Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Good Times

A few weeks ago, we had a house full of children for the dinner hour. Our three were here, and we had 2 extras for the evening. And of course our 4th child would be dinning with us also. I needed something to offer that was kid friendly, crowd pleasing, speedy quick (because it was church night), and easy clean up (because I'm lazy). Here's what we came up with. A little something my mom forwarded to me in an e-mail. I'm not sure who thought up this idea, but it's a keeper. And now I'm passing it on to you. My bloggy friends. Because I love you. And because I've been neglecting you for a few weeks and this is my feeble effort at making nice.

We made omelets! In record time, I might add. The whole thing, cooking for 8, eating, and clean up, only took about 45 mins. Here's what we did:

You'll need to gather these ingredients:
quart (for 1 egg omelet) or gallon (for 2 egg omelet) sized freezer bags; sharpie; eggs; and omelet fillings
(we chose to use ham, cheese, and green chili for the grown ups)


This is a picture of the cooking staff that night.
You'll also notice the various freezer bags on the bar. Before we started cooking, everyone got a bag with their name on it. That way we knew for sure that each person got the omelet they'd prepared.



Once the bags were labeled, we let the kids add the ingredients they wanted to theirs. Here's H. putting some ham in his. His technique was his very own. He preferred the "one-bite-in-the-bag-one-bite-in-the-mouth" technique.
Here's Bruiser and Mary TuTu filling their bags. This is the "kid friendly" part, by the way.



After adding the ingredients, we added the eggs. Just cracked them right in the bag. We sealed them up and let the kids shake till their hearts content. When the omelet was thoroughly mixed, this is what it looked like.

Then we placed them all in pots of boiling water, and set the timer for 13 mins. Here's a shot of our omelets cooking. This is the "speedy quick" part. Cooking all 8 omelets at the same time in 13 mins.


Here's an after shot of mine all nice and warm and ready to eat.


Now the only thing left is remove the omelet from the bag and eat! I have to admit that we had some interesting shaped omelets. The "easy clean up" included tossing the paper plates and pouring out the hot water. We did stick our silverware and drinking glasses in the dish washer.








And here's the "crowd pleasing" part. I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves.







If they're eatin' it, they're likin' it. I give you "crowd pleasing".









We've tried this a couple of times since then and we still love it. Here are some helpful hints though:
Don't use more than 2 eggs. I'm not sure why, but that's what the e-mail I got said. And I always trust what I get in the e-mail.
I only eat a 1 egg omelet. The first time, I ate 2 eggs, and I got so full. So the next time we did it I just used 1 egg for myself and it was pu-lenty.
Do you have any more kid friendly, crowd pleasing, speedy quick, easy clean up recipes? I'd love to hear about them.

13 comments:

Jenni said...

one more note - you MUST use the FREEZER bag....a regular bag will melt. voice of experience here.

Misty said...

OK...
I have seen this, but wondered if it was good. I can not make a regular omelet to save my life, so we will have to try this!

Melissa said...

Great idea! I can't wait to try it!

Jen said...

What a fabulous idea!!! I found your blog over on Honey I Shrank Myself. I love your blog and your header cracked me up!!

Cindy-Still His Girl said...

My mom sent that to me one time and since it was one of the few emails she sent without little cherubs or dire warnings, I thought it might have some merit!

Maybe we'll try it when we go camping next week!

Shelly@Sweet Journey said...

I had seen it before, but never tried it. Now since you have been my guinnea pig...again! haha

One of our family favorites that is super fast is burritos. Beans, 90-second rice, cheese, browned hamburger meat from the freezer. Add salad and fruit and there you have it. A variation of this is "Oh My Gosh"--a madian name family favorite. Browned hamburger meat (again faster if it is already done), ranch style beans, and spanish rice simmered together until hot. Serve with chips, on a tortilla, or by itself.

Mrs.Naz@BecomingMe said...

Very creative and cute pix to boot

Sunny said...

Hmmmmm I'll have to try that! Thanks for sharing.

My quick and easy, tried and true, fast and furious is quesadillas. A friend of mine does hers in the microwave but I like the crunch. I butter one side each of two tortillas (like making a grilled cheese sandwich), on the other side for the kids I just do shredded cheese and sprinkle some cumin, but for the adults I spread refried beans first then cumin and chili powder (or real chilis), jalapenos, cheese, etc). Then fry them up in a non stick skillet like grilled cheese.

Unknown said...

That is just about one of the most cleaver ideas I've ever seen...thanks for shareing.

Mandy said...

Now THAT is too clever! I will be trying this.

Anonymous said...

Oh my, this is too funny - I learned how to make omlets in a zip loc baggie from Tosca Reno's Eat Clean Diet Book - I love doing that, but I just make egg white omlets - either way it works out great. I've just never seen anyone post pics of it until now, how cool! :)

P.S. - I have the same exact canister set that you do - it's still packed away from my last move (uh, 2 years ago, lol), but I have it! :)

realitymomma said...

what a great idea! i will definitely have to try that! thanks - and post more of these kids friendly meals.....

~ej said...

what a fantastic idea....saving for rainy day :)