If I’ve seen a movie or television show once, I have no desire to watch it again, the one exception being, “Gone with the Wind”. That rolling-stone (as in “gathers no moss”, not Rock ‘n Roll) attitude transfers to how I cook. I don’t think I’ve ever made the same omelet twice, for example. Even when I have similar ingredients, the end-result is a little different.

Today, as I surveyed the possible fillings for a new flavor combination – the omelet is no different than a wrapping for filling, much like the function of a slice of bread or tortilla – I heard my youngest whisper to his sister, “What is she up to now?”

He wasn’t fond of last week’s creation – lobster, dill, feta – or the week before that – salmon, blue cheese and scallions with hydrated organic cherry tomatoes. When I announced I was contemplating making a Sloppy Joe & Cactus Salsa Combo, their eyes grew wide. He squealed, “Yikes!”, and my daughter confided, “I don’t know why, Mom, but even though I love everything you make, when you go way-out-there like that, I feel a little bit of fear. Don’t get me wrong! I always love it, but….”…. This! from a child who wolfed down heart-meatloaf, night-before-last, and thinks nothing of slurping up lovely tendon and tripe from a big bowl of Pho!

Just then, my husband walked into the kitchen, saving her from one of my pep-speeches, instead, giving her a male-ized version. “Excited. That’s what I feel……”.

The four things I never, ever change when I make omelets:

• Duck fat – it even beats-out butter when it comes to flavor
• Pastured, grass-fed local eggs
• Le Creuset enameled omelet pan
• Whisking or stick-blending, aerating the eggs, making them wonderfully light and fluffy

The other lovely side benefit of omelets? No one will be hungry until dinner. I get a huge block of cooking-free time!