Entirely Adequate

When I bought my new ceramic cooktop, I ditched both of my old, stained non-stick skillets. The non-stick surface was beginning to wear off anyway, and I just didn’t trust them not to scratch or crack my delicate new appliance.

My new set of stainless steel pots and pans, however, is anything but non-stick. This has only been a problem for two household favorites: grilled cheese sandwiches and scrambled eggs. The dusty, nearly forgotten George Foreman Grill took care of the grilled cheese dilemma, but my only option for eggs seemed to be cooking them in a big puddle of butter to keep them from sticking. Forget about omelets.

This is where Christy Jordan of SouthernPlate.com comes in. If you eat, you ought to visit this website. Christy can spin a yarn and show you how to make delicious creations at the same time. Pretty soon you’ll know all about her family, vacations and grocery shopping habits.

When she shared a recipe for an Easy Oven Omelet a few weeks ago, I knew I may have found my solution for eggs.

That recipe resulted in the best egg dish I had ever made – it was more or less a souffle. It even won over my husband, who I feared wouldn’t be able to deal with all the onions.

The only problem: It made enough for at least three meals for two people. I ate leftover omelet for lunch twice, which is one time too many, and guiltily tossed the rest.

So I broke out my apron and started customizing. I decided not to cut the recipe in half, opting to quarter it since, frankly, one day of leftover omelet isn’t much tastier than two. Made with mozzarella cheese and roasted red peppers, it was delicious, but my mistake was putting it in a baking dish that was too wide. It came out of the oven not much thicker than a pancake.

The answer came to me yesterday: ramekins. My customized recipe made just enough omelet “batter” for two servings, each in its own cute little serving dish. No leftovers here.

Here’s the basic recipe, but as Christy points out, you can substitute pretty much any cheese or vegetable you like. The only reason I used roasted red peppers is because I had part of a jar left in the fridge from another recipe. A mix of chopped bell pepper and onion is also good.

Shaggerty’s Oven Omelet for Two

(Adapted from SouthernPlate.com’s Easy Oven Omelet)

Spray two ramekins with cooking spray. Beat the eggs in a medium mixing bowl. Add the other ingredients and stir until well combined. Split mixture between two ramekins. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 25-30 minutes, or the omelets are firm and don’t jiggle when you shake them.