cheesy omelet muffins

There is a story that goes with these muffins.  Yesterday morning the boys wanted breakfast, so Liam helped me make pancakes.  I made it the cheater way with Bisquick mix, sugar, an egg, and some milk.  I make pancake batter in a large measuring cup so I can measure, mix, and easily pour all in one cup.  We ate all the pancakes, cleaned everything up, and played for a while.  The boys were happy playing by themselves so I told them to keep playing and I'd go take a quick shower.

Shortly after I finished getting ready for the day I came out to find Jack quietly playing in Liam's room (as always), and I walked out to the kitchen to find... Liam cooking.

Liam had poured all our remaining Bisquick mix into a large clean measuring cup just like I had, taken the pancake recipe out and laid it on the counter for reference (even though he can't read yet), and put the empty Bisquick container back in the pantry.  Then he had taken out the sugar and scooped some out with a large wooden spoon just like I had before putting the container away (I know because he left out the sugary spoon).

When I walked out he was in the process of adding eggs.  Yes, EGGS.  My recipe used one egg.  Liam was halfway through cracking number six!  I was actually pretty impressed how tidy his work space was.  He only spilled a tiny bit of egg white on the counter, and I had only taught him how to crack an egg recently.  I'm really glad I came into the kitchen when I did, because he had five more eggs set out, ready to crack open!  He had literally emptied the egg carton form the fridge and put it back in empty.  When he saw me he perked up and announced, "I'm making pancakes!  We ate the other ones already so we need more!"  Then he hopped off his table to go grab the milk.  Happy and totally nonchalant about the whole thing.

I was gobsmacked.  I couldn't figure out first whether to take photos, be pissed about so many eggs getting wasted, or be impressed that he took initiative, that he's a great cook, or remembered perfectly how I made pancakes (minus the number of eggs used).

Okay, I was mad impressed, and thought he was adorable, but I still made it clear that I was annoyed at how many eggs he used.  He was so cute, and I HATE wasting food, so I tried to think of some way to save the egg-y batter.

Enter in the cheesy omelet muffins.  So named because when Jeff came home from work that night and tried one, that's what he said they tasted like.  I tried my best to scoop out the small amount of sugar in them, then added some milk and a handful of shredded cheese.  They bake really well, and turned into a perfect breakfast.  Jeff never has much time in the morning, so I like to have a speedy breakfast option available.  These can be pulled from the fridge and microwaved for a minute, then eaten in the car.  Perfect.  Sometimes culinary accidents make some interesting finds!

I told Liam he was getting to be a good cook and he replied, "Grandma says when I cook at her house I am a chef."  Sounds about right.

My batch made eleven, but I could have filled them each a little less and still had twelve good sized muffins.  Just don't fill them too high, because eggs puff up quite a bit when they cook.

perfect egg-y cheesy muffins.

Cheesy Omelet Muffins
makes about 12
bake time: 20-25 minutes

ingredients:

• 1 cup Bisquick mix
• 6 large eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• large handful of shredded cheese (cheddar or 3 cheese blend)
• pinch of black pepper

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray 12 muffin tin pan.
2. Mix all ingredients together well and pour into muffin tins. 
3. Bake 20-25 minutes, until golden brown on top.
4. Remove from oven and let sit 10 minutes before removing.  Eat warm.
5. Refrigerate to store, microwave 1 minute to reheat.

a proud mommy moment

Okay, these pictures aren't great, but I just grabbed the closest camera (my phone) because I had to document the cuteness.  

Liam woke me up this morning by jumping on my bed and asking me to open the jar of peanut butter that he then thrust into my face.  As I groggily woke up and loosened the lid Liam rambled on about how he had already grabbed a knife, but "do not worry because I got the kind that is not pointy so it won't hurt me."  I would have liked to go back to sleep but Liam reminded me that it was now daytime so I had to get up now.  Plus he opened the curtains.

I walked out to the kitchen where Liam was climbing up to his little plastic table that he uses to reach the counter.  He had already grabbed a loaf of bread and the aforementioned butter knife, and had sliced a piece of bread in half.  He quickly spread peanut butter on his bread and started to clean everything up so he could eat his sandwich.  You've never seen a kid more excited about a peanut butter sandwich than Liam.

All I did in the entire process was loosen a lid and offer to put the bread away for him.  

Wow.

When did my little baby grow up?  I have always let the kids know that as long as they follow a few simple rules (no sharp knives yet, clean up, no sitting on the counter) they can have fairly free rein in the kitchen, and I want them to be comfortable cooking, but wow. ... Time goes by fast.

And frankly, I'm just happy that he wanted a sandwich for breakfast and not a huge bowl of fishie crackers!  That's why crackers go on the top shelf.  :)

I'll be back soon with an actual recipe.  This was just cute and I just had to post.  :)

be right back...

I totally love you all.  You know, the two or three people out there total who might actually at some point read this.  Anyway, I have not abandoned you, but this past week was bonkers and we leave for a weeklong vacation tomorrow.  In about 9 hours from now.  Oh, I should sleep at some point soon then!  Oops.

Fear not.  I have multiple posts planned to share the second I get back home.  Well, maybe not the SECOND, but surely some time within a few days of coming home... Anyway, I have not forgotten about you, and maybe I'll even share some pretty pictures (taken by other people, you'll have noticed by now mine are not super).  :)

See you next week!

Oreo cake

Jeff: Are you hangry?

me:  What?

Jeff:  Hangry.  You know, like in that Tina Fey commercial where she eats the potpourri.

me:  Weird.  And no.  It's her birthday today.

Jeff:  Huh.  She shares a birthday with our cat.  Are you going to make her a cake?

me:  Tina Fey?

Jeff:  Weird.  Why would you make Tina Fey a cake?  No, I meant are you going to make a cake for Luna.

me:  Cause that's the normal option?  Making our cat a cake?



Anyway, now I have to supposedly figure out how to make a cake for our cat out of dry cat food.  Because I have nothing better to do...


So here's a recipe for Oreo cake, because that sounds way more appetizing than cat food cake (which I'm going to try my best to get out of making, because chances are, all I'm going to do is waste my time and a bunch of cat food).

So the Oreo cake started out because Jeff loves Oreos, but he wanted me to stop him from eating an entire row of them in one sitting, so I suggested he save most of them for an Oreo cake instead.  Come on, Oreo PLUS cake?  Awesome!  I'm a bit embarrassed at how ugly the frosting is, but it was hot and humid the night I made it, and I was too much in a hurry to eat cake to bother sticking it in the fridge to firm up a bit before frosting with it.  One the plus side, the frosting took about two seconds to make, and the cake was yummy!  Plus...Oreo.

The picture above is my favorite pasrt of cake making.  Before the dry ingredients are added the batter looks so smooth and chiffon-y.  So pretty.

The cakes are done when they are slightly golden with darker edges.  I just discovered miracle pan release and it is amazing.  I have never had cakes slide out of pans this easy in my entire life.  I am totally using this release on all my future cakes!

I can smell them from this picture I swear!  Imagine warm vanilla infused Oreos.  Heaven.

This cake and frosting have just about an entire box of Oreos between them.  The frosting recipe just barely covers the cake fairly thinly, so be warned.  If you like thick frosting you might want to make a batch and a half.

I really don't have much else to say about this cake, I thought I'd just let the pictures speak for themselves.

print recipe

Oreo cake

by Liesl May-18-2014

vanilla cake with almost an entire box of crushed Oreos mixed in. Can't go wrong there.

Ingredients

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3 cups AP flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 15 Oreos, crumbled

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prep two 9" cake pans. Set aside. Beat butter and sugar in stand mixer on medium until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed and add in eggs and vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl if necessary.2. Add in the milk, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add in the flour until the batter is smooth.3. Seal 15 Oreos in a freezer bag and smash tem into tiny pieces. Add them into the batter. Divide the batter evenly into the two pans and bake until golden on top and an inserted toothpick comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Let cool for ten minutes, then remove the cakes and allow to cool completely.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 25 mins Total time: 35 mins Yield: a 2 layer 9" cake

Oreo frosting

by Liesl May-18-2014

vanilla frosting with crushed Oreos mixed in.

Ingredients

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• a smudge of salt
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp milk
• 15 Oreos, crushed

Instructions

1. Beat the butter, vanilla, and salt until creamy. Slowly add the powdered sugar and milk until well mixed. Add crushed Oreos.

Details

Prep time: 2 mins Cook time: 5 mins Total time: 7 mins Yield: frosting for a 9" two layer cake