How to Make an Omelette Like a Pro

One of my favorite thing to order when I am out for breakfast is omelettes. They come with all kinds of optional ingredients so you can make something unique. I had one a little while back that had chicken sausage, basil, sun dried tomatoes and mozzarella cheese in it and was covered in marinara. I mean there are tons of possibilities. All I can say is experiment with your ingredients. What I will show you here is how to, step by step, assemble the perfect omelette so you can start making these delicious meals without having to go to a restaurant.



1. Dice up all your ingredients that you plan to use for your omelette. For mine I used onions, mushrooms, green peppers and ham.



2. Whisk together 3 eggs, a shot of hot sauce (I used Cholula), black pepper and a tablespoon of milk.



3. In a small saute pan, add 1/2 a tablespoon of butter and cook your omelette's fillings for about 7 - 9 minutes over medium heat.



4. Start this step when your filling is about 1/2 way done. In a medium sized saute pan, heat 1/2 a tablespoon of butter over medium heat then add the egg mixture.



5. Cover the egg mixture with whatever you can. What you are doing here is creating an egg pancake. Flipping this big guy is a pain so if you cover it, the steam will cook the top.



6. After the eggs have been cooking for about 3 - 4 minutes, remove the lip. Lift the edges of your egg pancake and tilt the pan in that direction to allow any uncooked egg to get onto the heat. Do this in 4 different places. Then place cheese on top of the eggs, I used medium cheddar for mine, cover and cook for an additional 2 minutes.



7. Remove from the pan and set in the middle of a plate. Turn off your fillings as well. Now you are ready to assemble.



8. Place your filling on one side of your eggs.



9. Fold the unfilled side over and cover with more cheese. Place in the microwave for 1 minute.



10. Remove from microwave and serve with breakfast potatoes for the which the recipe is below. Enjoy!

** Breakfast Potatoes **



Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 4 russet potatoes, I usually do about 1 per person, cubed
- 1 onion, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- salt and pepper
- cheddar cheese (optional)

The Process
1. In a large cast iron skillet, add the butter and melt over medium heat. Add the potatoes and onions and stir well. Then mix in the garlic powder, garlic salt then season with salt and pepper until it tastes awesome. Preheat over at 350.
2. Cook, stirring occasionally trying to brown the unbrowned sides, for about 25 minutes or until the potatoes are getting soft. Cover with cheese (optional) and set in oven for about 5 minutes. Remove from over.
3. Enjoy!

Mom's Chicken Casserole

Now if you know me you know I don't like using boxed anything. I prefer to find out how to make it from scratch because then I feel like it's my own. However there are certain things that you can't just let go of such as my Mom's casserole. I have tried to reproduce it using non boxed ingredients but it never turns out as good. This stuff is ridiculously good and please don't let the picture scare you, it tastes amazing.

If you have any questions please let me know.

Ingredients
- 5 chicken breasts cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 teaspoons pepper, divided
- 2 boxes of Rice a Roni, Herb and Butter flavor
- 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
- 16 ounces sour cream
- 1/2 pound mushrooms sliced
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

The Process
1. Start cooking the Rice a Roni immediately according to package directions. Then add the oil to a large fry pan and add the chicken and season with garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of the pepper and the salt. Cook until the chicken is done. Strain off the fat and juices and set aside. Combine the cream of mushroom, sour cream and pepper flakes in a bowl and mix well.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. When the Rice a Roni is done it's time to assemble the dish. In a large, greased casserole dish lay the chicken down first, then the uncooked mushrooms, then the rice, then the soup mixture. Place in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes or until you see it bubbling and the top is all golden brown.
3. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Then stir it all up. Serve with some fresh groun pepper on top.
4. Enjoy!

The Arboretum and Party Time

Last weekend was crazy I am not going to lie. On Saturday I had an opportunity to go to the Arboretum over by UW while it wasn't raining 1/2 an inch an hour and take some pictures. That place is amazing. I have never been there and it was a real treat to see all the awesome foliage before it all falls off. Not to mention that place is HUGE!!! It is crazy big and I can't beleive how little I actually saw. I was there for 2+ hours and didn't even scratch the surface. I will be going back this Saturday hopefully if I can get the weather to cooperate.



I also got to go to a friends party that I haven't seen in a long time. Too long to be honest. I ended up seeing a bunch of peeps that I haven't talked to since I can't even remember when. It was so great to see them all and just get after it. I might have time traveled that night.

Anyways check out the pics and let me know what you think.

Direct Link Arboretum
Direct Link Party

Tortilla Soup with Homemade Tortilla Strips

Wait a second did I hear you just say you've never had tortilla soup? Let's put a stop to this madness right now. This is one of those soups that you shouldn't miss. It has tons of chicken, beans, peppers, corn, avocados and of course tortilla strips. You will be licking the bottom of your bowl and probably going back for seconds. It really is that good.

Now if you won't want to make your own stock that's totally cool but I highly recommend it. You get so much more flavor plus you can use the chicken meat for this dish. Kind of a kill 2 birds with 1 stone type of situation. Also you don't have to make your own tortilla strips and if you choose not to, then I suggest blue corn chips as an alternative. Plus I use pasillo chiles and those can be swapped with anything. So can the beans.

If you have any questions please let me know.

Ingredients
- 10 white corn tortillas cut into strips
- peanut oil for frying
- kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon green tobasco
- 1 red onion, diced
- 2 pasillo chiles, stemmed, seeds removed, diced
- 2 jalapenos, stemmed, seeds removed, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 whole chicken, meat removed and shredded
- 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen corn kernals
- 1 14.5 ounce can tomato sauce
- 8 cups good chicken stock found here
- 2 tablespoons chicken base or cubes if using my stock
- 1 tablespoon chile powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 avacados
- 1 cup shredded cheddar
- cilantro, roughly chopped for garnish
- sour cream

The Process
1. In a heavy bottom pot or deep fryer, heat up enough peanut oil to fill up half the pan. When the oil is hot at about 375, add the tortilla pieces and fry the pieces until they are browned stirring to make sure they don't stick. Remove from oil and place on a paper towel to allow the excess oil to drain. Place in a bowl with Tabasco and season with salt and toss well . Set aside.
2. In a large stock pot, add the oil, onion, chilis and garlic over medium high heat and saute, stirring well, for about 8 minutes or until the veggies sweat. Then add the chicken, beans, corn, tomato sauce, chicken stock, (chicken base if needed), chili powder, cumin and mix well. Season with salt and bring to a boil. Reduce to low and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. To serve, place the avocado and fried tortilla pieces in 4 separate bowls. Then ladel the soup into each bowl and cover with cheese, cilantro and a nice scoop of sour cream.
4. Enjoy!

Christian's World Famous Meatballs

Well they might now be world famous but they will be and are pretty damn good if you ask me. Meatballs was one of my all time favorites when I was a kid. Then I kind of went on a vacation so to speak from meatballs for about a decade. Then I started really getting into cooking and realized that meatballs are amazing and I have been missing out. Not to mention that you can do about a hundred different things with these meatballs. I serve them over spagetti, put them on a sandwich or even cram them into a lasagna. The possibilities are endless. Now that I think about it I want to put them in a burrito with tons of cheese and rice.

Anyways you can experiment with this recipe all you want. I know that the traditional method of using eggs for meatballs is 1 egg per pound of meat but I use 2. It seems to keep them softer and more juicy. Also you can experiment with the spices and how you cook them as well. I have seen them put into the sauce raw, deep fried then dropped into the sauce, baked and just put over the noodles then smothered in sauce you can pretty much do whatever you want. You can also make them as big or little as you want.

Hope you like them and please let me know that you think.

Ingredients
- 1 pound ground italian sausage
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 onion grated
- 4 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- a little less than a 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- 7 - 8 cups of quick and easy marinara sauce (recipe below)
- 1 pound spaghetti noodles

The Process
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Combine the sausage, beef, onion, eggs, parm, basil, oregano, pepper, salt, pepper flakes nutmeg, garlic and breadcrumbs in a large bowl and using your hands, mix well (this is my favorite part). Roll into golf ball sized portions and place on an greased, rimmed cookie sheet. Bake for 25 minutes - 30 minutes or until they start to turn brown and the grease has released from the meat ball.
2. While baking the meat balls, heat up the marinara sauce in a large pot over medium heat. When the meatballs are done place them in the sauce and simmer for 1 hour over low heat stirring occasionally.
3. When you have 30 minutes left start your water boiling. When the water is boiling add the noodles and cook until al dente. Strain out the water and return to the heat. Add a 2 ladle fulls of sauce and stir to combine evenly. Remove from heat.
4. To serve place a nest of noodles offset on a plate, then 2 - 3 meatballs, then a big ladle of sauce. Garnish with parsley and parmesan cheese if desired.
5. Enjoy!!!

** Quick and Easy Marinara **
Ingredients
- 1 onion minced
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 2 28 oz cans tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons dried basil

The Process
1. In a medium sauce pot, combine the oil, garlic, onion and red pepper flakes over medium high heat and cook for about 10 minutes. Then add the wine and cook for another 10 minutes or until the wine has bee reduced by half.
2. Add the tomato sauce, parmesan, salt, pepper, sugar, oregano and basil and stir well. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes over medium low heat stirring frequently.
3. Enjoy!

Kalbi Skirt Steak

For those of you who haven't heard of Kalbi before it's the Korean's version of teriyaki and is sometimes referred to as galbi. Just like teriyaki, there are a million different ways to make your marinade. My old coworker used Sprite in her meat soak. No matter who's recipe you find and try out you will find the following 3 ingredients, soy, garlic and sugar. This is one that I have made up from several different methods and recipes that I am really happy with.

A note on soy sauce. Now for my entire life I was using Kikkoman soy sauce because that's pretty much anyone ever had at the stores. When I got with my wife and took her to my Asian store she almost kicked me in the face when she saw me grab a jug of Kikkoman. For those of you who don't know my beautiful wife is from Hawaiian and they only use Aloha soy. So I tried it out. It's super good I am not going to lie but I think that it's more for eating because it's sweeter. So now I use Aloha soy for eating and fried rice but I use Kikkoman for all my marinades and brines.

Anyways check this out and let me know what you think. You can use any kind of protein for this recipe like chicken or pork or even different cuts of steak. The traditional method is using short ribs which look like this but they can be hard to find and sometimes pretty expensive. The only thing I HIGHLY recommend is that this gets cooked on the grill. The char you get is amazing and shouldn't be missed. If you have any questions please shoot me an email.

Ingredients
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pear, peeled, cored and pureed
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1/4 cup mirin
- 2 3 lb skirt steaks
- fried rice found here

The Process
1. Take the garlic and place in a bowl with the brown sugar. Using the bottom of a pint glass or a potato masher, smash these 2 ingredients together until you can really smell the garlic. Then add the soy, pepper, pear puree, sesame oil and mirin and whisk until the sugar has dissolved. Place your 2 steaks in a plastic bag with the marinade and place in the fridge for 2 - 3 days.
2. Remove from the fridge and set aside while you prepare your grill. If using a gas grill set it on high and start it then let it sit. If using charcoal prepare the coals for direct heat. When the grill is hot place the steaks directly over the heat and cook for 3 minutes. Flip and cook for an additional 3 - 4 minutes (this is for medium if you like it rarer take it off sooner if you like it more well done, leave it on longer) then remove from grill and place on a plate and cover with foil and let rest for 10 minutes.
3. Place steaks one at a time on the cutting board and using a very sharp carving knife, cut against the grain about 1/2 an inch thick. Serve with fried rice.
4. Enjoy!

Chicken Picatta

Have you ever had chicken picatta? If you haven't you've been missing out. It's simply a combination of lemons, wine and capers. That's pretty much it. Not to mention that it can be made for 4 people in about 30 minutes or less. You will be amazed at hot quickly you can turn out this killer meal.

If you have never had capers don't fret, they are delicious. What is a caper you ask? It's an unripened flower bud that's brined kind of like a pickle. They give the dish that is heavy on wine and lemon flavors a-whole-nother level. This recipe is pretty straight forward but if you have any questions please feel free to shoot me an email.

Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- all purpose flour for dredging
- salt and pepper
- 6 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 large lemon
- 1 cup white wine
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 1 pound noodles cooked according to package directions
- parmesan cheese

The Process
1. Take each chicken breast and fillet into 2 pieces along it's equator. Season each piece of chicken with salt and pepper then dredge with the flour. Shake off any excess then set on a plate until ready. Start your water boiling for the noodles.
2. Take 4 tablespoons of butter and melt in a large saute pan over medium high. Then add half the chicken pieces to the pan and cook until the down side is golden brown about 4 minutes. Flip and do the same. Remove from heat and set aside then repeat with the other half of the chicken pieces. When all chicken pieces are done return them all to the pan and add the wine. While wine is reducing, take the lemon and cut it on it's equator, the juice the lemon into the pan using your had to catch any seeds. Then just throw the rinds in (don't worry we aren't going to eat those).
3. Throw your noodles into the boiling water. When the wine and juice has reduced by 1/4, add your chicken stock and capers. Let simmer occasionally moving the chicken around to soak up all those juices. Season with salt and pepper. If it's too lemony add a little more chicken stock. When the noodles are done then so should this.
4. To plate add your cooked noodles to a place with 2 pieces of chicken. Ladle a spoonful or 2 of sauce over the noodles and chicken and sprinkle some Parmesan cheese over the top.
5. Enjoy!