Baked/Steamed Potatoes on the Grill

I love potatoes.  There.  I said it.  I keep trying to qualify them as a vegetable when we have dinner but my wife won't let me (if I could, I might be able to sneak two different types into my meals - baked and mashed, fried and scalloped - my idea of heaven!).

Finished meal - corn on the cob roasted on the grill,
potatoes, grilled zucchini, chicken and pork chops

Tonight I wanted to take advantage of the wonderful weather and use the grill - and I had already brined pork chops, chicken and even some tofu for my wife so the grill was going to be used anyway so it became a "potatoes on the grill" night (actually, we really DON'T have potatoes all that often which is probably one of the reasons I always crave them so much).

This is something I came up with a long time ago to make cooking potatoes on the grill quick and easy. I think they do a combination of steaming AND baking this way and when you take them off the grill you don't have to do anything else to them (maybe a bit of salt, pepper and butter, depending upon your tastes but they really don't need it).

If you try this, let me know in the comments and tell me what you think!

Baked/Steamed Potatoes on the Grill

Ingredients

Potatoes after being cut and onion
added between slices of potato.

• 2 - 10 russet or white potatoes (how many do you want to feed? how much do they like potatoes? how big are the potatoes? for four of us, I did about 10 small/medium potatoes and we had plenty of leftovers)
• 1 small/medium/large onion, sliced thin (the size of the onion you use will depend on how many potatoes you use - and how much you like onions!)
• olive oil - enough to drizzle over the top of the potatoes
• seasonings to sprinkle over the top - use whatever you like.  I generally use garlic powder, Lawry's seasoning salt and some freshly ground rosemary, but anything you like will work

Directions

1. Preheat your grill - if using gas, just turn on all the burners (once it's lit) and close the lid.  If you are using charcoal, once it's lit and burning well, put the cover on to let it get good and hot.  You want to leave an area large enough for the pouch to NOT have a fire directly beneath it, so either a "U" shape or coals on only half of the grill usually works well
2. In the meantime, start preparing the potatoes. Tear off a strip of aluminum foil. Size should be determined by how many potatoes you are cooking. This piece is just for the potatoes to rest on, so size accordingly
3. Spray the side of the foil facing you with non-stick cooking spray
4. Slice potatoes into approx 1/2 inch slices
5. Place potatoes on the foil where it was sprayed
6. Put slices of onion between each slice of potato. You can do this every other slice - or any other way you like depending entirely upon how much onion you have and how much you like onion.  I've also done this with garlic, but you have to be VERY careful how much you use or it can quickly become overpowering (and we LOVE garlic)
7. Drizzle olive oil over the potatoes but be careful not to drown them with it.  If you have an infused olive oil, it works wonders for the flavor. You can use pats of butter here instead if you like
8. Sprinkle whatever spices you want over the top of the potatoes 
9. Tear another piece of foil the same size as the first.  Spray one side of it with the non-stick spray.  Place the side with the spray on it over the potatoes and fold all four sides up to make a packet
10. Place the foil packet of potatoes on the grill.  If using a gas grill, turn off a burner to make sure that one area doesn't have a fire underneath it (that will burn the potatoes on the bottom)
11. If you have a way to tell the temperature in the grill, ideally keep it around 350-400 degrees and let it go for an hour.  You don't need to move it or turn it - just let it sit and let the grill work its magic
12. Carefully remove onto a plate or cookie sheet



Potatoes surrounded by grilled corn on the cob.  Serve
potatoes directly out of the foil or transfer to a serving dish

13. Open (be careful - it's hot!), serve and enjoy! 

Vegan/Vegetarian Goulash

I grew up having goulash on a fairly regular basis.  It was cheap, simple to make and it tasted good. Coming from a family of seven, that was important.

Goulash - or as they sometimes call it here in
New England,  American Chop Suey

I've since learned that there are LOTS of different types of goulash.  I also learned when I moved to New England that some folks here call it "American chop suey".  I'm betting there are lots of names for it that I've never heard of, but the important piece goes back to the "cheap, simple to make and tastes good" part.

In the past, I've always made this with a combination of hamburger and sweet italian sausage.  Since my wife recently went back to being a vegetarian, I frequently cook two versions of meals but this time I decided to just cook one and see if my kids could even tell the difference.

They couldn't.  Neither could I.  Generally, I can definitely tell the difference - I may like the vegetarian/vegan version of something, but I can tell them apart.  This time I really couldn't.  It tasted like the version I make with real meat.

If you're entertaining someone that doesn't eat meat, this would be a great option for everyone at the table.  If one of your guests needs gluten-free meals, you could quite easily accommodate them as well by using gluten-free pasta.

I'll warn you ahead of time that although I'm using only a pound of pasta and that doesn't sound like much, this makes a LOT.  Feel free to cut back and make less. There were four of us eating and we had enough left for easily three more meals.

Also, many of the ingredients in this recipe I mark as "optional".  They truly are.  This particular recipe reflects my tastes but don't be afraid to change it however you'd like to meet YOUR tastes and those of your family.  There are no right or wrongs - just season to your tastes and it will be perfect!

Ingredients

• 1 pound elbow macaroni 
• 1 package Boca ground crumbles (Boca brand is vegan - most others I've looked at are vegetarian but not vegan.  Use whichever brand you prefer)
• 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped (optional - we don't care for them in our house, but I know lots of folks like them)
• 1 small onion, chopped 
• 1 (28-ounce) jar spaghetti sauce (if you make your own sauce, awesome - if not, any kind of sauce you like will work just fine)
• 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (I generally get the ones with basil and garlic - any kind you like is fine)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
• basil leaves, chopped (optional)
• oregano leaves, chopped  (optional)
• 1 tbsp olive oil (preferably garlic infused)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder 
• 2 tbsp italian sausage seasoning (optional - we buy this from Penzey's Spices)
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

1. Following package directions, prepare the macaroni and set aside
2. Pour the jar of sauce and the tomatoes into a large pan, stir and heat up (if you like your goulash a bit more "saucey", feel free to add more than one jar of sauce)
3. While the sauce is heating, add the olive oil to a skillet then add the onions (and peppers, if using them) and saute until they are just starting to brown (approximately five minutes).  Just before they are finished, add the minced garlic (you don't want to add it too early or it could burn)
4. Add the Boca crumbles in with the onions and garlic.  If they are still frozen, you'll have to heat them for a few minutes to let them thoroughly heat up.  If they are thawed, it will only take a minute or two to get them heated up.
5. Add the crumbles/onions mixture to the sauce.
6. Add in any seasonings you may want to use (garlic powder, salt pepper, basil leaves, oregano, etc.) and stir well (we LOVE the italian sausage seasoning that you get at Penzey's.  They have hot or sweet and I think using it in this dish adds a LOT of flavor)
7. Mix this all together, then add in the macaroni and stir well.
8. When it's all finished, it should look something like the picture above.  
9. Let it simmer for a few minutes so the flavors have time to come together.
10. Serve with your favorite vegetables and garlic bread and enjoy!

Butterbeer! (the frozen kind)

We were in Orlando last week and went to Disney and Universal.  It was very hot, very hectic and a lot of fun.  The inner nerd in me has to admit that my favorite part was the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal's Islands of Adventure.  My favorite part of THAT was the butterbeer.  I've been having withdrawals from it since I left the park!

Homemade Frozen Butterbeer!

If you've read the books (or been there) you know what it is. If not, I'm going to tell you how to make a reasonable facsimile at home. Since you'll have the the recipe and know how to make it, you'll never have to go through that cruel withdrawal process like I did!

(Frozen) Butterbeer!

• 2 liter bottle of cream soda
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 jar of butterscotch ice cream topping

1. Fill an ice tray (or muffin tins, or small plastic cups, etc) with the cream soda
2. Let freeze until solid (ours took about three hours)
3. Remove from freezer and put "cream soda ice" into a blender (it's important to have a blender that will chop ice well)
4. How much you use will depend upon how much you want to make at any given time.  If you're making enough for one person, three or four cubes may be enough.  If it's for a group, the entire tray (and maybe more) will be used
5. Add cream soda (unfrozen) to the blender along with some of the butterscotch topping (again, how much you use depends on how many you're making this for AND your tastes.  Use more butterscotch if you want it a bit sweeter and more or less soda depending upon how thick you want it)

For the topping

Butterbeer in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter

1. Just before you're ready to start the blending process above, make the topping
2. Beat the heavy cream until it's just starting to thicken. You don't want it as thick as whipped cream - you want it to be more the consistency of beer foam
3. Add a bit of the butterscotch topping as you're beating the cream.  Again, how much will depend entirely upon your taste.  I would start out with just a little to get a light butterscotch flavor and add more if you want it sweeter (I didn't measure, but I'm guessing I used between 1/4 and a 1/3 cup).

Pour the frozen butterbeer into a cup and top with the whipped cream.  

You can drink it with or without a straw.  If you don't use the straw, it will give you a nice 'stache just like at the park!

Enjoy!!!

Pork Tenderloin "Marcata" (and a vegetarian version!)

Pork "Marcata" with green beans,
cantaloupe, bread and oil for dipping!

My wife and I both love marsala AND piccata.  Since we enjoy both I figured that we'd like the two combined, so awhile back, I came up with a mashup of the two.

Now that my wife is vegetarian, I made a vegetarian version (you could easily make this vegan by using tofu instead of the Quorn naked chicken cutlets specified in the recipe and not using butter).  And since I've never had it with pork, I decided it was time to try that as well (you can also make it with chicken or veal).

We aren't fans of capers at our house so I left them out but feel free to add them if you'd like (you'll see them in the ingredients list).

Last month I posted a recipe called "Rosemary-Citrus Chicken (or Tofu)" and you'll find the two very similar - I used this recipe as the basis for that.

Vegetarian version using Quorn "naked cutlets"

The pork version is first - scroll down for the vegetarian version.

If you try it, let me know what you think in the comments.  

Pork Tenderloin "Marcata" (scroll down for Vegetarian version)

Ingredients

• 1 pound thinly sliced pork tenderloin
• 1 cup flour
• 3-4 tbsp butter
• olive oil for browning
• 2 small shallots or 1/2 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup marsala wine
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 cup portobello mushrooms sliced thin (feel free to use another variety of mushroom or omit them if you don't like them)
• 1/4 cup brined capers, rinsed (optional - we don't use them but I know lots of folks that love them)

Directions

Pork simmering with other ingredients

1. Sprinkle spices of your choice over pork slices (I use garlic powder, dried ground rosemary, dried basil, oregano, seasoned salt and fresh ground pepper - very lightly).
2. Dredge seasoned pork through flour on both sides and let sit while heating oil.
3. Heat olive oil (I use a garlic or rosemary-infused oil) and butter over medium high heat in heavy bottomed pan.  I prefer to use something other than a non-stick pan for this.  Stainless steel works well.
4. Cook pork until it's golden brown on both sides (add additional oil/butter if necessary).
5. Remove pork from pan and add shallots/onions and mushrooms (if you choose to use them).
6. Cook shallots/onions and mushrooms in the same pan you used for the pork - if necessary add additional oil/butter.
7. Add minced garlic to the onions and mushrooms for about one to two minutes (long enough to cook but not to burn).
8. When the garlic, onions and mushrooms are ready, add the wine (both the white wine and the marsala).  Scrape the bottom of the pan to get all of the "good stuff" that may be stuck there and then reduce the wine by half.
9. Add the chicken broth, lemon juice and capers (if using them) and bring to a boil.
10. Put the pork back in the pan.
11. Continue cooking over medium heat until the sauce starts to thicken.  You may also thicken the juices with a water/cornstarch slurry if you'd like.

Quorn Meatless "Chicken Marcata"

Ingredients

Quorn "naked cutlets" browning

• 1 package (4 pieces) Quorn "naked cutlets" (these are vegetarian, but NOT vegan.  You could easily substitute a block of firm or extra firm tofu, sliced about 1/2 inch thick for the Quorn patties)
• 1 cup flour
• 3-4 tbsp butter (omit if you are using tofu and want the dish to be vegan)
• olive oil for browning
• 2 small shallots or 1/2 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup marsala wine
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 cup portobello mushrooms sliced thin (feel free to use another variety of mushroom or omit them if you don't like them)
• 1/4 cup brined capers, rinsed (optional - we don't use them but I know lots of folks that love them)

Directions

Quorn "naked cutlets" simmering
with other ingredients

1. I find that the spices stick a little better if the Quorn patties are partially thawed.  If they are frozen, you can dip them in milk to help the spices and flour stick better.
2. Sprinkle spices of your choice over Quorn patties (I use garlic powder, dried ground rosemary, dried basil, oregano, seasoned salt and fresh ground pepper - very lightly).
3. Dredge seasoned patties through flour on both sides and let sit while heating oil.
4. Heat olive oil (I use a garlic or rosemary-infused oil) and butter over medium high heat in heavy bottomed pan.  I prefer to use something other than a non-stick pan for this.  Stainless steel works well.
5. Cook patties until they are golden brown on both sides (add additional oil/butter if necessary).
6. Remove patties from pan and add shallots/onions and mushrooms (if you choose to use them).
7. Cook shallots/onions and mushrooms in the same pan you used for the patties - if necessary add additional oil/butter.
8. Add minced garlic to the onions and mushrooms for about one to two minutes (long enough to cook but not to burn).
9. When the garlic, onions and mushrooms are ready, add the wine (both the white wine and the marsala).  Scrape the bottom of the pan to get all of the "good stuff" that may be stuck there and then reduce the wine by half.
10. Add the vegetable broth, lemon juice and capers (if using them) and bring to a boil.
11. Put the patties back in the pan.
12. Continue cooking over medium heat until the sauce starts to thicken.  You may also thicken the juices with a water/cornstarch slurry if you'd like.

Serve over egg noodles or rice and enjoy!

Tacos - beef, chicken or vegetarian/vegan (in 30 minutes!)

Beef tacos

We just got home from a week in Orlando with friends and family.  As you can imagine, it was a fairly hectic, rushed (incredibly fun) week.

We have a timeshare there so we always make sure that we have a place with a kitchen.  It's important to us to still have a couple of meals together at "home" when we are vacationing for many reasons, not the least of which is that it's a lot less expensive (and tastes better) if we do.

It is also important when we choose these meals that they be relatively quick and easy to prepare simply because you are working with less than ideal pans/knives/etc.

I'm explaining all of this just to say that this recipe is easy.  It fits our criteria for a vacation meal that we are preparing: everyone likes it, it's inexpensive and simple to prepare but tastes great.

I actually made both chicken and beef tacos while we were in Florida this week but when I'm at home I frequently also make vegetarian/vegan tacos as well for my wife. I'm going to include recipes for all three here but much of the recipe will be the same whichever one(s) you decide to make.

The other adults that were there with us this week liked them so much they asked me for the recipe so I think I can safely say it was a hit!

TACOS

• 1 pkg taco seasoning
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 bottle salsa (whatever type you like - I generally get whatever's on sale and mild, but any kind will work)
• chili powder (to taste - optional)
• garlic powder (to taste - optional)
• cumin (to taste - optional)
• salt (to taste - optional)
• pepper (to taste - optional)
• Taco shells (you can use hard or soft - we always do both because different folks in the house have different preferences)

TOPPINGS   These are all optional.  This is the fun part, especially for the kids.  They get to build their own tacos, using whatever toppings you have (and whatever ones they like)

• tomato (diced)
• onion (chopped fine)
• lettuce (shredded thin)
• shredded cheese
• sour cream
• salsa
• taco sauce
• guacamole
• avocado
• refried beans

VARIATIONS

• 1 1/2 pounds hamburger for beef tacos   OR
• 1 whole chicken for chicken tacos, cut up (you can use all dark or all white instead if you prefer)  OR
• 1-2 packages frozen Boca ground crumbles for vegetarian/vegan (Boca is the brand that I know is vegan, but use whatever brand you like).  I say 1-2 packages simply because it depends on how many people you are trying to feed

DIRECTIONS

Beef

1. Brown hamburger
2. Just before the hamburger is done, add the onions and garlic and cook until they turn soft
3. Drain the hamburger

Chicken

The shredded chicken

1. Add enough water to a large pan to just cover the chicken by at least half an inch
2. Bring the water to a boil
3. Turn down to a simmer and let cook for one hour
4. Remove the chicken until cool
5. Once cooled, remove the the chicken from the bones, being careful to get ALL of the small bones out
6. Shred the meat  (if you want great chicken stock, put the bones back in the water you just used, and cook, covered, for another couple of hours.  You can add any herbs/seasonings you like to it - I generally use bay leaf and garlic powder.  At this point, if you wanted a heartier stock, you could also add some carrots and celery to it.  After it's cooked for a couple of hours, strain it, and you have some awesome stock!)  You can cook the chicken a day or two before you actually make the tacos - that's what I did to save some time.  If you do this, just keep it in the refrigerator until you're ready to use it.
7. Add a small amount of olive oil to a skillet and cook the onions and garlic until just getting soft, then add the shredded meat
8. The chicken has obviously been cooked at this point, so just heat it until it's hot.  If it starts to dry out, add some of the stock

Vegetarian/Vegan

The Boca crumbles before adding other ingredients

1. Add a small amount of olive oil to a skillet
2. Add the onions and garlic and cook until just getting soft
3. Add the crumbles to the pan with the onion and garlic (the crumbles can be frozen or thawed - it will simply take a little longer if they are frozen)
4. Heat until the crumbles are cooked through

ALL VARIATIONS

1. Add the salsa to the pan with your hamburger, chicken or crumbles and stir well (if you want a "saucier" taco, add more salsa or taco sauce)
2. Add the package of taco seasoning and stir in
3. Add any additional seasonings you may want (chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt, pepper) to taste
4. Let cook for ten to fifteen minutes to meld the flavors
5. Follow the directions on the package to heat up your shells/tortillas
6. Dig in!

That's all there is to it - it may look like a lot but it really isn't.  It typically takes around a half hour to cook (with the exception of cooking the chicken - that I always do a day or two before so that the day I make them it DOES only take a half hour).

These are also very versatile.  If you want nachos, throw some chips on a plate, top with some of the beef/chicken/crumbles and some cheese and throw it in the oven for a few minutes.

Likewise if you want quesadillas, use your beef/chicken/crumbles plus some cheese. For burritos, put some of it on a tortilla along with some cheese, roll it up and put it in the oven. I use this same basic recipe when I do enchiladas as well.

Timesaving tip:  You can double (or triple) this recipe and freeze whatever you have left so all you have to do is throw it in the microwave and have a five minute meal!

Tamarind-Cashew Slaw

I posted a slaw last week (Beet and Carrot Slaw) and had a lot of people ask me about other "different" things to bring to a picnic instead of the traditional ones that everyone is used to - so today I thought I'd tell you about another slaw that I came up with recently.

Tamarind-Cashew Slaw

There are two different parts to this - the first is making the "Tamarind-Cashew" part of the recipe.  If you've ever eaten at The Cheesecake Factory, you may have tried this as a dipping sauce for their avocado eggrolls (which are fantastic).  The sauce is great to use for a number of different things but in this instance I'm using it as a dressing for the slaw (which is the second part of the recipe).

This recipe also has a fair amount of cilantro in it - and cilantro seems to be one of those things that you love or hate with no middle ground.  People that hate it frequently tell me that it tastes like soap to them.  My advice would be that if you are one of those that hates it, simply omit it.  It will obviously have a different taste but will still be good.  If you like it but want a little less of it, use a little less.  The recipe has what I used when I made it which is NOT necessarily what you want to use when you make it for YOUR tastes!

Part 1 - Tamarind-Cashew Sauce

• 1/2 cup chopped cashews 
• 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro 
• 3 cloves garlic, quartered 
• 2 green onions, chopped 
• 2 Tbsp. sugar 
• 1 tsp. black pepper 
• 1 tsp. cumin 

• 1/2 cup honey 
• 4 tsp. white vinegar 
• 2 tsp. balsamic vinegar 
• 1/2 tsp. tamarind pulp
• Pinch ground saffron 
• 1/4 cup olive oil 

1. Combine first 7 ingredients (cashews, cilantro, garlic, onions, sugar, pepper and cumin) in a food processor. Blend with short bursts until the mixture is well blended, and the cashews and garlic have been chopped into very small pieces.  I have seen recipes for this that call for it to be processed until it's more of a paste but I prefer it to be in small pieces - do whichever you think you'd like better.  It will taste the same, but simply have a different consistency.
2. Combine the honey, vinegars, tamarind, and saffron in a small bowl. If you're like me, you haven't had much call to use tamarind before and may not even be certain what it is.  You may be able to find tamarind beans (which look kind of like brown pea pods) in your area - I wasn't able to so instead I used tamarind paste/concentrate that I had on hand from visiting an Asian market in the area.  It's available in many grocery stores or from Amazon and is very inexpensive. 
3. Heat the mixture for about 1 minute in microwave then stir until tamarind pulp dissolves completely. 
4. Pour mixture into blender or food processor and mix with cashew mixture (about 20 seconds). 
5. Pour sauce into bowl, add the oil and stir by hand. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

This sauce is incredible to use on just about anything - the eggrolls from Cheesecake Factory are just a start.  There will be plenty left after making the slaw so let your imagination run wild with the rest of it!

Part 2 - The Slaw

• 1/2 head green cabbage, shredded
• 1/2 head purple cabbage, shredded
• 1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
• juice from 2 medium limes
• 1/3 cup Tamarind-Cashew sauce (see above)
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine the green and purple cabbage along with the cilantro in a large bowl after shredding (I use a food processor to shred the cabbage - it makes it MUCH faster and saves my knuckles a lot of pain compared to doing it manually).
2. Pour in the lime juice and Tamarind-Cashew sauce and mix well.
3. You may want to add a bit more lime juice or a bit more sauce according to your taste.  There's certainly no right or wrong, let your taste buds guide you.
4. Chill for an hour.
5. Salt and pepper to taste just before serving
6. Enjoy!

Garden Fresh Vegetable Omelette

Finished omelette with pumpernickel toast, grits, home fries and
 a dollop of my wife's homemade strawberry jam in the center.

Do you have a garden? Go to farmer's markets? Maybe just REALLY like Whole Foods? We do all of these and frequently end up with extra vegetables and aren't quite sure what to do with them. Yes, we can always do another stir fry or just steam them (and they're always good) but sometimes we want to do something different.

That's where the omelette comes in. My wife went out to her garden last night and picked a lot of green beans, sugar snap peas, and summer squash. I'll be cooking some of that for dinner but it was a lazy, rainy day and I wanted to cook breakfast. So, in addition to the vegetables mentioned, I also used onions, garlic (also from her garden but picked last week and dried) and a tomato (it's too early to have ripe tomatoes here so that came from the grocery store.)

I do know that most folks know how to cook an omelette - and if you don't, don't be intimidated. It's pretty easy. You don't have to flip it in the air to turn it over like the chefs you see on TV (though that's what I do and is pretty simple as well with a tiny bit of practice AND the right pan). You can just use a spatula like you would to turn over anything else. The other good part about this is that although I'm using the ingredients that I listed, you can use anything you like - or just clean out your vegetable drawer before it goes bad. You'll get rid of something before it gets wasted and it will taste good on top of it!

This recipe has the added benefit of being healthy and vegetarian - and if you use tofu in place of egg, oil instead of butter, and a vegan cheese (or simply omit it) you could make this a vegan tofu scramble as well (or, if you're like me, you can add a piece of sausage, bacon or ham to it which is decidedly NOT healthy, vegetarian or vegan but to my taste buds sure does go down well).

Chopped ingredients waiting to be added to the pan.

Garden Fresh Vegetable Omelette (makes two large omelettes)

1 (very) small summer squash, cubed
8 sugar snap peas, 1/2 inch chop
10 green beans, 1/2 inch chop
1 small tomato, deseeded, rough chop
1 medium garlic clove, fine mince
1/2 onion, diced
4 eggs (2 per omelette)
4 tbsp whole milk
4 slices cheese (your preference as to type - can also use shredded. I tend to like American in mine while my wife prefers Swiss)
butter or olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of the pan)
1 tbsp olive oil (I like to use an infused oil if I can - garlic infused is great if you can find it. This is for lightly sautéing the vegetables before putting them in the omelette)
Garlic powder
Freshly ground rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a heavy bottomed pan - the same pan you'll use for the omelette is fine.



Sauteing the vegetables





2. Add the diced onions and sauté for about two minutes.
3. Add the rest of the vegetables and sauté until they are just starting to soften - typically two to three minutes About one minute before you are ready to take it off, add the minced garlic and let it sauté as well.
4. Remove the vegetables and set aside.
5. Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat them until they turn a pale yellow color.
6. Heat a heavy-bottomed nonstick sauté pan over medium-low heat (you can use a pan that's NOT non-stick, but you probably won't be happy with the results). Add the butter and let it melt.
7. Add the milk to the eggs and season to taste with salt and pepper. This is where I add the freshly ground rosemary. I didn't give an amount and that's simply because this is a matter of taste. I LOVE rosemary and use it in many things. My mother HATES rosemary. I would use a lot, she wouldn't use any! That's why I didn't give an amount. Use as much or as little (or none!) as you'd like. I keep dried rosemary leaves in a grinder in the cabinet all the time so that I can add it to anything I'd like easily. 
8. Grab your whisk and beat the eggs like your life depended on it! Your omelette is going to be better (fluffier) the more air you can get into your eggs. You can always cheat a little bit and use an electric mixer as well.
9. When the butter in the pan is hot enough to make a drop of water hiss, pour in half the eggs. Don't stir! Let the eggs cook for up to a minute or until the bottom starts to set.
10. Using a heat-resistant rubber spatula, gently lift one edge of the egg while tilting the pan to allow the still liquid egg to flow in underneath. Repeat with the other edges, until there's no liquid left.
11. Your eggs should now resemble a bright yellow pancake, which should easily slide around on the nonstick surface. If it sticks at all, loosen it with your spatula.
12. This is the part that seems to unnerve some people. Flipping the omelette. There's no need to go into omelette heroics here. It will taste just as good if you flip it with your spatula as it does if you throw it in the air while judges in the corner write down your scores for how many triple sow cows (or whatever they call those things) it does on the journey back down. The point is to turn it over however you're comfortable with doing it. Using a spatula is perfectly fine. So, just flip that thing over.
13. At this point, in my head I draw an imaginary line about half way down the pan. I put all of the ingredients that will be inside the omelette on one side of the line. Add your cheese first - if you're using slices, tear one slice up and lay it on top of the egg. If you're using shredded cheese, sprinkle as much as you'd like on top of the egg. 
14. Add half the vegetables on top of the cheese. Spread them out evenly across the same half as the cheese.
15. With your spatula, lift the far side of the egg (the side with no vegetables) and carefully fold it in half, covering the half that has the vegetables. At this point, you'll have one half of your pan empty and the other half filled with a yummy omelette. 
16. Add another slice of your cheese (if you're using it) on top of the omelette. 
17. Repeat steps 9-16 for the second omelette.
18. Plate, serve and enjoy!