Until recently, I understood that a cazuela was a baked omelet that I have sampled over the years at M&J’s various locations.  I now know that the restaurant is so named for the little terra cotta baking dish that the egg blend is poured into for the cooking stage.  I have also learned that because of the special high heat that the clay dishes endure, they take on special properties and your food continues to cook for an additional 5-10 minutes after the cazuela is removed from the oven.  So when I have been disappointed that my eggs weren’t cooked to my desired doneness (with no “jigglies” as one of my 3 bros likes to say), it was actually because I was being an impatient tourista and consuming my brunch dish too soon! 

There was a vendor set up for the locals for carnival a couple of weeks ago and I wish that I had purchased a stack of these affordable casseroles for home.  They would have been great for the serving of our staggered breakfasts at the lake.

M&J’s original location at the unrenovated Roca Mar hotel had a magical charm. (When I peaked in on this trip there was a bride receiving a spa treatment).  Tables were set out on the sidewalk at a busy curve of the route into Centro and you could look down the slope to the west shore and the Bay of Cancun while experiencing the roar of the crashing waves of the Caribbean just feet away.

M&J’s new home at the corner of Guerrero and Abasolo has a lovely, cozy feel.  We sat under a trellis that allowed the dappled morning light to fall across our table.

And the Holbox Cazuela of tortillas, eggs, beans and salsa topped with fried bananas was cooked to perfection (or perhaps after all this time, I am learning the patience of the Mayan people who I so love, and didn’t dig in too soon).

V and I also shared a Crepa Amanecer- a delicate crepe surrounding ham, asparagus, herbs and that wonderfully rich Mexican cheese.  The crepas are served with M&J’s potato casserole (a recipe I have tried to unpack for years).  The coffee was wonderful and the freshly squeezed orange juice even better. 

Marco and Julie-your new spot is a gem and I predict much continued success.  My only regret is that I didn’t finally get to meet the infamous Julie who so many of my Isla friends speak of so fondly. 

Kath’s quote:  “If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion, and avoid the people, you might better stay home.”-James Michener

This lovely novel was penned by Mary Ann Shaffer who was assisted by her niece Annie Brrows when her health began to fail. Sadly, Mary Ann died before her first novel was published.

First off, my radar immediately seeks out books with a food theme included in the title.  This novel is not quite so food thematic as some of my favourites (Like water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel and Chocolat by Joanne Harris), but held some very delicious imagery.  “So refreshments became part of our program.  Since there was scant butter, (referring to a time during World Warr II) less flour and no sugar to spare on Guernsey then, Will concocted a potato peel pie: mashed potatoes for filling, strained beets for sweetness and potato peelings for crust.” 

Secondly, it is an epistolary novel and I have a soft spot for those. I kind of think of them as the blogs of the literary world and it they make me feel like I’m reading and snooping in someone’s life with their permission.

Thirdly, I thoroughly related to the heroine of the story: “In every nook I find things that tell me about her.  She was a noticer, Sydney, like me, for all the shelves were lined with shells, bird feathers, dried sea grasses, pebbles, eggshells and the skeleton of something that might be a bat.  They were just bits that were lying on the ground that anyone else would step over or on but she saw that they were beautiful and brought them home.”

The story is primarily about little snippets of every day life and that too holds a fondness for me.  This is why I am so enthralled by the novels of Jan Caron and Alexander McCall Smith. 

And finally, I loved the book because of what it was all about-

the courage to hope…to love and… to hope to love.

Kath’s quote: “The potato, like man, was not meant to dwell alone.”-Shila Hibben”

With its central location and ample parking lot, Confusion Corner is a popular meeting place for many.  Last evening the place was hopping and it was a Tuesday night!  In the last couple of years, it is likely the place that I have been to the most and I thought that it was high time that I sing its accolades.  With the exception of once, when we completely overwhelmed our new waitress, the service was been efficient and attentive. 

Since this is an after work get-together, it’s the food that quarantees the success of the evening, and that takes top marks.  A couple of times this winter, I’ve enjoyed a “crunch” salad -garnished with a couple of kinds of nuts to provide the promised texture.  I tried to find it on their on line menu just now but was not successful.  So perhaps it is a new item and does not have a permanent place on the menu or perhaps the on line menu needs adjusting. 

Last night as I enjoyed Mama’s Meatloaf (baked ground beef with capicola ham and a blend of three cheeses on a ciabatta roll), my media friends were loving the Panko-Crusted Chicken Tenders.  They are served in a very unusual manner-upright on a skewer.  They may soon become the cities’ best as I heard that The Keg Steakhouse and Bar are removing theirs from the next menu.

But the star of their fare is the Pesto Chicken Pizza.  I dream of it sometimes and have tried to recreate it at home.  They have found a dish which combines many of my favourite tastes and I TRY to resist ordering it but cave in, more often than not.  The basil pesto, feta cheese, artichoke hearts, roasted garlic and chicken are assembled in the perfect combination of savoury and salty.  The crust is delicate and yet sturdy enough to hold the weighty toppings.

We’re really looking forward to patio weather again and CC has one of the most unique rooftop patios around with a retractable awning in case of a sudden shower.  Ah spring……

I have never taken pictures of my food at CC, so please indulge me with these randoms from my collection. 

Just one question of other patrons or staff at CC-how do you pronounce “Lumpia” Rolls and are they worth the embarrassment of unfamiliarity? 

Kath’s quote:  “And do as adversaries do in law, strive mightily, but eat and drink as friends.”-William Shakespeare

You got to have friends to make the day last long.

Whenever we come home from a vacation, we try to keep the memories alive by maintaining holiday routines and eating and drinking favourite treats from the trip.  In all honesty, we even do this when we come home from an extended time at the cottage.  When we arrived from Italy, D went out to pick up some milk and fruit but found himself in De Luca’s -throwing salami, olives and capers into his shopping basket.

We asked Daughter #1 whom accompanied us to Isla Mujeres, what she was missing most.  We were expecting the warmth, the turquoise ocean or the friendly Mayan people, but true to form, her reply was-the food!  So when we assembled for mandatory Sunday supper I did my best to recreate the flavours.

D put big thick pork chops onto the barbeque flavoured with mango/chipolte seasoning.  It wasn’t the same as eating Fredy’s prok chops on the sidewalk on Hidalgo-but they were really good.  We are completely out of groceries but I did find a bag of cole slaw in the fridge that was the basis for an Isla Slaw with a sour cream/orange & lime juice dressing.  But the big hit was Mexican Rice.  On Isla, a version of this is even served at “fast food” windows like Tino’s Ribs and Rotisserie Chicken.

Last family trip to Isla

I found this in “Cocina Islena” a fund-raising cook book for PEACE(Protection, Education, Animals, Culture & Environment) -a name for people interested in working together for a better Isla Mujeres. 

1 1/2 c rice

1/3 c oil (I used butter)

1 large chopped tomato (8 oz.)

4 oz. chopped onion

1 chopped garlic clove

3 1/2 c chicken broth

Heat oil in rice pot.  Stir in rice until all grains are well covered, then saute, stirring constantly,  until a light golden colour.  This should take about 5-10 minutes. 

In a blender, blend the tomato, onion and garlic until smooth.  Add to the rice and continue to cook while stirring and scraping the bottom until the mixture is dry.  Add the broth and reduce to a medium heat, uncovered until the liquid has absorbed and small air holes appear in the rice.  Remove from heat and cover tightly, so that no steam can escape, for about 20 minutes and the rice continues to cook in its own steam. I wanted to visit my guests so I put a lid on after I added the chicken stock and simmered on a low heat for 20 minutes.

Kath’s quote: “Rice is a beautiful food.  It is beautiful when it grows, precision rows of sparkling green stalks shooting up to reach the hot summer sun. It is beautiful when harvested, autumn gold sheaves piled on diked, patchwork paddies. It is beautiful when, once threshed, it enters granary bins like a (flood) of tiny seed-pearls. It is beautiful when cooked by a practiced hand.”-Shizuo Tsuji

We showed Daughter #1 the sites of the south end of the island including places we’ve stayed, eaten at and visited before.  D was in charge of finding us a place for a lunch break.  We can’t tell you the name of the fabulous spot where we stopped-not because we are trying to keep it a scret but because it appraently did not have a name.  This is what we love most about eating in Colonia’s -it feels as if someone has simply opened their living room window to the street and is serving you what they would also be serving their family.  We can tell you that the place was next to the stationery store and across from the motorcycle repair shop, at the northern edge of town. 

Three of us gobbled up giant toasted sandwiches: one with polo mole, another with chirozo sausage and a third “especiale” with both the above and ham as well.  D parked the cart for a breathtaking view of the crashing waves on the east side of the island just around the corner from the shop and we ate in the shade of the cart.  The 3 sandwiches were a total of 750 pesos ($2.50 each). 

We zoomed home (or as fast as you can zoom in a golf cart) for showers and siestas and our next adventure.  Sister #2 and hubbie always stay on the south west side of the island so that M can launch the inflatable kayak that he brings with him every year.  In the mean time D shuttled back and forth into town to pick up the rest of the gang.  We spent the late afternoon on the beach with pina coladas, peanuts and Maria’s pepitas.

Dinner would have been lovely on the beach but the mosquitoes sometime  become pests after dark, so a long table was set up at the end of the bed and 3 siblings and an honourary sister sat there-it was like banguette seating in the best of restaurants.  The rest of us pulled up an assortment of chairs for grilled chicken with mango salsa, herb tomato rice, carrots and toasted buns.  All made on the bbq and a one burner hot plate.  Sister # 2 is truly amazing.  Sister #3 brought along a cole slaw which included sticks of jicama, tossed in a lime mayo and topped with more of Maria’s pepitas-oh baby!

For dessert, M had found out that the family that lives in the “Dalmatian” (painted white with black spots) house in Colonias runs a bakery and we had two amazing cakes.  The chocolate was savoury and light at the same time, with custard cream seperating the layers and crushed oreo cookies on top.

Another perfect day on Isla-celebrating family, new and life long friends and the sweetness of life with food!

Kath’s quote: “My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four. Unless there are three other people.” –Orson Welles