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.)

Les Gâteaux pour les Chiens

My colleague Susan is the best pet momma ever. She constructs special cakes for her canine companions' birthdays. They come complete with hotdogs, doggie bones, hamburger, and other delicious treats that les chiens adore. Take a gander at the puppies drooling over their cakes. Susan even graced them with candles.

In the Name of Cuteness

These are a few adorable outfits that I've worn lately, and I just wanted to share. Check out the shoes: The J. Crew polka dot rain boots were snagged for $3-$4 at a garage sale a few months ago, and I found the tan pumps at the Goodwill on Odana for about $5.

Roasted Chicken, Brussels Sprouts, + Wild Rice Blend

This was yet another slow cooker experiment. I used this recipe from Stephanie Dea's A Year of Slow Cooking blog. The Brussels sprouts were simply chopped and sautéed in olive oil, onions, and garlic. And the wild rice blend from Trader Joe's came to life in my rice cooker. (I also usually add broth or bouillon to brown rice and whole wheat cous cous to add a little flavor.)

Cioppino to Seafood Chowder

This culinary adventure started as cioppino, a seafood stew developed in the 1800s by Portuguese and Italian fishermen who had settled in San Francisco's North Beach region. It consists of seafood, tomatoes, white wine, and toasted bread (sourdough or baguette).

The word is derived from cuippin, which means to chop or chopped in the Ligurian dialect of Genoa, and refers to the tradition of chopping up leftovers from the day's catch to make the stew.

It shares a common history with other dishes from the region, including cacciucco or brodetto from Italy; bouillabaisse, burrida, and bourride from French Provencal; and suquet de peix from Catalan-speaking Spain.

Unfortunately, I used a fish blend from Trader Joe's. I like most things from T.J.'s, but this fish was low-end because the cioppino was contaminated by an over-the-top fishy taste.

So we return to the drawing board to transform a dish into something delicioso. As is the case with most things, adding butter and cream to it salvaged the fishy cioppino. I made a simple roux and kicked up the vegetable contingent.

Ta da! The end result was a gorgeous, rich seafood chowder.

Milwaukee

In January, I visited some friends in Milwaukee.

Lunch at Lulu's

Soon after arriving, we walked over to Lulu's for lunch. And then we went shopping. At Goldi in Shorewood, I found the lovely Pikolinos boots in the first picture. I also snagged some new Danskos.

That evening, we stayed in, ordered pizza from Mama De Marini's on Wentworth, and cackled away at Eddie Izzard's stand-up.

Baked oatmeal

The next morning, Andy and Elise made baked oatmeal for us. I'm not sure what recipe they used, but here's a similar one from bakedbree.com. I think it originated from Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Every Day.