They’re smart, kind, multi-skilled and a joy to be around. And, they write. Earlier this week, I met nine Mom bloggers in Phoenix and loved every one of them. The Moms were invited by America’s egg farmers to tour Hickman’s Family Egg Farm and learn a few egg cooking tips – and what a great time I had!

The trip was part of the Good Egg Project – which I’ve written about in the past – it’s an initiative by America’s egg farmers to educate people about where eggs come from and encourage them to join them in the fight against hunger.  For every pledge made to “eat good and do good every day” an egg will be donated to Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger relief charity.  Already millions of eggs have been donated, delivering great nutrition, taste and versatility to those who can’t afford to buy them. By the way, if you haven’t done so already, visit the website now (www.GoodEggProject.org) and do your good deed today!

Back to the mom bloggers. All of these A-MAZE-ING women have a different approach to their blog. For example:  Anne Marie Nichols’ “ThisMamaCooks” is a health blog for foodies and their families; Anita Elmore’s “TheMamaZone” offers parenting and budgeting tips; Tonia Butterworth’s “AllAmericanMommy” includes a dedicated family recipe section and Ann Huddleson’s “HealthyTastyChow” focuses on healthier versions of the most popular foods. Combined, the nine moms are raising a total of 18 children, with 1 more kiddo on the way!

The tour kicked off with a delicious dinner with the Hickman family. My colleague, Chef Jeffrey Saad, and I were there to meet them all. Also, there was the sweetest, friendliest and hippest Registered Dietician I ever met, Mary Lee Chin. She was along to remind everyone of the dynamite nutrition that eggs deliver. We all had a wonderful time sharing stories and chatting about the day ahead!

When the bloggers returned from their farm tour the next day, Jeffrey and I demonstrated our recipes. I demonstrated three omelet variations: a classic filled omelet, America’s favorite Denver-Western omelet and an omelet wrapped in a whole wheat flour tortilla – with each recipe taking less than a minute to prepare!  Jeffrey demonstrated a toad-in-the-hole using a cookie cutter to make a fun, decorative hole in the bread to break an egg into. He also showed a bacon and egg grilled cheese breakfast sandwich and offered suggestions on how to tweak it slightly to add sophistication for adults! We not only showed them our egg dishes, we also turned over our pans, stoves and ingredients so they could try their hand at the dishes. What better way to illustrate the speed and ease of kid-friendly egg cooking? Not surprisingly, the moms were very deft at the fry pan. They approached the cooking stations with an air of confidence and enthusiasm that clearly demonstrated they knew their way around the kitchen!

Isn’t it great that moms from all over the country can meet in cyberspace? And the word “great” is an understatement.  It’s absolutely amazes me.  My children were raised with the help of only one resource, Dr. Spock. Today’s kids are influenced by moms who learn from other moms who live a real life in real time. That’s a far cry from Dr. Spock’s strictly clinical approach, for sure! It was clear to me that these young women were well educated and, maybe more importantly, very savvy. With the internet as their playing field, I know that they’ll ensure our next generation turns out as well-rounded and healthy as possible. And after this weekend, they are certain to be aware of where their food comes from and they’ll all live healthy, delicious lives with plenty of eggs on their menus.

A week ago, poultry and egg farmers from every corner of the world came together at the annual International Convention in Atlanta to learn what’s new in their respective agricultural fields. It was truly an international affair! My employer, the American Egg Board, maintains a “booth” there where weary exhibit-goers can relax on a comfy sofa and learn about the latest research and nutrition information.

What an appropriate place to call attention to America’s egg farmers’ response to Haitian Relief.  As part of the Good Egg Project (which I’ve written about in the past), they are in the process of donating eggs to the hundreds of thousands of families affected by the earthquake disaster there. Only dried egg product is accepted, so everyone is chipping in to make it happen. The farmers are providing the shell eggs to the processors who then turn them into the dried product that can be shipped to Haiti where it will be reconstituted. And, before you think that reconstituted dry eggs are similar to how they were when first developed for soldiers in battlefields several wars ago, think again! Today’s dried whole eggs reconstitute beautifully.  When they’re cooked you can hardly tell the difference.

But, the egg farmers gave more than just eggs! The picture below shows my boss, Joanne Ivy, the President & CEO of the American Egg Board accepting a generous donation of money from Jacques Klempf, the American Egg Board Chairman and President of Dixie Eggs. This donation will be used to purchase additional dried egg product for the Haitian effort.

Although my primary job at this convention is to visit with all of our friends who come by the booth to say hello, I also help the United Egg Producers host a breakfast for 250 to 300 folks who gather to make their own omelets and to conduct a meeting. We set up 32 cooking stations where all of the hundreds of guests fix their own omelets in less than 30-minutes time. The logistics are quite an undertaking. And it’s always successful.

This year’s convention was slightly different for me because I was asked to give my omelet demonstration at the Culinary Pavilion, an area set aside for chefs to demonstrate the trends and the new product applications that they’re using in their restaurants. I was in very good company. The chefs came from every popular restaurant in Atlanta. I talked about the growing popularity of the breakfast meal category in both fast service and casual restaurants. I demonstrated the “grab n’ go” omelet tortilla wrap that’s become so popular on menus along with combinations of fillings that go beyond ordinary ham and cheese. I demonstrated about 15 different omelets, omelet styles and filling combinations, all of which were served to the audience. I was assisted by two young culinary students (pictured) who confessed that they had no clue that the classic omelet they were taught to make in culinary school could be so versatile. Good. That was the point!

I just returned from cooking omelets with the members of the Tri-State Bed & Breakfast Association, the three states being Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana. It was an omelet workshop – where about 90 people cooked their own omelets. Since there are all sorts of ways to make an omelet, guests often ask if it’s okay to cook their omelet with their own technique. This year, there were a lot of people who were at a loss when confronted by a simple frypan! Not anymore! All of my cooks learned to turn-out picture perfect omelets, most in a minute or so.

This being a B&B affair, I was lucky enough to be put-up in what must be the most beautiful B&B around! I was given the DuPont Suite in the actual DuPont Mansion - it was fabulous! The mansion is located in the historic Old Louisville District surrounded by similarly old, perfectly-maintained, Victorian mansions. As I looked around the room from my huge four-poster bed, I thought this was what it must be like to stay in the Lincoln Bedroom in the White House!

I arrived in Louisville around lunchtime and immediately went to the restaurant that is most well-known for their eggs and egg dishes - Lynne’s Paradise Café. It’s a 70’s kinda’ gaudy, quirky, high energy place fully packed with people, almost all of them, far as I could see, eating eggs in one form or another. I learned that the owner, Lynn herself, was up against the Food Network’s Bobby Flay in one of his “Throwdowns” so I ordered the dish that Lynn competed with - The Kentucky Farmhouse Scramble. The dish consists of three “fluffy” eggs scrambled with country ham, roasted red peppers and Jarlsberg cheese made in Austin, Kentucky (and here I always thought that Jarlsberg cheese was made in Jarlsberg – wherever that is).

The eggs are served with tobacco onions, which are called that because they’re thinly sliced onion pieces which, after they’re fried, look like loose tobacco. Also on the plate were fried green tomatoes and terrific buttermilk biscuits. The biscuits were made in a pan rather than individually and were really high, light, airy and especially delicious slathered with honey-sweetened sorghum butter. (Hmm….‘fraid I’m not sure what sorghum is – sorry!)

The entire trip was absolutely incredible! I loved the local cuisine, the beautiful and historic Old Louisville District and most of all, teaching my omelet tricks to the folks in the B&B industry.

Speaking of incredible places and people…I almost forgot to tell you about a contest being held by America’s egg farmers (the folks I work with).  They’re looking for the next incredible person! You can visit www.IncredibleEgg.org to upload a video of you or your child’s extraordinary body or mind skill and have a chance to appear in an incredible, edible egg ad, receive free eggs and donate to a local food bank! What are you waiting for? I know there are incredible people out there!

Last year was my busiest year ever! In fact, my airline club told me that, not counting December, my omelet pan and I traveled over 110,000 miles and I’m glad to say we’re going to add a lot more miles this year!! Here’s a snapshot of what’s to come…get excited!

The Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg is for farmers and consumers and always kicks-off my yearly activities. I demonstrate my prowess from the “Culinary Connection” stage where chefs from all over central PA demonstrate dishes on their menus using Pennsylvania grown and manufactured foods. Last year, I was also a judge of the Pennsylvania Angel Food Cake contest where the winning cakes from all 116 counties were entered. I had a sugar rush that kept me buzzing for two days afterward, so this year I politely declined. I will, however, be giving two demonstrations to audiences and local media covering the event. Last year I cooked with the Secretary of Agriculture, so we’ll just have to wait and see who this year brings!

Did you know that Bed and Breakfast operators are among the best egg customers we have? Of course, it makes sense since they are always looking for new breakfast ideas and egg cooking techniques. My first Bed & Breakfast Convention this year is in Louisville where the Tri-State B&B owners (Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana) are meeting. So far 125 of them are expected at the event. I’ll also be giving a program for the Texas Bed and Breakfast Association in Houston, the International Association of Innkeepers in Austin and a demonstration at the Delaware State Fair. Prior to that gig, I’ll be making breakfast on one of the biggest morning shows in Delaware with people strolling by on the boardwalk during airtime!

As you know, I also go to a lot of State Fairs during the summer months to give demonstrations for audiences that usually number a hundred or so, but more importantly, these events usually garner great local media largely because of my title as Guinness Book of World Records’ Fastest Omelet Maker! I’m already booked for the Iowa State Fair, Indiana State Fair, the Wisconsin Family and Consumer Sciences Conference and the Delaware Fair – and it’s only January!

Finally, my year includes activities that I’ve been asked to perform for various state egg promotion organizations, and believe it or not, I usually have something to say or to show that will be new to them. Most importantly, I love getting together with my egg promotion colleagues to learn what they’ve been up to.

I welcome 2010 and look forward to letting you know what develops wherever I travel to!

It was a whirlwind trip to Phoenix for the Hickman Ranch’s Third Annual Omelet Dinner. The event was held in the St. Vincent’s Dining Hall for people who work but can’t earn quite enough to keep their families well fed. Each year, employees from Hickman’s Egg Ranch – Arizona’s largest egg provider –team up with volunteers to make omelets, bacon, sausage and potatoes, and serve more than 500 people breakfast! This year was the largest yet! Since the meal is served around Christmas time the Dining Hall is decked with boughs of holly plus lots of other decorations. There are even prizes and gifts for all the children who show up. Even the Hickman giant chicken mascot was there! It was just wonderful!

The Hickman family rounded-up more than 30 volunteers. My job at the event was to orchestrate the preparation of hundreds of cheese omelets. The omelets were made by 16 farm workers, truck drivers and egg packers – almost none of whom had made an omelet before. I started with a quick omelet-making demonstration and then turned them loose with their frying pans.  I’ll admit the first omelets were a little shaky, but by the time they were on their fiftieth omelet, they were flipping them in the air and catching them in the pan behind their back! What a sight!

The “eating good” part of my Phoenix trip was thanks to my host, Sharman Hickman Silva. She took me to a place called Scrambles that only serves breakfast, all day long. What a creative bunch of breakfast makers they are!  I had a Brizza (a breakfast pizza) where the dough is made fresh, baked with a layer of egg on top and with the toppings of your choice! I topped my Brizza with chorizo sausage, peppers, onions and finished with a swirl of jalapeno cream cheese. The heat from all the peppers was searing, which is a good thing to me! The Brizza is Scramble’s signature dish with all kinds of toppings like Gouda cheese, bacon, country ham, garlic spinach with thyme and, of course, mushrooms. Mmmm. Sharman ordered Santa Fe Eggs Benedict, poached eggs on jalapeno corn bread with blackened ham and chipotle hollandaise sauce. Talk about searing heat! All of it was so delicious.

Check out the pictures of me “doing good and eating good” in Phoenix. Enjoy!

A few weeks ago, I spent five days in Denver flipping omelets with the Colorado Egg Producers and discussing the Good Egg Project, an initiative from America’s Egg Farmers. Between media appearances and cooking omelets for those in need, I was a very busy eggman!

On Saturday, November 21, I flipped omelets at the Food Bank of the Rockies where America’s egg farmers, along with Colorado’s Egg Producers, donated 100,000 eggs. It was the first of many egg donations nationwide as a result of people everywhere pledging to “Eat good. Do good every day.” In case you haven’t heard, America’s egg farmers have pledged to donate an egg every time a person takes the pledge – up to one million eggs – either online or wherever a Good Egg Project event occurs. Now, that’s incredible!

In addition to the donation, America’s Egg Farmers and Colorado’s Egg Producers  served a hot breakfast of scrambled eggs and cheese, bacon, sausage and breakfast potatoes to 625 adults and kids who were scheduled to pick up their food boxes for the Thanksgiving holiday. As families ate their breakfast, I demonstrated my omelet-making skills and taught anyone who wanted to learn. My students were mostly kids who lined up to try their hand at omelet making. Below is a picture of one of my “pupils” who gave my leg a big hug for spending time with her. When things got quiet I went to groups of people at tables and entertained them with my omelet flipping prowess. That’s always a crowd pleaser! You can see the excitement in their faces in the photo below – pretty funny, right?

The Colorado Egg Producers also arranged an event at the Weld Food Bank in Greeley, just outside of Denver. I worked with the producers to fix omelets for the good eggs who volunteer their time and efforts to that food bank. And, while we were at it, we fixed plenty of omelets for the families who came to eat at the food bank too!

While I was in Denver, I also hit the airwaves with the local FOX and CBS morning shows to teach them how to cook my famous 40-second omelets. During one of the shows, I was blindfolded for one of my omelets, which worked out fine until I turned the omelet out of the pan. I totally missed the plate with it. What a laugh that got!

Happily, I did have an afternoon off. I was able to drive into the Rockies and enjoy the beautiful mountain vistas and wonderful weather. The vastness of the mountains and the huge blue sky were a real treat since I can’t even see around the buildings surrounding my New York City apartment to simply enjoy a glimpse of any of the sky above us all. What a trip!

Did you know the Japanese consume more eggs per capita than any other nation, but, most families don’t even fix omelets at home? I learned on my trip to Japan that omelet making seems to be limited to professional chefs who were taught in the classical French manner, while Japanese families are generally content eating scrambled eggs at home.

Not any more! After several Japanese egg farmers caught my act in Atlanta last year, they invited me to Japan to conduct my omelet workshops for the press and large groups of consumers. My omelet workshops are events where, after I give a how-to demonstration, guests are invited to get their hands dirty and create their own omelets. In Japan, I conducted omelet workshops in six cities for children in elementary schools, Home Economics classes in high schools and large supermarkets that regularly schedule events like these for their customers.

Did I mention that the Japanese are enthralled by everything Guinness Book? To them, it’s the ultimate in “quirky” and they love “quirky!” So, it’s no surprise that, partly due to my Guinness record, my visits generated a lot of media attention! At each event, I talked about the incredible egg and its great nutritional value. The cameras especially loved the children who were making omelets! I also came prepared and brought a whole suitcase full of “I (heart) NY” t-shirts that I gave to all of the excited kids who snatched them up faster than I can make omelets!

Unlike Omelet Workshops in the U.S. and elsewhere, the Japanese don’t use liquid pasteurized whole eggs so each guest had to crack open two eggs, add their two tablespoons of water and whisk the eggs together for each omelet. That got a little messy! Since the Japanese are not used to filling their omelets, we decided to introduce them to the basics of omelet filling: chopped ham, shredded cheese, and thawed-out frozen mixed vegetables. The vegetables were added because they look pretty and because the Japanese are so conscious of healthy eating.

Most of my workshops were held in schools and supermarkets, but I did have the chance to visit one of Japan’s largest egg farmers’ farm/restaurant/food shop in Fijiya to give a workshop to his employees, the townspeople and their families. What an experience! I taught omelet making on a clearing at the top of a hill overlooking more hills and mountains under an azure blue sky. Awesome!

I returned to the U.S. with literally hundreds of photos. I’ve chosen photos from the Kokekokko Farm event because I think they captured the spirit of this American giving egg cooking lessons to whoever wanted to learn, regardless of their age.

Luckily for me, I’m often invited to demonstrate my omelet technique in other countries as part of my gig with the American Egg Board. Recently, I was asked by the United States Poultry and Egg Export Council (USAPEEC) to go to Mexico and talk to chefs in the foodservice industry about food safety.

I visited three cities while in Mexico: Mexico City, Veracruz and Cancun. At each of these cities I showed chefs, restaurateurs, commercial kitchen operators and culinary students how well-pasteurized whole egg products perform. Liquid pasteurized whole eggs best meet food safety guidelines because they’re pasteurized. They’re also SO convenient to use because there are no shells to crack open and thus easier to handle. Of course, there’s probably no better way to show how easy they are to cook with than to demonstrate my 40-second omelet!

For each demonstration, I whipped up my 40-second omelet, which was fairly intimidating since so many of my “students” were seasoned, formally trained full-blown chefs who were likely taught omelet making on the first day of their culinary training. That’s where my Guinness Book high-speed omelet making record credential comes in handy!

After these demonstrations participants were invited to come up to tables filled with burners, pans, an array of different omelet filling choices and – of course – liquid pasteurized whole eggs to cook with.

In Mexico City and Cancun, where we had events for the professionals, everybody fixed their own omelets for lunch.  In Veracruz, the Governor, Fidel Herrera, showed up and made an omelet for the media that covers all of his activities, so it was aired on television and was in the newspapers throughout the area.

It was definitely a good time had by all! Hopefully, they learned how easy it is to use liquid pasteurized whole eggs! Hasta Luego!

It was the biggest block party I ever attended. It may even have been the biggest block party ever! With Rachael Ray, live and in-person, stirring up excitement, the energy level at The Good Egg Project launch was absolutely palpable. The event was held around Wrigley Field in Chicago and was attended by over a thousand Chicagoans. The event was filmed as the first episode of the “Rachael Ray Show” this season. As part of the show, Rachael announced The Good Egg Project launch in an interview with Jacques Klempf, the Chairman of the American Egg Board and Cookie Monster!

What’s The Good Egg Project? It’s an effort by America’s egg farmers to get people to pledge to “EAT GOOD AND DO GOOD EVERYDAY,” a philosophy always promoted by Rachael and now publicly embraced by all of America’s egg farmers. At the same time, the Good Egg Project will educate people about where their eggs come from. Read on to learn how you can be involved.

Many activities kept the party-goers busy. There were games, amusement park rides, clowns, jugglers, mimes and all sorts of attractions and giveaways to keep the festivities going. Sesame Street’s Cookie Monster was there with us (America’s Egg Farmers are sponsors of Sesame Street’s 40th season). There were cooking demonstrations by celebrity chefs Rick Bayless and Art Smith whom I had just worked with at the White House Easter Egg event. And then there was my Kids Only cooking demonstration.

I was situated behind a fry pan surrounded by eggs, cheese, peppers and bacon, encouraging all of the many youngsters who passed by to help me make cheesy eggs and eggs-in-the-hole. And they did! The kids put butter in my pan, then a ladleful of beaten eggs. While I stirred the eggs they added whatever they wanted…always lots of cheese, and plenty of bacon, too. All the while I encouraged the kids to be sure to eat eggs for the energy their minds and bodies needed.

And then, ta-da! I flipped their creations into the air as high as I could make them go. They did an airborne turn and landed – plop – upside down back in the pan to the sheer delight of the kids, and adults, too. I am, after all, the “Guinness Book World’s Fastest Omelet Flipper.” Really! Although I didn’t keep track of the number of kids involved, there were plenty enough to totally wear me out when the festivities ended. I loved it! The kids loved it and their parents loved it too!

While I was busy with the kids, crowds lined up behind me to sign The Good Egg Project Pledge. Literally! More than 760 of them added their signatures to a huge egg illustration that committed them to “Eating Good and Doing Good Everyday.”

PLEEZE get involved in The Good Egg Pledge, too. For each pledge made on WWW.GOODEGGPROJECT.ORG, America’s egg farmers will donate one egg to Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger relief charity, up to one million eggs!
On the site, you can also learn more about modern egg farming and how to give back to the community and live more healthfully. You’ll feel good about it. I promise!

I love the Delaware State Fair mainly because I love the folks I work with there. My local “partners” are Anne Fitzgerald, the Chief of Community Relations for the Delaware Department of Agriculture and her colleague, Judith Leith. Together – like a well-oiled machine – we have a terrific time shopping, prepping and presenting at the fair, always using fresh Delaware products for the omelets that I demonstrate.

Anne recently informed me Delaware was once the largest producer of peaches in the U.S.  So much so, that the peach blossom is the state flower! Though peach production has diminished over the years, Delaware’s love for peaches has not. So, on July 30, at the state fairgrounds, peach pie was declared Delaware’s official state dessert. No kidding.

To celebrate Delaware’s love for peaches, we set out to create a peach omelet dessert of our own. We filled a 3-egg omelet with two fresh peaches that we sliced and sautéed in butter with sugar, sour cream and pecans. We folded the omelet then dusted it with confectioner’s sugar and flamed it with peach flavored brandy. When the fire finally burned itself out, there was a thick, syrupy peach brandy-flavored puddle in the pan that I spooned over the omelet before topping it with sour cream. The result was one of the most fabulous tasting omelets I’ve ever made. We passed out samples to the audience and they swooned – it was that delicious.  The recipe is below….enjoy!

DELAWARE PEACHES N’ CREAM OMELET FLAMBE

For the omelet
•    3 eggs
•    3 tablespoons water
•    1 tablespoon butter

For the filling and topping  -  have these ingredients at the serving table
•    2 fresh peaches, sliced and sautéed in 1 tablespoon of butter and two tablespoons of    sugar ½  cup plus ¼ cup of sour cream
•    ½ cup chopped pecans
•    2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
•    1/3 cup peach (or apricot) flavored brandy (must be 70-proof to flame)

Make the omelet in the kitchen – Beat together eggs and water. In a pre-heated 10-inch omelet pan, heat butter until it sizzles. Pour in egg mixture. With an inverted spatula, pull cooked portions of egg from the perimeter of the pan towards the center so the uncooked egg can reach the hot pan surface, tilting the pan and moving it as necessary. Always keep the bottom of the pan covered with egg so you end up with an egg “pancake”. Continue until the egg is set and will not flow.

Filling and flaming the omelet at the serving table – Move fast so that the pan retains enough heat to warm the brandy when you pour it in. Take the hot pan with the omelet to the table and place it on a trivet. Moving quickly, spoon the peaches, ½ cup of the sour cream and ½ cup of the pecans onto the left side of the omelet (left-handed people fill the right side). Fold the unfilled side of the omelet over the filling. Dust the omelet with the confectioners sugar, pour the brandy into the pan and let it sizzle a bit, then set it ablaze with a match. Baste the omelet with the burning brandy using a long-handled spoon until the fire goes out. Spoon the thickened brandy from the pan all over the omelet, then top it with the remaining sour cream and pecans. Makes 4 generous servings.