Brunch Anyone?

The best part of not having to set my alarm clock is the mystery of "When will I get up?" Today, that was a bright and early 9:08 am. A bit late for breakfast, too early for lunch, therefore it was BRUNCH time!

Scouring my cooking technique book, I came across something I've always wanted to try, but have never attempted. A real, honest to goodness French Omelette. And I didn't want plain, I wanted CHEESE. I had some smoked provelone left, so that was my choice. Some green onions wouldn't hurt either. I wanted chives, but hey I didn't have any and it's too rainy for my lazy ass to wander to the store to get some, so green onions it was.

Let me say this, Omelettes are amazing. I was worried that the inside was going to be undercooked, thus summoning the infamous food police and CDC for salmonella control. But it turned out only slightly runny and deliciously moist inside. The beauty of it is that it made its own cheese sauce on the inside.

Now I can't have eggs without bacon, so naturally I cooked some up. I didn't want it too crispy (I like mine with some "give" to it for breakfast). This time I also did a new technique. I cooked the bacon in the oven, and it was great. It didn't get all rippled up and half burnt. It rendered out some good drippings, which I mournfully threw away...into a bowl...to make a vinagrette for my salad.

Since we are talking brunch here, I got out some baby greens and a fresh vine-ripened tomato, some kalamata olives, and some cheese. Tossed together and used a little bacon drippings to whip up a simple balsamic dressing.

The whole meal was wonderful! The sheer creaminess of the inside of that omlette was pure magic, I really could have just eaten that and been happy, but coupled with the bite of the baby greens and tomatoes and the smokiness of the bacon, it was truly a brunch to remember. These two recipes (the omelette and the bacon/side salad) make such a filling and tasty combination (though I'll probably get a letter from the surgeon general about it). Nevertheless, perhaps tonight I'll stay up a little later than usual, so I can wake up tomorrow, hopefully just a little too late for breakfast and too early for lunch.