Sweet Potato Black Bean Chicken

In this picture, it looks like a bit of a hot mess, but this Latin chicken with sweet potatoes and black beans from the Crockpot Guys (I saw it several other places online, too; not sure where it originated) is marvelous.

A couple of notes:
-I roasted a whole chicken separately in the slow cooker with a different marinade (an Asian marinade leftover from hoisin-glazed meatloaf).
-I omitted the red peppers and chipotle chiles in adobo because I didn't have any of the former and because I do not like the latter.

Bebo in the Cupboard

Just a few shots of my adorable Dexter poking his head out of the cupboard.

Fashion is Smashin'

This is an adorable little assemblage I put together when sweaters were still appropriate in this clime (i.e., earlier in the spring). Note that the lovely boots make another appearance.

I'm not sure about this satiny, rose shirt. Whatcha think? It was another piece inherited from a Phoenix friend when she cleaned out her closet.

I paired these summery polka-dot shorts from Papaya with a white v-neck top and the cute tan slingbacks. (Sorry for the weirdie photography. I wanted to change into gardening clothes and had to take my own shots.)

Basic white top w/ my favorite tree necklace (originally a trinket decorating a Target candle)

 

 

Detail of the cool maritime-style buttons

Funky manicure stickers w/ a lacy/leafy theme

Greek Egg Lemon Soup w/ Chicken and Spinach

I first encountered this Greek specialty at Nick's. (Shout out to Nick's!) They have it a few times a week, and I'm told that the matriarch of the family makes it. I love that. Avgolemono is the proper name, but I have the damnest time saying it. The Real Simple recipe (see below) employed only egg yolks, but other recipes don't seem to require that.

 

As a general rule, I don't like separating eggs. Not because it's challenging, but because I rarely end up using the remaining part. And I abhor wasting food. So I threw in the entire egg.

I encountered a small texture obstacle. Initially, I thought it was because of using the whites in addition to the yolks, but now I think it's because the soup was too hot. You're supposed to prevent it from boiling when you add the eggs. Despite the strange texture, it tasted phenomenal.

Oh, and I tossed in spinach for a little extra nutritive power. Go, go, iron and calcium!

Serves 4 | Hands-On Time: 15m | Total Time: 30m

Ingredients

• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 cup orzo
• 6 large egg yolks
• 1 1/2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• kosher salt and black pepper

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, bring the broth to a boil. Add the pasta and boil until tender, 8-9 mins.
2. In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks. Gradually whisk in 1 cup of hot broth. Add the egg mixture to the saucepan, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring, until thickened, 5-7 minutes.
3. Add the chicken and lemon juice to the saucepan. Season with ½ tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. pepper.

Seed Madness

Several weeks ago, I raided Farm and Fleet's seeds aisle. In a frenzy of greed, I picked out seeds for flowers, herbs, and veggies, despite the knowledge that a friend was diligently growing seedlings for me. In my defense, the ones I chose were not being grown by my pal. Spring time just made me itchy to grow stuff.

Lina Sisco's bird egg bean seeds

I've managed to start and plant a handful of these, but it's definitely a work in progress. All of my garden bounty will be confined to pots and containers in deference to my batshit crazy neighbor. (That's another story.)

Flowers

Only some sunflowers and dianthus in the flower group have made it into the front bed, but I hope to do more this weekend.

More bean seeds

Herbies + greens

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Some time ago, J. and I saw University Theater's production of August Wilson's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. The play's title refers to a song Rainey recorded in 1927.

Born Gertrude Pritchett in 1886 in Columbus, Georgia, Rainey performed in minstrel and vaudeville shows as a young adult. She first encountered the blues in 1902 at a tent show in Missouri. Rainey heard a girl more moaning than singing about how her man had left her. Prior to this, Rainey had employed a more theatrical singing style.

In 1904, she married William "Pa" Rainey and became known as "Madame Rainey." While touring the country as part of F.S. Wolcott's Rabbit Foot Minstrels and Tolliver's Circus and Musical Extravaganza, she adopted the "Ma" moniker, even though she was well under thirty. The nickname was given for her tendency to mentor younger performers. Her physical looks--short, heavy, dark-skinned, and sporting a mouthful of gold-capped teeth--didn't align with the era's perception of beauty for African American women, which prized thin, light-skinned women. Positioning her as a maternal figure made her more acceptable and less threatening.

In the 1920s, she toured as a solo act with the Theater Owners' Booking Association (T.O.B.A.), the vaudeville company for African Americans in the 1920s and 1930s. She signed a five-year recording contract with Paramount in 1923.

In 1933, she retired from performing to manage two theaters the she'd purchased with her earnings. She died in 1939 at age 53 from heart disease. In 1983, she was inducted into the Blues Foundation's Blues Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.

We both agreed that the acting was great, although we wished that the play had showcased more of Rainey's music and that the performers had been musicians. (The music was all recorded instead of performed live.)