Free Range All Over ~ Culebra

The weather has finally turned to its lovely winter self, no false start and then dropped back into the sauna, but the cool mornings, warm days and bluer than blue skies that make these next months the namegiver of Paradise.

All that lyrical bit to say I went for a walk yesterday afternoon, just for the sake of going for a walk, it was that nice out. I marvel at those who walk and run and bike when the breath in your lungs has sweat on it, but people do it. Some people. Like some people going swimming in cold water, there is a mutant tendency at work there that isn't on my list of issues or in my genes.

One thing about life on Culebra that I just might have mentioned before is that most of us are outdoors a lot. You'll see old people up not far past dawn and on through the day, outside doing something. Washing a sidewalk, talking to a neighbor, going to the store or Post Office. I don't mean old like me, I mean people in their 80's and 90's, sometimes on the way to take care of their relatives. I love that about Culebra, on my list of 493 and growing things I love about Culebra.

This isn't from my walk. This is from lunch at El Batey the other day, where the view matches the food.

This is such a great yard. I think everything in it bears fruit of some kind; bananas, plantains, mangoes, oranges. There are always new starts as well, until one day it will be a completely food productive jungle. Thankfully, we have no yard police around here.

 

While I'm not wild about the location of this container house for purely selfish reasons, I do like what is being done with it.

On that now barren hill, those porches will be a huge element in keeping this cooler.  Plant some trees, would you?

From the top of a hill over the bay, over the town and on to Vieques

There were ani's all over the place, with their distinctive call, singing in the end of day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then it was home and dinner. I'd seen a fun idea using eggs, where you cut a red/orange/yellow/green bell pepper in slices and put them in a pan, then break an egg into it to cook. The shapes are wonderful and according to our friend Z, the egg only runs out a bit but can be 'fixed' to make a great presentation. This recipe, with great step by step directions, uses a tomato also, hidden under the egg.

Well, I didn't have any bell peppers, so that experiment is for another day. Instead, I was reminded, for some reason, of a treat my Dad used to make for us (that I may have written about before, so bear with me if so), jelly omelets. 

There isn't much of anything more simple to make this comfort food. At least to me it's comfort food, bringing back memories of my Dad making us breakfast. Of course, his breakfasts, which he made for us every day, that pretty much 99% of the time contained eggs and usually bacon, some fruit, toast, huge glasses of milk and juice, put me off of breakfast for many years. Not that I didn't like it, just not at 6 a.m. in the morning. Which might be why I had this for dinner.

Take two eggs. See how simple this is already?

Add a little milk (or not) and whip them frothy

Either usa a great non-stick pan or oil it with a bit of butter or vegetable oil. But here is where I made my error. I used too small a pan. The object is to have a very thin omelet, not as thin as a crepe, but thin. Which means either just use one egg in a small pan, or use a bigger pan. It makes it easier when you get to the end of this.

Cook your omelet until it is nicely browned on each side. Give the pan a bit of a shake to make sure it is loose when you are ready to flip it. If it breaks, don't worry it can all be worked out in the next move, when you can smudge it back together (if you are serving really picky people, still don't worry; once they taste it, it won't matter, you'll just have to trust me on this),

Now you just roll it up. The warm omelet heats up the jelly (in this case, fig preserves, but my Dad usually used raspberry jam, which is prettier; whatever you like will do just fine).

Here is the Fannie Farmer version, the cookbook that was our family Bible back in the day and she's still good for a lot if you like to cook by the seat of your spoon. I don't add the sugar, but you can. You can also sprinkle some confectioner's sugar, or regular if you like, on top. I think my sweet tooth has abated since I was a kid and the jelly/jam/preserves make it quite sweet enough for me. You do as you like!

She never had a cooking show, but in our house, she was a celebrity goddess

Jelly Omelet

Mix and cook Plain Omelet, omitting pepper and one-half the salt, and adding one tablespoon sugar. Spread before folding with jam, jelly, or marmalade. Fold, turn, and sprinkle with sugar.

Farmer, Fannie Merritt. The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book. Boston: Little, Brown, 1918;
 Have a fix something fun Friday. Do something (non)formidable.