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. 

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

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

Not only is Gotham the, "City that Never Sleeps" it's also the "Artists Mecca".  We come from our little towns in the middle of nowhere or lands where we grow up feeling that we don't speak the language to find our voices here.  So, needless to say, a majority of my friends are artists and I love that!  Why, because I'm one and they get me. Well, as much as one can get me, I'm definitely a different breed but, who doesn't feel that way?
So, about a week after my last blog post a dear friend of mine had a birthday.  She's an Actress going to auditions at the crack of dawn, waiting in line to not even get seen, callbacks, more auditions... etc. You know the deal.  So, because last year we were both preoccupied with trying to move here to the Big City during her last birthday; I had been holding on to this recipe for all that time, chomping at the bit to make it for her.  Her favorite cake is spice cake and I'd wanted to make this recipe ever since I'd seen it in a 2007 October issue of Family Circle that my Mother had sent me back then.  So, when I met Jennie, which is now two years ago, I decided this was the person I would make it for.
I was excited about this cake because I LOVE THE FALL!  I love the colors, the cool weather, sweatshirts, warm blankets, hot tea and all of the flavors fall bring with it.  Saying that, I feel that spice cake is one of the quintessential fall desserts.  It has a nutty yet warming quality about it and a beautiful coloring that is perfect for the season!

As usual, I've changed up a few of the ingredients but, it's pretty much the same.  I'll post a link to the original recipe but, post my ingredients here on the blog. 

Chocolate-Glazed Spice Cake


Cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 c. solid vegetable shortening

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp all-spice
1 tsp ginger

1 c. packed dark-brown sugar
3/4 c maple syrup
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 c.  Vanilla Rice Milk

Filling:
8oz cream cheese, softened
1/4c. unsalted butter, softened
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 c. Vanilla Rice Milk
3 c. confectioner's sugar

  

Chocolate Frosting:

1/2 c. heavy cream

 1 c. semisweet chocolate chips

The explicit instructions to putting this cake together are listed here:
Chocolate-Glazed Maple Spice Cake
I didn't top the cake with walnuts because Jennie doesn't like nuts much and I'm not a big fan of walnuts myself. So, instead I put flowers on top and I think it's quite pretty.
I want to give you an explanation for why I changed certain things in the recipe and be upfront about how it turned out and what I would do differently.  I'm no professional and I like to be forthcoming about what the real journey was from start to finish.

Things I would not worry about, do differently or do again:
1.  I would have put a layer of bread on top of each cake layer as it cooled.  I wasn't happy with the moistness of my cake, I felt it was a bit dry.  A slice of bread on top is supposed to help keep the moisture in.
2. The cake looked much bigger in the original picture and I worried it was too small.  Don't be fooled.  Jennie had about 20 or so people at her party.  Everyone had a piece and there were leftovers to boot!
3. I added milk to the filling so that it would be a bit looser and easier to spread.  This idea worked well.
Some goals I have are to find a good substitute for shortening, butter and heavy cream.  Any suggestions?  Please post a comment if you know good alternatives to this and I will try them and post my adventures on this blog!


Of course the entire point of making the cake was to see this happen with it! ;-)

I hope you try this cake during the Autumn season and it warms your soul!

Ebony

So, at the last minute my friend and I nixed our plans to form some type of labor day girls adventure.  She was going to Coney Island while I was going to a friend of a friend's picnic in Central Park.  As if I had all the time in the world I waited until the night before the picnic to choose a dish to make to share.  Of course I went to my trusty Pinterest boards to look for inspiration.  While I was there I found a picture of a delicious bruschetta type dish.  Crusty bread, thinly sliced lengthwise with a creamy herb spread.  For the toppings there were heirloom cherry tomatoes, avocados and red onions.  I clicked on the link and much to my chagrin I got the deadly error message.  "The page you have requested no longer exists".  So after screaming, "Noooooooo!" and shaking my fist into the air in pain and a vow for retribution, I scoured the boards to find the source of the link.  I found the source, but it was a dead end.
I decided that I wasn't going to back down but win! I said to myself, " I'll do what I've done before....figure it out."  Well, thankfully I did and I'm giving you my recipe for this vine-ripened tomato and avocado tart.  I'm not a huge fan of onions.  I never use them as toppings unless caramelized.  So, you'll see those missing from my recipe.
This tart is super pretty and delish.  I can't wait to make it again when the heirloom tomatoes start appearing.  Fall will be here any minute and I can't wait to share my thoughts on the arts in Fall 2013 and plenty of fall inspired recipes!  Whoohoo!
In the meantime enjoy our last bits of summer.  This dish worked because it was fast and easy and since everyone at the picnic had decided to bring desserts, everyone was grateful for the savory dish and devoured it quickly.  Happy eaters make me a happy cook! :-)  Sorry for the lack of "Arts" on this post but I figured that the pretty tart could suffice this one time as our artistic piece.  If the tart doesn't suffice for you, would it help if I said that some of the Brooklyn Tabernacle Singers were there?  They were, but they didn't sing for us.  They were friends of the friend and just hung out.  Enjoy!

Procrastinator's Veggie Tart
Ingredients:
1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough sheet
3-4 vine tomatoes
2 avocados
1 pkg herb goat cheese
1 8oz container of low-fat cream cheese
Italian Herb Seasoning
Sea Salt
Ground Black Pepper
2 tbsp Olive Oil
Juice from half of a lemon

Directions:
1.Spray baking sheet with non-stick olive oil cooking spray.  Then roll out the entire sheet of Pillsbury® dough onto the baking sheet.  Put the 2 tbsps of olive oil on the dough and spread it all over the dough, whilst shifting the dough so that it covers the entire surface of the baking sheet.  Make sure you have no holes in your dough when you do this. There may be thin spots like in mine. Just try to be gentle or use edges of the crust to fill in holes.

2. Next bake your crust at 350 degrees for 10-12minutes.

3. While your crust is baking whip together the goat cheese and cream cheese into a smooth consistency.  Sprinkle more Italian Herb Seasoning into this mix.  Also, slice your tomatoes and avocados into thin layers.

4. After your cheese mixture is whipped into a smooth and manageable consistency spread it onto your warm, but not hot, crust.  The warm crust makes the cheese that much easier to spread evenly.

5. Lay your avocados on top of the crust, then lay your tomatoes on top of the avocados. Sprinkle tart with Sea Salt and Ground Pepper to taste.  Then squeeze the juice from half a lemon all over the tart focusing on the bits of avocado that still peek through.

*Tip - I had squeezed some lemon juice on my avocados to stop them from browning before I laid them on my crust.  This is an important step to keep your tart pretty and tasty.

When all is said and done, Voila!

Now, you have a beautiful, delicious and healthy Procrastinator's Veggie Tart to share with friends at a picnic or dinner party.  Break a leg!

Ebony

So,  last night I was at a picnic that my Bible study group was in charge of hosting.  I first decided to make a salad and changed my mind on what I would make about four times.  It was between a California Chipotle Chopped Salad from Fitness Magazine or a Chickpea and Heirloom Tomato Salad.  I finally decided on the California Chipotle Chopped Salad without the Chipotle.  Not because I dislike Chipotle, on the contrary, I love it.  It was more out of necessity because I didn't have any. 

I am going to provide a link to the original recipe if you prefer it to my rendition.

California Chipotle Chopped Salad

Here is my version of the recipe:

Sassy California Chopped Salad:

1 avocado

1/2 cup cooked quinoa

1 can black beans

1 cup chopped tomatoes

1 head butter lettuce

1 head red lettuce

Dressing:

3 garlic cloves

3 tbsps olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup fresh cilantro

1/2 tsp chili powder

Juice of 1.5 limes

2 tbsps agave nectar

Step 1: Cook the quinoa in chicken, vegetable or whatever broth you so choose.  I through in a bouillon cube with my water and cooked the quinoa in that.  Then I placed it in the refrigerator to cool down while I made the rest of my salad.  Why put the quinoa in the refrigerator you ask?  Well, I'd prefer no to wilt my entire salad before it gets to the party.  Plus, it is just to hot for a warm salad right now!  Bleck!

Step 2:

I put all of the dressing ingredients together in the food processor, turned it on, done.

Step 3: Chop the lettuces and throw them in a bowl with the tomatoes, cooked quinoa, black beans rinsed out of the can into your salad.  I chopped the avocado in its skin and scooped out into a bowl and poured lime juice on it to stop the browning process.  I then tossed it in the juice and later dumped it into the rest of the salad.

Step 3:

Pour the dressing over your salad mixture and toss while you pour to evenly distribute throughout your salad.  I would put a bit less dressing than I did this time but I was in a hurry with no time to dig for a container to store the rest of the dressing.

One of the biggest changes in this recipe was my not cooking the black beans.  I didn't cook them because it's too hot for cooked beans and I wanted a refreshing salad in this almost 100 degree weather.  It was hot enough cooking the quinoa and you MUST cook quinoa.  I don't know about you but I refuse to eat that grain raw!  Love it, but, not enough to eat it uncooked.

How does this tie into the arts, since that is what my blog is all about?  Well, I'm going to get a bit personal here.  See, I've been in an ebb NOT a flow season for quite a while.  These last few months have been some of the most difficult for me.  Lately so much so that I go back and forth about giving up on my dreams.  I feel old and stupid for still having them and nothing ever happening or not having the money to make them come true.  So, last night the Pastor of the church asked me, "What do you do?"  He's smart because he asked this question in two parts.  Most of us here in New York have a job that pays the bills and one that is a passion and for most of us pays nothing so far.  Among other things, I want to be a writer, so he introduced me to one.  It was the boost of support I needed in this dark time and I am very grateful to him for it.  The conversation with this man was educational and put a needed fire in my belly that gets blown out from time  to time.  So, friends, keep doing what you love, or start doing it.  Life is definitely too short to hate what you do every day, no matter how much money you make.

Peace!

-E