I have two friends who want spinach recipes from me and when I think of spinach I think of Popeye.  Then, when I think of Popeye I think of Robin.
There are so many childhood memories this man is tied to for me and it makes me sad to know that the little people coming up in the world won't get this.  They won't get to see this amazing man who was a literal genius and could turn himself into any character.  They won't partake of the new ideas he had and the lightening speed with which he created.  He was a tornado of genius.  No one, I mean no one is, was and will ever be like him.  He is one of the greats that all the comics for generations to come will look to for inspiration.  He's up there with the Marx Brothers, Laurel and Hardy and Abbott and Costello and I hope and pray they're all together making each other laugh and having the greatest time.



The first recipe I got online two years ago before I had a Pinterest account and now, I can't find it anywhere.  There are a lot of recipes for this dip but I can't find the one that has all of these ingredients so I'm posting it here.  If anyone finds the original, please put the link in the comments below this post.  Thanks!
I eyeball both of these recipes so the measurements are my guestimation of what they should or could be.

Spinach & Artichoke Dip
2 cloves of finely chopped garlic
1/2  chopped yellow onion
2 8oz pkgs cream cheese
1 12oz container of sour cream
1 cup of parmesan cheese
1 cup of mozzarella cheese
1 8oz pkg of chopped frozen spinach
1 can of artichoke hearts or 2 jars of marinated artichoke hearts
1 tsp Red pepper flakes
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

*You can substitute the dairy ingredients with Daiya products for dairy-free alternatives to this recipe.

 1. In a large pot saute the chopped garlic and onion in olive oil.  When I purchase marinated artichoke hearts for this recipe, I saute my garlic and onion in the oil marinade the hearts come in.  This adds a lot of flavor. Once the garlic and onion are translucent you can put in a couple of shakes of the red pepper flakes.  Letting the red pepper flakes saute for a couple of seconds will bring out a bit of the heat.
2. Defrost the frozen spinach and get out as much excess liquid as possible before adding it to the pot then saute until heated through.
3. Chop the artichoke hearts and then add them to the pot as well.
4. Add in both packages of cream cheese and stir until the cream cheese has melted.
5. Add in 1 cup of sour cream, then stir until well mixed.  Add in the Parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese until both cheeses are well melted into your mixture.
6. Once your mixture is combined well you can add salt and pepper to taste.

This next recipe is an Ebony original and I've made it in four variations.  The first time I made this one year ago it only had baby bokchoy, tomatoes and chicken.  I actually prefer it this way.  I ran out of bokchoy and substituted spinach a few days later.  Then a month ago I had a dream about a swiss chard and asparagus recipe.  I don't like asparagus, but it gave me the idea to substitute swiss chard for the spinach and add green beans to the below recipe.  The actual pasta dish I dreamt will be in a later post.
When I made this next recipe this week it had the most veggies I have ever put into it.  This is the recipe my friend wants so that is what is below.  You can do any of the variations I have listed above if you like. I have no measurements so again this will be a guestimation.

Popeye Saute
2 heads of baby bokchoy
1 8oz pkg of spinach
1 cup of frozen green beans
3 chopped tomatoes (plum or vine)
3 cloves finely chopped garlic
1/2 chopped yellow onion
Frozen grilled chicken strips (Trader Joe's)
Sea Salt
Pepper
Mrs. Dash's
Italian Seasoning

1, In a large skillet, saute the chopped garlic and onion in olive oil until the vegetables are translucent or a bit caramelized.
2. Add in your baby bokchoy and cook until the white ends are soft and translucent and the greenery is wilted.
3. Add in and saute your spinach and green beans until soft.
4. Add in chopped tomatoes and as many pieces of the grilled chicken strips as you would like.  Add 2tbsps of water, cover and let simmer until the chicken is thawed and has absorbed the juices from your vegetable mixture.  This will be about 3-5 minutes.  If your mixture is drying out, add a bit more water, but the juice from the tomatoes should moisten your mixture well.
5. Add seasonings listed above to taste.


I'm Popeye the sailor man
I'm Popeye the sailor man
I'm strong to the fin-ich
Cause I eats me spin-ach
I'm Popeye the sailor man.

"Belle" - In Movie Theaters

"Violet" On Broadway

This post is going to be be all about the histrionics portion of this blog. Nothing edible.  I've just seen two pieces of performing art that are demanding my complete attention and I'm giving it to them. I'm excited to write this entry because the only entertainment I believe that's worth creating is the kind that provokes thought.  And since most entertainment that's out nowadays is thoughtless, these two gems gave me hope that all is not lost. 
You see, I've been struggling with some things for all of my life and these two pieces forced me to look at them. I don't know where I am now, but I've been forced to look at myself.  Well...this part of myself at least.  I know these themes are ones every woman faces at one time or another. The two women here, Belle and Violet, have it much harder than most of us do.
To give you a short synopsis of each so that you know where I am going in this post, Violet is a woman who was disfigured as a young child. She decides to go on a journey to a faith healer to get healed after her father passes away.  She is the town "freak" and no one looks her in the eye. Her Father never did either.
In the movie "Belle", Dido (Belle) is a bi-racial woman raised in a high ranking political household. Because the standards of "propriety" at the time hold her back from fully engaging in "high society" she finds herself not knowing where she stands or who she is. Sort of lost, in a constant state of having one foot in and one foot out. Neither of her own choosing.
The common themes of these stories are beauty, accepting your own and the desire to be accepted by others. Love, being loved for who you are, totally and completely.  Self-acceptance, inner healing, father-daughter relationships and the enormous impact they have on a woman's identity and the ability to love herself and others.
Growing up as a minority with two well educated parents in the suburbs in the '80s and '90s, you find yourself always the "token' one.  You get so use to it that you don't ever really notice or pay attention to it because that's always been your life. You have the friends you have and they're just people and you and them don't pay much attention to color. Or at least, that's what I thought. 
There is a scene in "Belle" where the title character is sitting at her vanity looking in the mirror just after a terrible encounter with her soon-to-be brother-in-law. She strikes herself as if trying to get away from her color. As I watched both of these women struggle with their own self-hatred so viscerally, I was once again reminded of my own. I'm a person yes, and this is a common struggle, yes. But the difference for me has been that I've been the only one for so much of my life. Not black enough to be fully accepted by my own race but still clearly a minority and not able to be completely understood by my friends of other races who have loved and accepted me.
And when I watched both women struggle in their love lives, because they were different, I was struck to the core. I watched my mail be read on screen and on stage and I thought, "I'm not the only one who is dealing with this? I'm not alone?"  I'm blessed, I've never been told I'm unattractive. People can look me in the eye. I don't get whispered about behind my back like the two women above. My parents loved me and edified me all of my life. But rejection and I have also known each other my whole life. From the kindergarten teacher who faced me to the back wall for an entire year, to all the unrequited loves of my life.
There's that nagging thought in the back of your mind that maybe you aren't good enough.  If you lost weight, changed your hair, dressed differently, wore make-up or sometimes, yes, even were a different color, things might be different.   When I was a child this was at the forefront of my mind. You can tell a little girl she's beautiful, but if she is rejected by those she wants to be accepted by, it leaves scars. Maybe the scars aren't as visible as the ones on Violet's face but they are no less real, deep and affecting.
So, now I'm an adult. I've finally gotten to a place in my life where I love my skin color, I love my hair and I accept those things as gifts from God. Things aren't any easier but I take the responsibility that comes with these gifts as an honor.  Just as I took my charge to become a New Yorker as a great honor.
Don't get me wrong...I still struggle with completely accepting myself as beautiful.  There's this messed up stigma on women that if you say or think that about yourself than you're arrogant. It's part of the burnt toast theory, I think.  If you tell me you don't struggle with this you're lying to yourself.  You're not lying to me because I have your number and I know what you're doing. At least own up to it, learn from it and begin to grow and heal in a REAL way. Lying to yourself will not work.
At the end of Violet and Belle's stories both women stopped allowing everyone else to tell them they were worthy of loving and being loved.  Once they accepted it the things they wondered if would ever be offered to them were.  Belle was even able to change the world and make it a place I can live in as a free black woman. She was one of the "Esthers" of my race and I am indebted to her for her contribution.
So, where does this leave me?  I have only one choice and that is to daily remind myself that I am worthy of being loved and I need to be active in loving others well.  And when I fail, having grace for myself to try again, and when others fail extending that to them. So that when you learn how to love yourself and others well you become more beautiful.  For this is the beauty of God that should shine through all of us. This is how the world is changed, when we know our worth and worthiness.
And one day, if it be God's will, I may meet a man intelligent enough to see my truth and love me well as these two women found. One should NEVER be loved, "in spite of" or "because of".  One should just be loved.  All of you just "because".
And whether or not that happens, I will choose to love myself and others in that way because I am loved that way by my Creator. So, I leave you with this, You are beautiful, worthy, accepted, known, understood, appreciated and loved.  Walk in THAT truth my friends. Accept no other.

Love,
Ebony