February 12th, 2011 by Dawn Becker

Recently I injured my left hand which resulted in tenosynovitis, commonly known as trigger finger, pretty much an inflammation around the tendon that can cause curling of the affected finger. Treatment, including a course of Naproxen, is a splint placed over a straightened finger, allowing it to rest in this optimal position. I can tell you the process of straightening said finger is truly gruelling involving heat, ice and lots of manual manipulation over hours as the tendon is stretched. Think of trying to straighten a wire coat hanger. For a rather mundane sounding ailment it caused an inordinate amount of sharp pain, which I likened to having a spike nailed through the palm of my hand crucifixion-style.

As you can see I did manage to get the splint on my swollen hand and there it will stay for a minimum of three weeks and as much as six. A long sentence for a self-employed person who types regularly for a living and cooks most nights. You would also be surprised how much you use your alternate hand. While I can use my good hand to wield a knife, it’s almost impossible to stabilize a carrot to chop stir fry slices and forget about making a julienne or brunoise.

This is where we have to accept a little humility and ask for help. Luckily a quick Facebook message and an outpouring of friends and family came to my rescue. Thanks to Daniel, Casey, Ozana, Rob, Julian, Cole and of course Nana for being here for me, plus everyone else who sent messages of support.

And there really is no better time than now to teach the boys a few things in the kitchen beyond frying bacon and eggs and making toast. They’re naturally interested in cooking because they love to eat and frankly if I’m not working, I’m usually in the kitchen or somewhere eating. Imitation is the greatest form of flattery and all that. We decided on making a family-size omelette, one behemoth that we can all dig into at the counter. Less to clean. Actually, I’m preparing them for a future of romantic success by making sure they’ve got a good repertoire of delicious wooing worthy breakfast in bed dishes (eek! what am I saying?).

Here’s a pictorial of how they made…

Sausage And Vegetable Omelette

1 large celery stalk, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

4 tsp olive oil

1/4 tsp ground thyme

4 or 5 breakfast sausages, sliced into 3/4” pieces

1 small tomato, chopped

1/4 cup medium cheddar, grated (or more if you prefer)

5 eggs

1/8 cup milk

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat 2 tsp oil in a pan over medium high heat and sautee chopped celery and onion until softened about 5 minutes. Turn heat down to medium and add sausage, stirring often to brown on all sides, until sausage is cooked through about 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Set aside pan.

In a separate non-stick skillet, heat remaining oil in pan over medium high heat. Combine eggs, milk, a pinch of salt and pepper in a bowl and beat well. When the pan is hot pour the egg mixture in. Using a spatula move the eggs from one side of the pan to the other, until fluffy peaks form. You can also tilt or shake the pan to fill any empty pockets with egg mixture. The idea is to create a fluffy omelette while preventing one part of the egg from burning or overcooking. Harder than it sounds when you’re letting the kids do it all on their own.

At this stage, while the eggs are still wet, before the eggs cook completely, add the cheese and top half of the omelette with the cooked sausage and vegetable mixture.

Turn the heat down to medium and cover with a lid briefly to help the cheese melt more quickly. A dry omelette is considered a fail in our family.

Then fold the omelette over – for an omelette of this size you’ll probably need two spatulas to make a successful flip – plate and serve immediately. As you can see, it was a delicious success. And below, Cole is done with cooking for the week.

And this last shot is an out take of Julian. It looks like he’s about to cut his fingers off!! Rest easy he still has them all.