have a perfect pan. My favorite pan for omelets is the Giada De Laurentiis for Target 12″ Stainless Steel Nonstick Sauté Pan. You can find Giada’s outstanding line of pans, dishes, and more at Target or Target.com. I’ve used countless pans over the years for omelets and omelet recipes – this pan is, simply put, the best.
Go to Target. Buy the pan. Be an Omelet rock star.
Three Cheese Omelets Recipe
I recently bought a bag of Kraft 3 Cheese Crumbles for poking cheese into burgers before my husband grilled them (along with garlic, but that’s another post!). I had some cheese crumbles left over the next morning, which was surprising given the way I was noshing on them straight from the bag.
I decided to use them in a couple of omelets and the results were cheesy and spectacular. I strongly recommend using this 3 cheese blend in your next omelet recipe. Below is my favorite.
2 teaspoons butter (it’s better than margarine for egg recipes) 2 large eggs, beaten (cage-free eggs – and be sure they’re safe)
Heat butter in a great omelet pan or skillet on medium-high heat. You want the butter to melt but you don’t want it brown. As the butter melts, tilt the pan to coat the bottom.
Quickly pour the beaten eggs into the pan. As you slide the pan rapidly back and forth over the heat, stir the eggs with a fork to ensure that they spread across the bottom of the pan and begin to thicken.
Let stand over heat a few seconds to lightly brown the bottom of the omelet. DO NOT OVERCOOK. Remember, eggs continue to cook after they’re removed from the heat and an omelet will continue to cook after it’s folded.
Sprinkle some of the cheese crumbles (about 1/4 cup) onto one side of the omelet’s surface.
Tilt the pan and run a fork or narrow spatula under edge of omelet and move the pan in a jerking motion to loosen the eggs from the bottom of the pan. Fold the omelet over the melting cheese… what a beautiful sight… and remove to a warm plate.
Needless to say, you can also experiment with a variety of other omelet fillings:
chopped ham
chopped onions
chopped green pepper
chopped jalapeno
chopped red pepper
mushrooms
leftover steamed asparagus, chopped (delicious)
There are endless options and combinations – but every now and then a gloriously plain and simple cheese omelet is where it’s at. Especially if you get jazzy with the cheese. Give Kraft’s 3 Cheese Blend Crumbles a shot – you’ll love them.
My youngest daughter (Stephany) and her boyfriend (Rusty) got me a Black & Decker Family-size Electric Griddle last Christmas and I’ve used it nearly every day since. Bacon, grilled cheese, fried eggs, hamburgers, veggie burgers, French toast, pancakes, garlic bread – you name it, my beloved griddle and I whip it up.
It came in handy last night with our spaghetti supper. Stephany and I made a killer spaghetti sauce and we very much wanted garlic bread to accompany the meal. However, with our part of Kentucky registering in the late 90s and early 100s the past couple of weeks, we didn’t really want to heat the kitchen up with the oven.
So we heated the griddle, sliced the loaf, buttered and seasoned the slices and grilled them on the convenient, non-kitchen-heating-up griddle. Truth be told, even when the weather isn’t so intensely hot, I still prefer making my garlic bread on the griddle. It makes the outsides crunchy (if you leave it log enough) and golden brown while allowing the inside of the bread to stay soft, warm, and delicious.
The Black & Decker Family-size Electric Griddle has an extra large cooking surface for family-size meals but, frankly, I’d want this size even if it were just my husband and I. In fact, there have been times when we were the only two at home for breakfast, lunch, or supper and I’ve used my griddle. I love the convenience of cooking the bacon, eggs, and toast all in one place.
It makes clean-up so much easier!
I made myself a slice of cinnamon toast this morning and, like the garlic bread last night, using the griddle instead of the toaster left me with toast that was crunchy on the outside while remaining a little bit soft on the inside. Never underestimate a slice of warm cinnamon toast with a cup of hot coffee – an excellent way to start the day. What IS it about the aroma and flavor of cinnamon that’s so comforting and relaxing?
The Black & Decker Family-size Electric Griddle has something else that I love muchly – a warming tray. I use the warming tray to heat buns while cooking burgers or hot dogs. Nothing, I mean nothing, beats toasty buns. The warming tray is also handy for keeping silver dollar or medium-sized pancakes warm while the rest finish cooking.
A removable drip tray collects unwanted oils for easy cleaning and I’m not even gonna lie, I’m all about easy cleaning.
I also use my electric griddle for heating tortillas for soft tacos, burritos, and wraps. All it takes is a few seconds on each side and the tortillas are perfectly warm and soft – just like they are in restaurants.
As I’ve said a gazillion times, a cook is only as good as the kitchen gadgets, appliances, quality ingredients, pots, pans, and equipment he/she surrounds themself with. The Black & Decker Family-size Electric Griddle is one of the best tools you can have in your arsenal.
I’m a total fruit fanatic and can never have enough fruit on hand. It’s healthy, delicious, fragrant, and a bowl of fruit (nature’s dessert) just makes a whole room look more attractive.
Below is one of my favorite recipes for fruit salad. Feel free to experiment with different fruits, but don’t even think about leaving out the peaches.
Fresh Fruit Salad Recipe
2 Peaches
2 Apples
2 Nectarines
2 cups Strawberries
1 cup Red Seedless Grapes
1 cup White Seedless Grapes
2 Bananas
1 pkg. Peach Glaze
3 Tbs. Honey
3 Tbs. Lemon Juice
Use fresh fruit – very important! Slice and place the fruit combination into a large bowl. Combine the peach glaze, honey, and lemon juice. Pour over fruit and mix gently but well.
Keep refrigerated and just TRY not to eat it all at once! I kid you now when I say this can easily pass for dessert.
I was recently sent a new kitchen gadget to review – which means I’ve been walking a little straighter, smiling a little more, and continually humming, “What a Wonderful World.”
Yeah, this gal loves kitchen gadgets.
The source of the humming this time around is the Amco Tomato Slicer. Ingenious!
We eat a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot of tomatoes – year round, really, but never more so than during the summer. We eat the ones from our own garden and we buy regularly from local farmers’ trucks. Our farmers and their families feed our country and tend our land – the least we can do is buy from them on a regular basis.
We also love cheese in our home – so a Tomato Mozzarella Slicer was a perfect fit for our kitchen.
It’s fantastic! I’ve used it for red tomatoes, green tomatoes, and mozzarella. It keeps my hands clean and gives my knives a day off. Giving knives a vacation day is just a good managerial strategy – keeps them sharp, you know.
My oldest daughter (Emily) has a fierce allergy to touching tomatoes – her hands break out when she comes into contact with the juices. This kitchen gadget would be ideal for anyone with such an allergy. They could slice tomatoes for their family and give hydro-cortisone the day off as well.
The Tomato Mozzarella Slicer creates uniform, attractive tomato slices for sandwiches, burgers, and salads. It also allows you to slice green tomatoes perfectly for fried green tomatoes – a staple in my kitchen.
Here’s a fresh, quick, delicious, and easy recipe to try for a change of pace from traditional salads:
Quick & Easy Tomato Mozzarella Salad
Slice a couple of tomatoes and a ball of mozzarella. Lie them on a platter in an attractive manner – fanning them out mozzarella, tomato, mozzarella, tomato, etc. Then drizzle (or mist) lightly with extra virgin olive oil. Now, sprinkle fresh basil over the mozzarella and tomatoes. Outstanding!
This type of quick salad is as healthy as it is good – it adheres to the basics of the Mediterranean Diet, which is always a great way to eat. It’s perfect served alongside soup, spaghetti, lasagna, manicotti, or any Italian recipe you can think of. It also makes a healthy snack for watching television or playing games.
Product Description for this Kitchen Gadget
Slice tomatoes into uniform 1/4-inch thick slices with one easy motion. Create perfect slices every time for hamburgers, sandwiches, salads and more. Simply position tomato in holder, center slicing blades above tomato and press down. Slicer can even cut mozzarella for perfect caprese salad. ABS with stainless steel blades. By Amco. With unique, patented kitchen products Amco’s devotion to innovation has driven new industry standards and redefined categories. They continue to revolutionize the market with ingenious gadgets that simplify and enhance the culinary experience. With a team of in-house designers whose sole purpose is to conceptualize and design new kitchen tools, Amco continues to be at the forefront of innovative, efficient and timeless kitchenware products.
Woman’s Day is one smart publication. They know that when the temperatures climb, the last place people want to be is in front of the stove for hours each night. In the newest issue of Woman’s Day,they’re featuring recipes that don’t require cooking.
Ironic, isn’t it that on a blog called Get Cooking, I’m posting about Not Cooking?! Well… one night a week isn’t going to hurt anyone, right? Shhh, we just won’t tell.
The recipes in the issue include the No Cooking Required recipe below, Southwestern Shrimp. Delicious!
No Cooking Recipes: Southwestern Shrimp
1 lb large peeled cooked shrimp
1 cup diced jicama
1⁄2 cup mild salsa (preferably refrigerated fresh)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1⁄3 cup chopped cilantro
1⁄4 tsp ground cumin
1 ripe avocado, sliced
Serve with: warm corn or flour tortillas, lime wedges
Recipe Preparation
1. Put shrimp, jicama, salsa, oil, cilantro and cumin in a medium bowl; toss to mix.
2. Add avocado; gently toss to mix. Roll up in warm tortillas if desired. Serve with lime wedges.
Mix brown sugar, cornstarch, egg yolks (save the whites for the meringue) and milk. Cook on medium heat until thick, add vanilla and margarine. Pour into a baked pie shell.
Meringue: Beat egg whites, then add sugar and the marshmallow creme.
Cover the pie with the meringue and bake in oven at 375 degrees until browned.
My husband and I saw Rachael Ray make these beans on a recent episode of 30 Minute Meals and I knew I’d have to take them for a test run. I’m always on the lookout for new bean recipes as well as recipes that utilize the herbs in our herb garden. This one uses a personal favorite herb, rosemary.
Add the fact that I absolutely, positively love myself some Rachael Ray and I knew it’d be a can’t miss.
My husband didn’t know quite what to make of the rosemary in these beans – but I think it’s the best part. He liked them but he said he’d like to try them sometime without the rosemary.
If you have the ingredients on hand, these would make an exceptional side dish for your Fourth of July meal – or any meal, for that matter.
Rachael Ray’s Red White Beans Recipe
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium to large onion, chopped
2 sprigs rosemary, leaves finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 cup chicken stock
2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained
Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, rosemary and salt and pepper, to taste. Cook the onions until sweet and soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste for 1 minute. Add the stock, then stir in the beans and reduce heat to low. Adjust seasoning and turn out into a serving bowl. Keep warm until ready to serve.
A gourmet version of tortilla soup, this rustic version is actually thickened with finely diced pieces of corn tortilla that break down as the stew simmers. It’s also a great way to utilize leftover chicken, which makes it a standard on my rotation of Soupe du Jour in my restaurant. There’s always leftover chicken laying around!
1 rotisserie chicken, shredded off the bone
8 c chicken stock
1 onion, diced
6 cloves garlic
1 green bell, diced
1 rib of celery, diced
2 T chili powder
1 T ground cumin
1/2 c tomato puree
1 large tomato, diced
1 T oregano
5 corn tortilla finely minced
1/2 tsp red pepper
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 c cilantro, chopped
In a large stock pot over a medium-high heat, bring the shredded chicken, stock, onion, garlic, bell pepper, and celery to a gentle simmer. Once simmering, add all of the other ingredients except for salt, pepper, and cilantro.
Once the tortilla has begun to break down and thicken the stew (about 30 minutes), season to your tastes with salt and pepper. Garnish with the chopped cilantro.
Nobody Better Lay a Finger on My Corn Fritter
Makes 15-20 fritters
Beautiful little side dishes, but I usually put them in bread baskets along with the rolls at my restaurants. The corn is sweet and juicy inside this fluffy pan fried biscuit. The kids will eat with butter and the adults will dip it in the soup, but everyone will be all over this moist and flavorful fritter.
3-1/2 c all purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1 T sea salt
5 eggs
2/3 c whole milk
3-3/4 c yellow corn kernels, canned or defrosted, but well drained
2 T butter, melted plus more for frying
Preheat your oven to 500 degrees. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in large bowl. Add the eggs, milk, corn and melted butter and fold until completely moistened. Don’t worry, it’s supposed to be lumpy!
Place a large sauté pan over a medium heat. Add just enough melted butter to cover the bottom of the pan, and drop corn batter by tablespoon full into the hot butter. Fry until brown on both sides, and transfer to a baking sheet to bake at 500 degrees for 5 minutes once all the fritters have been fried. Cool slightly before serving.
Make no Mistake Coffee Cake
Makes approximately 18 pieces
Whether for brunch, dessert, or coffee table edible décor for company, this is a fool proof classic. It mixes together easily, looks beautiful, and tastes a buttery and divine. I’ve served it as a complimentary table gift at brunch serves, but my good friend and wonderful pastry chef friend, Tsuki, makes it for her family all the time.
Cake:
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter, unsalted, room temperature
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
3 cups all purpose flour
1 T Baking powder
1 cup milk, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
Filling:
1-1/2 cups brown sugar
1 T Cinnamon
4 T Butter
4 T all purpose flour
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9 x 13-inch disposable pan with pan spray.
Make certain that the butter is a soft, room temperature to make sure it creams easily. Using a whisk cream the butter, sugar, and salt together until they become light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time.
Sift the remaining dry ingredients into a clean bowl or plate using a fine wire strainer. Fold in half of the dry ingredients to the cake batter and then half of the milk and vanilla. Repeat with the last of the dry and wet. Combine the filling ingredients in a separate container.
In prepped pan layer add 1/2 cake batter, sprinkle 1/2 filling, and then the other 1/2 of the cake batter. Carefully spread the batter evenly with a spoon or spatula, trying to keep the filling in place. Sprinkle remaining filling over the top.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes and serve.
Rhubarb Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend
Makes approximately 18 pieces
Use the same bowl for the crust and the filling with this recipe, rather than making multiple dishes for washing. This is also a crazy adaptable recipe. Substitute berries or any other fruit that is in season for the rhubarb, or even 1/2 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice and 3 tablespoons of lemon zest to make a traditional lemon bar. Feel free to dust them with powdered sugar using a fine mesh strainer, but I don’t feel the distraction is needed.
Crust:
2 c flour
3/4 c sugar
1 c butter at room temperature
Filling:
5 eggs
1-1/2 c sugar
1/2 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
4 c rhubarb, medium dice
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, work the flour, sugar and soft butter together until a soft dough ball forms. Press this dough evenly into the bottom of a 9×11 baking dish and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Work quickly because this filling works best if poured over the crust while it’s hot from the oven. Simply whisk together the filling ingredients in the same bowl that you made the crust.
Pour over the piping hot crust and put back in the oven for 45 minutes or until golden brown and set. When cool, cut into desired shapes, but I prefer diamond shapes. They stack just as well as squares, but look far more striking to the eye.
For more recipes like these, order Gourmet Meals in Crappy Little Kitchens by Chef Jennifer Schaertl today. This is one of the funnest cookbooks you’ll ever use. Again and again and again…
This Picante Chicken recipe is a regular in our household. Not only do we love chicken, we’re crazy wild about picante sauce. I made egg omelet breakfast burritos not long ago and they were good without picante sauce, but outstanding when the red deliciousness was added.
This picante chicken recipe is extremely easy – almost as easy as it is delicious. I’m certain it’ll become a favorite in your house as well.
Picante Chicken
Yield: 4 servings
4 chicken breast halves (boneless and skinless)
1 16 oz jar Pace Picante Sauce
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 Tablespoon mustard
Salt and Pepper
fresh cilantro, optional
Salt and pepper the chicken and place it into a greased baking dish.
Combine the Picante sauce, the brown sugar, and the mustard. Pour the sauce mixture over the chicken. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for about 35 minutes – or until chicken juices run clear. Serve a little fresh cilantro on the side and/or snip a little over the picante chicken.
Dinner Idea: Serve the picante chicken with fresh corn on the cob and rice or a tossed salad and hominy.
One of my most beloved people to ever walk the planet (she’s still walking it and doing so in style) is my aunt Penny. She’s one of the people responsible for my odd sense of humor, obsession with coffee, extreme love of animals, and killer passion for cooking. She’s a great little cook but she once blew it big time with a cherry pie.
Crust? Perfect.
Presentation? Lovely.
Cherries? Unpitted.
It’s only by the grace of God she didn’t crack a few teeth. He looks after people like Penny and me.
Needless to say, we’ll never let her forget that. Below is a deliciously simple and simply delicious Cherry Pie recipe that’ll wow your household. Just be sure to pit the cherries, okay?
As-Easy-As “Bing” Cherry Pie Recipe
Bottom Crust: (9 inch) refrigerated pie crust in oven-safe aluminum pie pan
Pie Filling: 5 cups fresh California Bing cherries, pitted, 1 cup sugar, and 1 Tablespoon tapioca flour
Crumb Topping: 1/2 cup regular rolled oats, 1/4 cup white sugar, 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon butter – melted, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp salt
Vanilla ice cream (optional)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Remove the refrigerated pie crust from its wrapper.
Pit the fresh California Bing cherries. You may wish to use a simple cherry pitting tool (available at most grocery stores) and wear an apron to protect your clothes from juice spatter.
Combine the pitted cherries in a bowl with sugar and tapioca flour. Mix well and spoon into the prepared pie crust.
Combine the crumb topping ingredients in a small bowl and mix until evenly distributed and crumbly. Sprinkle over the top of the filling.
Place in the oven and bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 325 degrees F and bake for another 30 to 40 minutes until bubbly and browned on top. Allow to cool to room temperature.
. Ingenious!
by Chef Jennifer Schaertl. (You can read 
