Aside from

chocolate, eggs stand out as the number one food

associated with Easter and Passover.

Colored

hard-boiled eggs for children's egg hunts and the

traditional egg placed on the Seder plate are the most

common uses that come to mind.

But eggs

can also be whisked into an entree or puffed up into a

fluffy souffle. An easy holiday brunch using eggs and a

complement of side dishes provides a perfect setting for

friends and family to share spring holidays.

For omelet

lovers, the American Egg Board offers some tips for

preparing puffy and light omelet dishes:

-

Because the omelet is finished in a hot oven, use an

ovenproof pan or a pan that you've ovenproofed by

completely wrapping the handle with foil.

-

Puffy omelets can be savory - filled or topped with

vegetables, cheese, meat, fish, seafood or poultry, or

sweet - with jam or fruit. Replace the salt with

pinch of sugar for a sweet omelet. Sweet omelets can also

be glazed with sugar or a sweet sauce and flamed with

brandy or liqueur for an impressive dessert presentation.

* Serve a

puffy omelet flat, topped by its filling, or score it

with a knife and fold it in half over its filling. Either

way, to preserve the puff, fill or top the omelet and

serve it immediately after removal from the oven.

Some other

great egg-based recipes include:

Summer

Squash Omelets

Start with

the summer squash omelet filling

4 eggs

1/4 cup

water

2 teaspoons

grated Parmesan cheese

1/2

teaspoon basil leaves, crushed

1/4

teaspoon garlic powder

1/4

teaspoon salt, optional

Dash

pepper, optional

2 teaspoons

butter or cooking oil or cooking spray

Prepare

summer squash filling. Set aside.

In a small

bowl, beat together eggs, water, cheese and seasonings

until blended. For each omelet, in 7- to 10-inch omelet

pan or skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 teaspoon of

the butter until just hot enough to sizzle a drop of

water. Pour in 1/2 cup of the egg mixture. (Mixture

should set immediately at edges.)

With an

inverted pancake turner, carefully push cooked portions

at edges toward center so uncooked portions can reach hot

pan surface, tilting pan and moving cooked portions as

necessary. When top is thickened and no visible liquid

egg remains, fill with half of the reserved filling. With

pancake turner, fold omelet in half or roll. Invert onto

plate with a quick flip of the wrist or slide from pan

onto plate, Repeat for remaining omelet.

Microwave:

For each omelet, in 9-inch pie plate, heat 1 teaspoon of

the butter on full power until melted, about 45 seconds.

Tilt plate to coat bottom evenly with the butter. Set

aside. Meanwhile, in small bowl, beat together eggs,

water, cheese and seasonings until blended. Pour 1/2 cup

of the egg mixture into hot plate. Cover tightly with

plastic wrap. Cook on full power about 2 to 3 minutes,

rotating 1/4 turn each 30 seconds. Do not stir. When top

is thickened and no visible egg liquid remains, fill with

1/2 of the reserved filling. With pancake turner, fold

omelet in half or roll and slide from pie plate onto

serving plate. Repeat for remaining omelet.

Summer

squash omelet filling for 2 omelets

1/2 cup

thinly sliced zucchini

1/2 cup

thinly sliced yellow squash

1/2 cup

sliced mushrooms

1/4 cup

chopped sweet red pepper

tablespoons water

In small

saucepan over medium heat, stir together all ingredients.

Cover and cook just until vegetables are crisp-tender,

about 3 or 4 minutes. Uncover. Cook until liquid is

evaporated.

Kitchen-tested

recipes from the American Egg Board

Double

Corn Souffle Puff

2-4

servings

Cooking

spray

Yellow

cornmeal

3/4 cup

water

1/4 cup

water

1/4 cup

yellow cornmeal

1 teaspoon

sugar

1/2

teaspoon salt, optional

1 can (8

3/4 ounces) cream-style corn

4 eggs

separated

1/2 cup

chopped bottled roasted sweet peppers

tablespoons chopped chives or green onions with tops

1/2

teaspoon cream of tartar

Evenly

spray a 1.5-quart souffle dish or straight sided

casserole. Dust with cornmeal. Set aside.

In medium

saucepan, stir together water, 1/4 cup cornmeal sugar and

salt, if desired. Cook over medium heat, stirring

constantly, until mixture boils. Remove from heat. Cool

slightly by stirring in corn until well blended. Stir in

egg yolks, peppers and chives until well blended. Set

aside.

In large

mixing bowl at high speed, beat egg whites with cream of

tartar until stiff but not dry, just until whites no

longer slip when bowl is tilted. Gently, but thoroughly,

fold reserved yolk mixture into beaten egg whites.

Carefully pour into prepared dish.

For a

"top hat" hold spoon upright and circle mixture

to make ring about 1 inch from side of dish and 1 inch

deep.

Bake in

preheated 350-degree oven until puffy, delicately browned

and souffle shakes slightly when oven rack is moved

gently back and forth, about 35 to 45 minutes. Serve

immediately.

Kitchen-tested

recipe from the American Egg Board

Portable

Pasta Salad

1 cup (8

ounces) sour half and half

1 can 4

ounces) diced green chilies

1 teaspoon

ground cumin

9 lasagna

noodles, cooked and drained

1 can (12

ounces) Mexican-style whole kernel corn, drained

4 cups

shredded lettuce

1 jar (16

ounces) salsa, divided

12

hard-cooked eggs, sliced and divided

1 cup (4

ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided

In small

bowl, blend together sour half and half, chilies and

cumin. Place three of the noodles across bottom of 13 X 9

X 2-inch baking dish. Over noodles, evenly layer 1/2 cup

of the corn and 1 1/3 cup of the lettuce. Dollop with 3/4

cup of the salsa. Evenly layer with slices from 5 of the

eggs and sprinkle with 1/3 cup of the cheese. Repeat

layers substituting sour cream mixture for salsa. Repeat

layers again with remaining ingredients using 3/4 cup of

the salsa and remaining 2 eggs. Dollop with 1/4 cup

salsa. Cover and chill to blend flavors. To serve, cut

into squares. Serve a portion of all layers.

To

hard-cook eggs, place eggs single layer in saucepan. Add

enough tap water to come at least 1 inch above the eggs.

Cover and quickly bring just to boiling. Turn off heat.

If necessary, remove pan from burner to prevent further

boiling. Let eggs stand covered in the hot water 15

minutes for large eggs. (Adjust time up or down by about

3 minutes for each size larger or smaller.) Immediately

run cold water over eggs or place them in ice water until

completely cooled. To remove shell, crackle it by tapping

gently all over. Roll egg between hands to loosen shell,

then peel, starting at large end. Hold egg under running

cold water or dip in bowl of water to help ease off the

shell

Recipe from

the American Egg Board

Asparagus

Crepes Mornay

Recipe for eight crepes, 1

pound fresh asparagus spears, cleaned and trimmed

Cooking Spray

Six hard-cooked eggs,

chopped

Parsley sprigs, optional

Prepare crepes and mornay

sauce. Steam or cook asparagus in small amount of boiling

water, just until crisp tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Drain. Divide asparagus spears among crepes.

Evenly coat 13 x 9 x 2-inch

baking dish with spray. Set aside.

Stir eggs into 1/2 cup of

the mornay sauce until combines. Spoon about two to three

tablespoons of the egg mixture evenly over asparagus on

each crepe. Roll up crepes. Place in prepared baking

dish. Pour remaining mornay sauce over crepes. Bake in

preheated 350-degree oven until hot and bubbly, about 15

to 20 minutes. Garnish with parsley, if desired.

Crepes

2 eggs

1/3 cup skim milk

1/3 cup water

2 tablespoons butter,

melted

1/2 cup all purpose flour

Melted butter, cooking oil

or cooking spray

In mixing bowl, beat eggs,

milk, water and 2 tablespoons melted butter with mixer,

rotary beater or wire whisk until well blended. Add

flour. Beat until smooth. Heat 8- to 10-inch omelet or

crepe pan over medium high heat until just hot enough to

sizzle a drop of water. Brush pan with melted butter. For

each crepe, pour in just enough butter (about 2

tablespoons for 8-inch pan or scant 1/4 cup for 10-inch

pan) to cover bottom of pan, tipping and tilting pan to

move batter quickly over bottom. Cook until lightly

browned on bottom and dry on top. Remove from pan, or if

desired, turn and brown other side. Brush pan lightly

with melted butter as needed to prevent sticking. Stack

crepes between layers of waxed paper, if desired, until

ready to fill.

Mornay Sauce

1 1/2 cups skim milk

3 tablespoons flour

3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded

reduced-fat Swiss cheese

3 tablespoons grated

Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons dry vermouth,

white wine, or lemon juice

In covered jar or blender

container, shake or blend together milk, flour and

pepper. In medium saucepan cook over medium-high heat,

cook, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and is

smooth and thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in cheeses

until Swiss cheese is melted. Stir in vermouth, wine or

lemon juice.

A kitchen-tested recipe

from the American Egg Board.