Huh. Lightening.

Do you have a lightning rod, sara?

I didn't have anything special lying around for dinner, so I decided to have a dinner omelet.

I've been making a lot of omelets over the last two years and feeling like I'd gotten really proficient but I knew I wasn't making it in the true French style so I referred to Jacques Pepin on the subject.

He shows how to make both a haute cuisine omelet and a French country omelet and it was interesting to see him articulate some of the subtler details.

You really have a sense that he's attentive to structure of eggs in a way that I haven't seen other chefs describe it. For one, he explains why you stir the eggs so vigorously -- to break down the egg white.

See now, I thought you didn't want to get air into the eggs so I'd stopped doing it that way. But it's more of a low, side to side stirring and you don't lift the eggs up to get air into it. So, not whipping air in.

Then, he articulates the way you work the eggs in the pan to have a very small curd. Now I'd never even heard of speaking of the egg cooking in the pan as having curds but that's how he articulated the difference between a country omelet (big curds) and cuisine omelet (small curds).

And the reason you want the curds is because that creates the creamy interior you want.

So I did it haute style and as my egg is curding up I'm thinking, "Awww, fuck, I won't be able to fold this. It's more like a scramble."

But then, voila, I was able to fold over one side, slide it out of the pan and got the classic cigar shaped three-way fold.

Because I'd previously sauteed some mushrooms with olive oil and left that in the pan (plus extra butter) the oil was hotter and cooked the bottom of the eggs more golden brown like the country omelet. But it still tasted great and had a much creamier interior than I'd experienced before.

Also the French way is not so much about the filling, but I put fresh rosemary and minced green onion directly into the eggs when I was stirring them. And then I added goat cheese and the sauteed mushrooms right before I folded it.

Really yummy and very different from my Americanized omelets.

Incidentally, I used a small tipped, hard rubber spatula to stir vigorously in the pan as I couldn't bring myself to use a fork in my nonstick.

I just wasn't expecting thunderstorms tonight. But apparently, they're in the forecast for the next few days. Hmph. Hopefully they won't interfere with the pooltime.

I am getting quite a workout doing yardwork. Lots of squats and like arm rows, I guess. Anyway, temps in the low to mid 80s all week, so I should be able to get the rest of the burrs. I think I am also going to call a landscaper who offered a free walkthrough with info and suggestions.

My second-ever attempt at making meringue came out noticeably better. Not tall peaks, but peaks that nicely browned in the oven. The tip that I should have taken more advantage of was to get the eggs up to room temperature before I started, but I didn't remember until it was Too Late.

I love your yardwork posts. You clearly needed a yard in your life (burrs and ants and all.) That said, I'm perfectly happy with my small plots that struggle along valiantly under my benign neglect. It's all I can manage to rake up leaves and keep the back under control. But I have other things taking up my time (and I don't get that much from yardwork. I like potted gardening.)

I hope I am as into the yard once I get it to the point of just maintenance. As it now, it is driven a lot because I have ideas in my head of what I want it to look like.

The tip that I should have taken more advantage of was to get the eggs up to room temperature before I started,

It's all about egg chemistry!

msbelle, would it help to rent something like a rototiller to grind up your yard a little?

Too bad you're not in Berkeley (for many reasons) - they've got a tool library and you could just check one out.

the ground is actually super soft and easy to dig, it's just that it didn't get any care aside from water and cutting for like 2 years. It didn't help that for the last 6 month my dad was cutting and mulching the cut back onto the yard. That helps spread things like burrs.

Since I am planning on expanding and adding flower beds in the front area where all the burrs are, I should be able to transplant grass into the now large dirt patches.

You are in the peak weed season right now, so if you get the most of it, next year should be better.

Loki has been CRYING to go out. It is raining. I open the deck door and he practically did a roadrunner vs coyote-esque backpedal. He's very amusing.

I'm pleased to note that despite the fact that we're having a stinkbug invasion from hell, I have very few in the house, despite the open vent in the bathroom and house fan. I credit the new windows. Given the horror stories I'm hearing, I am getting off lucky (and possibly lucky due to being in a very urban area.)