"I'm late, I'm late for
A very important date.
No time to say hello, good-bye,
I'm late, I'm late, I'm late" - The White Rabbit from "Alice in Wonderland"

August 2023 was a weird one grieving projects, the anniversary of my Grandmother and Father's deaths, it was summer and I hate summer and then it ended with me having my first bout of COVID-19. Which then spread to one of my roommates all on the weekend of our third roommates 40th birthday party. This meant she had to cancel because she cares about people and had been exposed (although praise God she didn't get sick).  I mean, I really could have lit that month on fire and sent its behind down the river because of how poorly it ended. I still don't understand what was going on with that month, but it's over now and I hope not to repeat it at any point...ever.

Because Miss Rona ruined our roommate's event, I concocted a plan to celebrate her birthday, albeit belatedly at the next weekend she had available. Due to her schedule that meant October. 

I told her to invite four of her closest friends and I would throw her a tea party at our apartment. I shared several photos from that event and a bunch of folks said they'd love to have the recipes, so here they are with my anecdotal notes and the usual storytelling.

My roommates favorite color is purple, so you'll see a lot of that throughout the pictures. 

One thing I want you to imagine as you read through this is, my roommates (including the birthday girl) decorating during my second night of cooking and assembling. The later it got the more punch drunk we got and laughing for no reason is our go to. It is a miracle everything went as great as it did. 

First up were the scones. I made them first, two days before the event in case they didn't come out and I had to buy some instead. When they came out of the oven, I was extremely proud of them. If you don't like them, keep it to yourself. LOL!! 

Yes, these are mine! No, this photo does not do them justice! 

Here's the recipe for Soft Scones 

Adjustments to my version: 

Girl, the way I HATE buying that quart of buttermilk that ALWAYS goes to waste because I bake with it once or twice a year. So, instead I make it with a cup of milk (usually non-dairy but it doesn't have to be) and a tablespoon of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. Then I let that mixture sit for 5-10 minutes while I fix my other ingredients. You can adjust the ratios based on how much buttermilk you need in your other recipes that call for it. This little hack I found on these interwebs has not failed me yet. 

I also did not put any crunchy sugar on top because why? They are literally called soft scones, but then I'm going to ruin it by making them crunchy with sugar no one asked for on top?  Y'all know what I'm saying? Senseless. 

Next up is Mock Clotted Cream. Why mock clotted cream you may ask? Listen, go google a real clotted cream recipe and see how long it takes. I do not have eight to twelve hours to sit over a stove or crock pot scraping skim off the top of milk and what have you, girl I have job, friends, I'm on a board of directors. Ain't nobody got time for that. Also, this recipe tastes very good! 

The picture on the left has: Masker Orchards Pumpkin Butter (bought at the apple orchard I go to every fall), Lemon Curd (store-bought), Apple Butter (homemade) & Mock Clotted Cream (homemade). 

Mock Clotted Cream Recipe

The first time I made this "clotted cream" was many moons ago, but I remembered the mascarpone cheese. Ooooo girl! It's good. 

Crockpot Apple Butter Recipe 

    Yes, I picked the apples with my own two hands from trees in an orchard. You don't have to be that extra but I am. That was my Ina Garten moment. 

   And just let me be frank with you, this recipe is here for your sake. Because I do not agree with the lack of spices in her recipe. I put all of the fall spices in mine; nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves. And yes, I know essentially that allspice is called that because it has all of the spices but folks out here seem to be afraid of adding flavor to their food and you all really need to be released from that oppression. Get free and add some flavor to y'alls food. 

I have also switched up my sugar to include coconut sugar instead of brown sugar, but I did use demerara with the coconut sugar this year. 

And since I am my Grandmother Florence's Granddaughter and my Aunt Ethel's niece, I have no measurements for my version, I just eyeball it. So here's a recipe for you to follow if that's what you need to feel safe but I beg you to add more spices than what this woman is doing. Please for the love of all that is good and yummy! 

My favorite sandwich to have at a proper tea is a cucumber sandwich. Now, the sandwiches are where things went a bit off the rails because I definitely did not choose the right bread. Choosing sourdough was a poor life decision because if you're doing it right, you are cutting your sandwiches into traditional tea sandwich shapes and sourdough is just not about that life so cutting them was a struggle. I've learned my lesson for next time. Thanks be to God mine held together and no one knew of my trials and tribulations. They looked cute, which is really all that matters in the end. 

For the cucumber sandwich filling I used three ingredients:

1. Seedless Cucumbers thinly sliced

2. 3oz Herbed goat cheese

3. 4oz Cream cheese 

I mixed the goat cheese and cream cheese together adding more spices and then spread it on the bread. Then I placed the thinly sliced cucumbers on top to make a sandwich. These I then took off the crust and cut into stick shapes. 

And what is a tea party without chicken salad sandwiches?  See now, I'm not really for regular chicken salad (unless my family in NC makes it). I love to have pecans (or almonds), craisins (or grapes), curry and celery in mine. Also, I do not love mayo so I use plain yogurt in it. For this tea party that was my version of Coronation Chicken Salad because my roommate also does not love mayo. But like I said, for mine there are no measurements, I eye-balled it. If you desperately need a recipe, then go on Chatgbt.

Who wants to come to a party with no dessert? Maybe you know somebody, but I'm not friends with them and neither are my roommates so we had dessert. 

And since the Birthday girl loves chocolate I made an easy and quick chocolate mousse. Another recipe I have made before and was a hit. Again, many many moons ago. 

Easy Chocolate Mousse

This recipe has two ingredients y'all! If you mess this up, you need to just quick cooking because I really don't know what to tell you. Order out, hire help, something. It's only two ingredients. 

A staple that was taught to me over fifteen years ago are chocolate chip cream cheese cookies. One of my friends was kind enough to share it with me all those years ago and we baked my first batch together. I find them to be more addictive then regular chocolate chip cookies. I believe these are a family recipe of hers so I always title them with her name, except that she doesn't know y'all and I'm not giving her full name on these interwebs. 

Laura L's Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 Cup Shortening

1 Cup Sugar

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

8 oz. softened cream cheese

2 eggs

2 Cups Flour

1 Teaspoon Salt

1-12 oz. package semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions: 

Mix together shortening, sugar, vanila cream cheese and eggs.  Then add Flour and salt and mix.  Then add chocolate chips.

 

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Since we had some gluten free folks I went to one of my favorite bakeries in the city called By The Way Bakery. They are gluten free and dairy free which comes in handy because I have friends with dietary restrictions and had two of my birthday cakes from here so those friends could partake. 

For this event I wanted a decent bread and I was just not going to do Udi's. I know some of y'all like it but this is a special occasion and I just wasn't doing it. 

I also purchased their scones and desserts from By The Way because we are not a GF household and cross contamination when baking scares me. I'm not having folks come to my house to get sick. It's also just about community care. A phrase one of my friends came up with that I wish we focused on more in this country, but alas that conversation is for my other blogs. 

And since it is a tea party and this roommate and I LOVE Anne of Green Gables, I had to make raspberry cordial. You cannot have a tea party without at least one reference if you love Anne. We watched Anne with an E together and loved it. We also love the ones with Megan Follow
s, but there is room in our hearts for both. And I'm going to tell some of y'all right now, I will not tolerate any slander for either of these iterations anywhere near me. Anne of Green Gables Raspberry Cordial

The last recipe I'll share I actually promised folks in 2022. It's for the apple butter spice cake I made a week later for my roommate to take to her Mother in Connecticut. I had also made it in the fall of 2022 for the first time to share with my film co-creators. Both times I made it with the homemade apple butter.

November 2022 Dear Brutus Pre-Production Meeting

Apple Butter Spice Cake

You might be wondering, wasn't this a birthday party? Where is the birthday cake? Do you think, I made everything I just told you about, purchased all the decorations, ran all the errands needed to make this day happen and still baked a birthday cake? Like I said, I have a full life with boards, podcasts, etc. Your girl just entered her 40s and is getting smarter about knowing her limits. Old me would've also tried to do this. New me is like girl, let people help you and stop doing too much. So, I purchased cupcakes from By The Way Bakery which also meant our gluten free folks could enjoy them without worrying. 

In conclusion, there are a few takeaways I hope everyone who chooses to read this leaves with besides just the recipes. Firstly, you don't need to do everything to make a great event. Know your limits so you're not in the kitchen still cooking or cleaning up when people arrive. It's the worst when you can't actually relax and be with the people you invited to your home to be with.  Secondly, to avoid said scenario, LET PEOPLE HELP YOU! If you need to order a few things, DO IT! No one is going to judge you and if they do, I would seriously rethink that friendship. And finally, if things don't go perfectly, it's okay. Life is messy and crap happens. You're not a failure, you're just human and so is everyone you're with. 

Well, that's it from me. Doing this event was super fun and I had been struggling with cooking and baking for a while because it brought up a lot of grief from me losing my Mom and Grandmother who taught me how to cook and bake. So to those of you struggling with grief, just know that it takes the time it takes. It's not a linear process it is cyclical, so make sure you are with folks who can support you through all the moments. 

More photos from the event for your enjoyment! 

 I wanted soul food and all I got was this darn pandemic

Every year since my Mom passed away I usually go down to North Carolina to see my paternal family to have Thanksgiving dinner with them. I LOVE it! I don't love Tarboro, North Carolina but I sure do love my family. They are funny, have minimal filtration and are wonderful cooks. They have been a sanctuary especially these last four years. So when the coronavirus pandemic threatened to end my soul food streak, I was pretty sad.  I've been avoiding doing a lot of cooking for the past few years. You may have noticed that this blog has a post from 2014 and nothing after that because a few months later, my Mom died and through the years cooking has been more difficult for me. It reminds me of my grief and loss and has slowly begun to no longer bring me the joy it use to. So being forced to celebrate Thanksgiving in New York without family this year is a little triggering as you can imagine. That is why I'm going to try to make it as fun as I can. Thankfully, I won't be doing the cooking alone which will help tremendously and if anything goes horribly wrong whoever is reading this blog will get a great chuckle out of it. 

How Is It Going?

Monday, November 23 - So far today, I've recorded a special Thanksgiving episode of my podcast, Theatre Geeks Anonymous which you will be able to hear on Thanksgiving Day. It's our present to ourselves and all the geeks who listen to our pod. If you've never listened and your interested, here you go! 
I've taken the turkey out of the freezer to thaw and am really struggling with whether to brine or not to brine. You can brine your turkey as it thaws so I may brine it on Wednesday morning for the last 6-8 hours of it's thaw time before smothering it with herbs and vegan butter before it goes in the crockpot before I head to bed. My podcast co-host Pamela is a good cook as well and she talked me into seriously thinking about brining. Neither of us have done a turkey before this year so we're figuring it out. We'll see if I brine.  I'll keep you posted. 
Tonight I have a fun Friendsgiving social hour planned with the think tank I started with some friends in the spring called the Think Tank for Theatrical Innovation. This group is filled with some of the most majestic human beings and I am so excited to talk to them about nothing and everything while we eat and drink tonight! 
Lastly I'm thinking about re-watching my church's service from yesterday. It reminded me about perspective and gratefulness during a plague and how to give God glory for the good He has done. I still have a job, friends, a home and so do my siblings and extended family. We are a blessed group and there's a lot to be thankful for this year even if 2020 had some plot twists nobody wanted. 
Tomorrow I'll share some photos of the sides we're cooking, but for now, enjoy the photos of past Thanksgivings with my family in North Carolina. 

Just recently, I moved.  I'm in the same borough but my wonderful roommate has left the state.  I miss her.  In this urban jungle it's tough to find a great roommate and God knows I had one.  When you get one this good, you're over the moon and grateful you've been so blessed.  So, this post is for my former roommate who wanted this recipe weeks ago but, can now have it on her new adventure.  There won't be any artsy stuff on this post because this is just for Vanessa.  :-)

For a little backstory, when I first moved back a major natural disaster happened and I went to help out.  While I was helping with the relief effort, I stayed with some lovely friends and one Sunday evening we had a curry chicken pot-pie for dinner.  Now, I was told the recipe was from Trader Joe's cookbook?  I never knew there was such a thing.
For beginners, I had never made a chicken pot-pie before.  This is by far the easiest and most delicious chicken pot-pie you will ever encounter! 

Now here is the original recipe:
Trader Joe's Curry Chicken Pot Pie

But here is what I make,
Anna's version of TJ's Curry Chicken Pot Pie:
2 bags of TJ's Organic Foursome Vegetables
1 bottle TJ's Thai Yellow Curry Sauce
1 bag of TJ's Just Chicken
2 tbsp All-Purpose Flour
2 rolls of pre-made pie crust

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2.Defrost the chicken but don't let it cook.  The chicken is pre-cooked and you don't want it to get tough.
3. In a large bowl mix the veggies, chicken, curry sauce and flour together
4. Prepare a dutch oven by spraying non-stick cooking spray to the bottom and sides of the dish.  Then line the bottom with one roll of the pie crust.
5. Pour the veggie mixture into the prepared dish on top of the pie crust.
6. Top the pie with the remaining roll of pie crust and puncture vent holes in the top
7. Bake the pot pie for 35-40 minutes, then let stand for 10 minutes, if you can wait that long.

If I'm honest, I have burned my mouth on this pot pie a few times.  It smells great and I was hungry and impatient.
You'll notice the differences, like there are no onions in my recipe.  Again, I'm not a big fan.  I might add a bit of chopped garlic to it next time.  Garlic I am a fan of!  You can play around with the measurements to make it as big or as small as you like.  When I make this it's usually for no less than four people so, my recipe makes a lot and my dutch oven is a good size.  People like seconds so don't skimp!  It's a bad idea, dude!  I promise you'll regret it if you skimp.
Don't be daunted!  This is a great recipe and everyone will think your a freaking genius and it's the easiest thing ever!

Enjoy!
Ebony

I watch the Tony Awards every single year without fail.  Even when critics pan them, I love them! Just click on Neil Patrick Harris' face to see the opening number. :-)

 

 Being that I am a true nerd not only do I watch the Tony Awards but I go to the red carpet and throw a Tony Awards viewing party whenever possible.  To date, my favorite year was 2011 when I sat with my theater kids and watched the Tony Awards while we noshed on pizza, ice cream and movie candy that were props for a show we were doing.  We only needed the boxes so we had to eat ALL of the candy, right?

This year, I decided to step up my culinary stylings a bit from frozen pizza and movie candy.

When you are having a party with a group of people, a good host takes each persons palette into consideration.  This is not to say that you can't get one out of their comfort zone every once in a while but, you need to be considerate, this is a mistake I have made before.

Luckily, my guests and roommates are not picky eaters.  In fact, my roommates have broad palettes and love spices, as do I.  We also like heat but two of my guests did not like heat and one is not one for a lot of spices.  Though saying that, I still decided to make a thai inspired chicken. The difference here is that the flavors were all flavors I new she could handle and nothing was over-powering.

Because I knew that my roommate was making bruschetta and purchasing dips from a local Israeli store; I decided against making a salad to go with the meal because people would be very full.  So, in the end I made Cilantro Lime Rice from Nikki in the Kitchen's Blog which is based off of Chipotle's Cilantro Lime Rice.

This particular picture is from Nikki's blog where you can go for the recipe: http://nikkisfixins.blogspot.com/2012/01/cilantro-lime-rice.html

When I made her rice, I took her suggestion of making it a bit healthier and I used Brown Jasmine Rice instead.  I cannot tell you how WONDERFUL the smell is once you mix all of the beautiful flavors of the lime, fresh cilantro, and garlic together into the rice.

During this process I was teaching my second roommate, who is new to cooking, how to make it and she said, "So, we have to wait until tonight to eat this?" Since we were going to the red carpet at Radio City Music Hall it gave the rice time to sit in these wonderful flavors and it tasted even better once we returned.  When you first mix them all together and taste it, you can literally taste every single flavor.  It really was remarkable to me.

But the "piece de resistance" came from Alexa over at the "Artsy-Foodie" Blog.  Alexa was kind enough to allow me to talk about her chicken recipe here on my new blog.  Here is a link to the original recipe: http://www.artsy-foodie.com/2008/09/wonderful-tasting-chicken-breast-recipe.html

Instead of using chicken breasts I decided to use a whole roasting chicken.  Why?  I knew it would last much longer and it gave folks the opportunity to control their portions a bit better.  Not one bite was wasted!  I must confess, this was my first experience roasting a whole chicken so I am grateful that it came out beautifully! 

For the whole roasting chicken I used dried Cilantro and increased the recipe measurements exponentially:

Cilantro Thai Chicken

5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 cup dried cilantro 

 2 tablespoons of soy sauce

2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

I marinated the chicken overnight and then baked the 4lb chicken at 350F for 3 hours on Sunday.  After it was cooked I turned off the oven and let it sit inside of the oven and rest.

Alexa uses fresh cilantro which I will probably do next time also but, I have to say the taste was delicious in spite of using dried herbs.  I basted the chicken pretty frequently for the last hour and a half and it was juicy, fall of the bone tender and flavorful.  Thank you Alexa for your genius recipe!

My friends loved it and I had a lot less of the chicken for leftovers than I anticipated.  Not too shabby, huh?

Now on to the Tony Awards 2013 red carpet and viewing party!!

I am lucky enough to live in New York City.  I LOVE this place!  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make it to a majority of the shows nominated this year but, I do my homework.  So, as we stood among the masses, gawking at the famous and Broadway famous I commented on who was who, what play or musical they were involved with, etc.  I'm so loud that I had a little bit of a following and one guy said, "You have to say the names in German so we know what you mean too!"  It was too much fun!  There are really wonderful people here in New York!

But these...these pictures are my favorite moments from that night, apart from sitting with friends.

         This is Cicely Tyson.  If you don't know her, IMDB her and go see any one of her movies.  You won't be disappointed.  My Mother did not raise a fool so, I've grown up watching her films.  All night I kept saying to anyone and everyone who would listen, "I just want to see Cicely!  If I can just see Cicely we can go home!  I just want to see Cicely, she's the only famous person I care about!"  So, as the line dies down and we contemplate leaving, a limo pulls up.  No one comes out for a while.  Then the young black man in the picture standing next to her comes out street side.  You see a ton of people standing on the opposite side of the limo and everyone is deadly quiet except me who yells, "I bet it's Cicely!!  I know it is!! It's her!"  Well finally the person steps out but they are so tiny that you can't see them, not even the top of their head.  Finally the limo pulls away and I yelled, "Cicely!!!!  Cicely!!!!" as loud as humanly possible.  She turned, smiled, waived and my life was made.

  Now I just have to get over to the Stephen Sondheim Theater to see her in "The Trip to Bountiful" for which she won a Tony Award that night!  Of course, everyone has said that her performance is one that should not be missed.  So, head on over to the site: http://thetriptobountifulbroadway.com/#sthash.AXwkTUGg.dpbs  buy a ticket and support my girl in her play.  It'll change your life, I promise.