Turkey kielbasa and spinach quiche and Literary Therapy for Black Joy
Welcome to installment #61 of GetSomeJoy’s Daily Breakfast Situation, a weekday check-in with recipes, joy-flavored stories, and wellness tools.
We back up in this thang. Just in time for Black Folks Month. I needed to let my spirit recharge a bit.
I knew I was fucked up in the game when I was struggling to summon the energy to stir grits (IMAGINE!) and making breakfast had become a chore, an inconvenience. Gasp.
I took a few things off my plate, including this series. I challenged myself and Literary Therapy workshop attendees to say NO more often and watch how their skin and soul shine bright (like a diamond). I reminded myself of the ongoing global shitshow and saw how the Rhythm Nation didn’t burst into flames if I chose not to publish or passed on a new “opportunity.”
I can report that my grits levels have soared anew, along with time spent pouring into myself, tending to my skin and medication adherance, building Lego skylines on the floor, getting a new kitchen shelf and some pretty plates that made me fall more in love with my space, etc. One day at a time.
Oh, I developed a curry chicken and sweet potato galette recipe for Food & Wine that’s you can find in the February 2022 print issue. Page 28. That’s me.
That recipe is next to a new essay I wrote on the importance of home. Ow ow.
My spirit had been crying out for quiche, so last night after GetSomeJoy’s conversation on Intergenerational Healing within paternal relationships on Twitter Spaces, I lit some candles, put on this episode of The Splendid Table on becoming a more intuitive cook, vanquished the day’s dirty dishes, and got to work.
I didn’t have the energy to bring my own crust to life, so I docked my frozen crust with a fork before covering her with parchment and filling her with rice to pre-bake for 15-ish minutes at 350 degreez.
I wanted to build my quiche upon some hash browns, so I peeled, grated, and tossed my last sweet potato with garlic powder, thyme, and black pepper and sautéed it in some olive oil.
Then I sliced (into quarters) and sauteed half of this here turkey kielbasa. Plus peppers, onions, and garlic like the ancestors intended. I grated about a quarter brick of smoked Gouda and chopped up some spinach.
And I scrambled two heaping spoonfuls of green seasoning and some sour cream into five eggs with salt, black pepper, and turmeric.
I baked her for about 50-ish minutes and sat down to start these words with some champagne while she cooled.
I just knew I had put some grape tomatoes in that joint, but when I pulled her out of the oven and took a gander, the lie detector revealed that that was a lie. A scheme that Todd set up.
It is still good as hell, though. And makes a mighty breakfast alongside a huge bowl of buttery grits and a cup of Café Bustelo. Glory.
A few things to moisturize your spirit:
- Tank and The Bangas just dropped this funky roller jam from their upcoming album, Red Balloon, which arrives May 13.
- Andrew Ricketts explored getting comfortable with failing.
These little axioms from the instructor helped me understand the techniques and meaning behind skating. She was a Black woman who grew up skating, letting us know she and her cohort taught themselves but then turned the stages of skate movement into formal lessons. And she made me feel okay with failure and falling all the way down.
- This weekend’s GetSomeJoy Space at Sunday, February 6 at 7pm EST on Twitter Spaces is a mental health check-in for Black creators. How has the pandemic impacted your mental, emotional, and creative wellness or your relationship with your art? What’s helping you cope, thrive, and find joy? Let’s talk about it.
Set a reminder (or listen afterwards) right here.
GetSomeJoy is pulling up to the 5th Annual Black Joy Parade in Downtown Oakland, California with a Literary Therapy Pop-Up at our corner booth inside the Wellness Village at the site’s Celebration Site. Taddow.
We’re kicking things off with a Black Joy Parade Edition of our Literary Therapy writing workshop. We’ll be writing and sharing about traditions and rituals that help us find joy and thrive in this raggedy moment in history.
