4: Turkey & Cheddar Omelet

ALL HAIL THE MIGHTY OMELET!

Seriously, though... I think we can all agree that omelets are awesome.  In fact, here are my top 5 reasons that omelets totally ROCK breakfast or brunch:

1. They are pretty much the easiest "fancy" breakfast
2. The filling possibilities are endless 
3. They can be made as large or small as meets your needs
4. They can be made as light and healthy or as... let's say rich... as you want
5. They impress guests for some reason (unless your guests are some sort of foodie/professional chef... those guys are totally on to your tricks)

Of the 365 different egg recipes I plan to post on this little blog, it wouldn't surprise me if as many as 40 of them end up omelets.  I mean, say you have some eggs and nothing else... Just inspect your pantry and fridge and I pretty much guarantee you'll find something with which you could fill an omelet! 

Here's an example, there is this one pizza place 'round these parts called Fortel's that my husband adores.  I think it's just ok, but getting any deeper into that and I'd have a whole 'nother blog called "365 St. Louis Pizza Reviews."  Anyway, here's the point - This Fortel's place puts GOBS of toppings on their pizza.  I'm talking a 2" layer of sausage, onions, and pepperoni all sitting on top of a thin, St. Louis style pizza.  Not only do I end up brushing a bunch of the toppings off, but almost as much of the toppings fall off into the pizza box as end up in our mouths.  One of the things I do like about getting Fortel's is that the superfluous toppings make awesome omelet filling the next couple days.

That was a pretty long example, but I think you get my point.  Leftover ground beef, fajitas, taco toppings, chili, salsa, tomatoes, or lunch meat can all turn into omelets.  And speaking of lunch meat...

That's how I made THIS omelet!  I had some leftover cheddar cheese from a BLT night I hosted the other night, and personally I think turkey and cheddar are quite the delicious duo.  Luckily for me, I've just recently stocked our supply of lunch meat.

Specifically, I had some roasted turkey from Applegate, a label I'm now obsessed with.  I generally try to stay away from commercially produced meats since I have no way of knowing the animals were processed in a humane way.  Well, I dare you try to avoid commercially produced meat for a week and you'll see how hard it is.  It's especially hard if you loooooove food like I do, and if those foods you love include items such as salami or smoked ham.  So, I was pumped to discover that a grocery store down the street from me carries tons of great items from Applegate, a company that has built their business around natural, humane meats.  Helloooooo, hot dogs!  And it's LOVELY to see you again, turkey bacon!

Back to the omelet...  Like many of my "recipes" this isn't a complicated process.  I start by tearing a couple slices of turkey up into little pieces and throwing them into a small skillet to get them hot and a little golden.

Honestly, the turkey is already cooked, but I like the texture to be a
little firmer.  And heating up the turkey helps the cheese to melt.

Next, I do my whole one-egg omelet scramble.  As I plan on making many omelets for my blog, I'm not going to bore you every single time with my process for scrambling an egg for an omelet.  If you need the recap, check out my very first omelet post, the Havarti, Spinach & Mushroom Omelet.  I should also clear something else up... I do prepare my eggs differently if I'm making an omelet versus scrambling eggs.  The difference is simple - milk.  I only add milk to my eggs when I make omelets, as it helps the one egg cover the bottom of the skillet and it also makes the texture more fluffy.  I prefer my scrambled eggs to be denser and more flavorful since they don't always have all the additions an omelet has to maximize tastiness levels.

Once the egg has set enough to be flipped, I
flip it over to have the hotter side facing up
and add one slice of cheddar cheese.

Then, I sprinkle the hot turkey bits over the
top of the cheese and fold the omelet over.

So, the whole thing is simple really.  I'm not trying to wow you with my culinary prowess.  Eventually I'll be trying to wow you with the shear number of unique egg dishes I've been able to document... but that day is in the very distant future.  In the meantime, my goals are more in the vein of, "have you ever thought of using lunch meat in an omelet?" I think just about any type of sandwich filling would be yummy... I'm on the fence about tuna, but by the time I get to 350 egg recipes, I might be desperate enough to try it.

Behold, the finished product!  Melty cheddar and hot turkey all folded inside a protein dense pocket of tastebud heaven.  Finished off with a healthy sprinkle of salt and pepper of course!  Which reminds me, I've noticed that salt and pepper are enjoying starring roles in all of my egg photos.  That is because salt and pepper are like little flavor angels and bless my food with kisses of divine deliciousness.  I've long said that should my doctor ever tell me I need to lower my sodium intake, I'm likely to give her the meanest stink-eye I can muster and resolve myself to an early death.

Thanks for eyeballing my omelet and I hope you'll join me next time for a tale of two quiches.

Love & Eggs (and salt),

Laura

This egg brought to you by Alabama (she's the gold and white one in the front), my Easter Egger hen who is extremely independent, willful, adventurous, curious and friendly.  She lays lovely, large, light-blue eggs.