As I promised one of my best friends,
Kyleen, that I would post something soon, I decided to post about one of my burgeoning hobbies: cooking. After I decided that I would lead more of a healthy lifestyle (which didn't much change from my usual lifestyle, as we eat at home basically every day, and rarely go out for fast food), I also decided that I would help my family by preparing more for dinner, so that we could eat earlier.
In the past couple of days/weeks, I've prepared simple things such as pita bread stuffed with melted cheese and salsa (from a jar) and onions, peppers and celery (not from a jar!); fried rice with peas, carrots, corn and eggs, etc.
Today, I spotted a milk carton lookalike, and took it out of the fridge for closer inspection. It read "EGG WHITES".
As, from my time spent on websites devoted to healthy eating and healthy foods, I knew that egg whites were full of protein and were fulfilling, I raced to my computer to find some tips on how to cook egg whites.
I searched up some photos, and most of them were of beautifully cooked omelets, full of healthy and wonderful looking vegetables.
Immediately inspired, I started rummaging through my refrigerator for any vegetables. Now, for some reason, we are short on vegetables (which, I swear, is a rare occurrence!), and I only found an onion and a couple stalks of celery. That was okay. I put the egg w
hites back into the fridge and began chopping away at the celery and the onions. (Sorry, by the way, about the quality, all these were taken by my webcam. I can't find a camera that has charged batteries in it.)
Then, I brought out the cheese slices. (Yes, can you believe it? We used cheese slices! For you seasoned foodies out there, you must be dying of laughter. Ah well.)
I first cooked the onions and celery, put it aside, and used a paper towel to absorb what oil remained on it.
I then used the pan to cook egg whites. As it bubbled, the five-year-old in me giggled, because it looked "like it (was) aaaaaaaaaaaliiiiiiiveeeeeee!"
Since I used the entire carton, I waited until it formed a giant layer (See, I don't know the terminology. Please, stick with me here) before I added in the onions and celery. Then came the slices of cheese, divided into three parts (which was relatively easy, because, you know, they
are cheese slices.). When everything seemed right, I used the wooden spatula to flip it over, to create the kind of omelet I saw in the pictures.
Unfortunately, it was a flop. No, literally. It flopped back onto the pan (luckily) and suddenly it went from a beautiful potential omelet to a scrambled egg.
I think I did something wrong. (
Ya think, Jennifer? Ya think?)
Anyway, I laughed hysterically at my little scrambled mess and finished cooking it.
I eventually made this: ---------------------------->
It may not look that good, due to my shaky hands, my cardboard background (held in place by my mouth) and my webcam, but it definitely tasted PRETTY DARN GOOD, IF I MUST SAY.
I just need more, you know, help on the making-the-omelet-actually-become-an-omelet part. That's all.
VERDICT: My verdict is that I think I ended up with a bit
too much flavour, because of the cheese and the salt I added to the onions and peppers before I added them into the mix. I think this kind of concoction would be better served with something a bit less flavourful, and a little more bland, like rice, or whole grain bread. I was a bit too enthusiastic to finish something that was both healthy and pretty good and created by yours truly. My dad liked it--he said that it was "neat" and "Hey! It's
actually pretty good!".
My mom doesn't like cheese, but altogether she said that she enjoyed it.
I may not be a professional chef, and I am starting out now (unlike many others who started when they were, you know, eight), but that they liked it, was good enough for me. :)
and sit down outside and sketch everything I see, just to absorb it all. I would take all the brochures and the maps and twirl around in the courtyard and explore all the rooms, especially the Grande Appartement du Roi, in which the rooms are named after Roman gods and goddesses. I would go to the Notre Dame Cathedral and just admire. Soak in the beauty and take in the quietness of being alone, of being in solitude, and having the luxury of being anonymous. Of writing postcards in lonely cafes and people-watching by busy fountains.
