Culebra Free Range Friday - And I Mean That

Yesterday, intrepid followers of MJ's Chicklandia, I ventured a guess as to why all these wild chickens might be hanging out at the home of my innocent, well fed peepers. In the late afternoon, my guess was confirmed, among a lot of shrill peeping and loud clucking. It sounded like a chicken massacre was underway, so naturally, the cat and I strolled out to see what was going on.

Outside the coop, the two mamas of different broods were milling about, the other chicks were in a frenzy. Inside, this little one was madly dashing hither and yon, with my peepers alternately curious enough to get close and then dashing away. Especially after I entered the picture coop.

Terrible photo but you get the idea

I gave gentle chase and caught the wee yellow interloper, but by the time I got it in hand, the other outside chickens had fled the scene. It crossed my mind to keep it, just out of curiosity, but frankly, I couldn't stand its high pitched cry of 'Mama! I'm lost! Come get me!" Just the guilt factor alone would have been too much.

I could hear the others in the bush, so I sort of tossed the baby in that direction, and after only a few seconds could hear a mother and child reunion going on (and before anyone gets their dander up about me tossing a baby chicken, trust me, no animal was harmed; they are so light, it is like tossing 35 feathers wrapped around a cotton ball, uh, with tiny legs on it).

Tiny legs is not a great segue to the following, but there you go, I can't do linguistic tricks every time!

For the food portion of Free Range Friday, I submit the following. You thought I forgot, didn't you?

(used with permission)
If anyone knows where to get seeds for this tree, I would greatly appreciate hearing from you!

Because it is Spring and in some VERY fortunate places, asparagus is newly emerging from land and onto plates, I found a recipe that combined these two of my favorite foods...brie and asparagus, that is.

I'm lifting it entire from its Food Network page, as this is the printable version, so I'm making the assumption it is free for the taking. Simple, simple simple! Don't be afraid of the phyllo dough, just take your time with it. You'll be so glad you did. Buen provecho!

Brie and Asparagus in Phyllo

2007, Robert Irvine, All Rights Reserved

Prep Time:

30 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

5 min

Level:

Intermediate

Serves:

8 (2-piece) servings

Ingredients

• 5 or 6 sheets phyllo dough (based on 18 by 14-inch sheets which are often sold in packs of 18 to 20 for thickness, number 4)
• 1 cup melted butter
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 small wheel brie cheese (about 8 ounces), cut into 16 mini-wedges
• 16 asparagus tips, blanched

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Make sure phyllo is completely defrosted. Once removed from package, you will need to cover phyllo with waxed paper and a damp towel to prevent it from drying out. Lay out sheet of dough, lightly butter with pastry brush. Fold sheet in half, butter again. Keep re-buttering and folding in half (probably 3 "folds" total) until you have a rectangle with dimensions close to 4 by 4 inches. Cut into 3 sections. Sprinkle Parmesan on each piece of dough. Crumble a bit of brie on each. Lay asparagus tip on top and roll dough around asparagus. The tip of the asparagus should show out of the end. Repeat to make 16 pieces. Lay all pieces out on a cookie sheet. Brush each piece with butter and bake in oven until golden brown. Serve warm.

And now, we return to our chick adventure.

With the cat and I both back inside, it was only about 20 minutes later that the same cacophony of noise started up again. And inside the coop was not one, not two but three yellow fluff balls! I didn't bother with photo ops, afraid I'd get all 10 or however many there are inside while my back was turned and turning. We had a bit of a merry chase around the coop but it wasn't long before each was given the heave-ho. I shored up the probable entry with rocks (by the way, if you think chickens are weaklings? They can move some BIG rocks around; it's pretty incredible). Big rocks stacked a few deep. Not a perfect solution but the best for that moment.

I couldn't help but think of mothers who have given their children up to better situations, for so many reasons, but often keeping them fed and sheltered is the highest among them, regardless of what the surrounding circumstances are. I don't think chickens ponder too deeply on this, and as defensive as they are as mamas, I doubt she was voluntarily sending them off to the orphanage. At least, she didn't leave a note for me.

Don't forget! Tonight is music, lovely music, at the plaza! Also, even though she is officially on vacation, Susie is having a light supper tonight. She is hosting dinner for members of the orchestra and decided make her menu available for any of the rest of us who would like to dine with them. Well, maybe not exactly WITH them, but in the vicinity. As I recall from last year, these are really friendly fellows and I'm sure they wouldn't mind some chat, as long as they get their dinner!

Have an unForgettable Friday! Do something festive.