My boy put his foot in this gravy - Biscuits smothered in musroom gravy w/mango saugage

Okay ya'll this boy put his foot in this gravy. No joke. Made me want to slap my momma (sorry mom).


Oooooh wee I'm gonna to miss that boys cooking. Isn't that what the kids say about their mothers when they go off to college. I like to consider myself a master chef. I pride myself in telling people I can cook like my 80 year old grandmother (when I'm not rushing). I also have a contemporary, somewhat healthy, cuisine approach to cooking as well.

When Jordan was growing up I took pride in cooking dinner while he did his homework.
For a minute we had a little routine going. I would put on little Billie Holiday and make him an appetizer; exotic cheese with fruit and nuts. The funny thing about that is we would go to whole foods and sample the cheeses. We would act like we were cheese connoisseurs, talking like the grey poupon guy "what do you think?. I like this one, but there something more smooth about the other. What do you think? Which one do you like best?" When we found one we liked we I would have them cut about a third of the block off so I was only paying $2 or $3 for this extravagant cheese. Amazing, the things we do so our kids can have experiences. I think he liked his little appetizer cheese plates. Sometimes I would have a glass of wine while I cooked dinner and he would sit there nibbling and doing homework until dinner was ready. Yes we sat there together, no TV, the two of us eating dinner and discussing our day. That dinner table was our anchor in the midst of my crazy life.

Well today while I was still at work I text Jordan. "Um I want those smothered biscuits." I swear my son is a master chef. We went grocery shopping on Sunday and we are standing in front of the sausages and he says "I want the mango. Ummmm smothered biscuits with gravy." Like he just envisioned this whole dish standing right there in the grocery store. Cooking is his passion. When I came in the door tonight I smelled something brewing. I didn't get a chance to investigate, because the restroom was calling me. The drive home is long enough and I drink tons of water during the day. Then I continue with my normal routine: take of the jewelry, change my clothes and I hear "Its ready!". I knew exactly what he meant. I couldn't change fast enough.

I could not stop talking while I ate. It was amazing. Something happened a couple of years ago. If I had to sum it in one word I would say "Food Network" - okay that's two words. Food network got into my child and he got in the kitchen. It gradually happened where he would cook on the weekends. Then occasionally during the week and then last year I noticed he cooked more meals then I did. After college he wants to go to culinary school in Europe and open his own restaurant. I know he will do it. I honestly don't think there is anything he can't do. No really I'm not just saying that because it is my child. He's good at anything he tries. It really pisses his peers off sometimes. Really a few weeks ago we were cleaning out the storage and he picked up my guitar and started playing it, and it sounded good. I thought a brotha was about to start singing. I don't even know if he's even picked up a guitar before. I know that was a side bar. Anyway

JD takes his cooking serious. For years he has been complaining how the cafeteria cooks are not clean they handle the money with the same hand as the food, etc, etc. Sometimes they wear gloves. He's the president of his school and the head of the School's Student court. Last week I saw a petition on the table and today I saw the bi-laws of the court. My child is taking the cafeteria to school court. Isn't that something. (Stay tuned for his guest blog) So yes I'm going to miss my chef when he's gone.

A traditional Swedish dessert in LA and more...

It was so amazing to get a taste of Sweden right here in Los Angeles. Its called semla. Some of you may know one of the many inspirations to my blog is my friend Ingrid in Sweden. Last week she posted a blog about this most fabulous Swedish dessert - Semla. She makes everything sound so good I had to try it myself. She so eloquently describe this delectable treat so I will let her tell it.

"Originally, semla was a plain bread bun eaten in a bowl of milk, as as a last festive food to enjoy before Lent. Today, however, it makes its first appearance just after Christmas and lasts until Easter. It is a cardamon-spiced wheat bun, its center scooped out and filled with heavenly almond paste, then topped with real whipped cream. The 'lid' is the top of the bun sprinkled with powder sugar."


That is exactly what I got when I went to Berolina's in Glendale. It felt as though I was transported to a European bakery. There were even two woman behind us speaking french. I noticed they ordered semla as well.

semlor (plural for semla) :)

The pastries were awesome. They had fresh bread and tons of cookies and desserts

One of my best friends, Chrystee, went with me it was a nice outing. Jordan opted to sleep in

and surprisingly he didn't want me to bring him anything back. Chrystee ordered a fruit tart.

I proceeded to eat this pastry just the way Ingrid described in her blog. First of all when I order the semla the lady brought it to me on a plate and I told her I wanted it with the warm milk. She seemed surprised but put it in a bowl and brought me steamed milk. The almond filling was a bit strong yet delectable. However once I poured the warm milk in the bowl all the flavors combined to form the perfect balance.
Um Um Um. The most exciting part was the adventure. Here's one for you Ingrid. :)

This day was interesting; JD and I were on our separate paths. He had a school dance and I had another close friend of mine invite me to a girls night out. I think since we are well into our 30's or I should say since I am the evening consisted of dinner at Aunt Kizzy's in Marina Del Rey. Um um. dinner was great. - Amazing food, great company and amazing conversation. Lets just say I will be working out everyday this week. :)






However, that evening, JD and I ended up watching "A Cabin in the Sky" starring Ethel Waters, Lena Horne, Louise Armstrong and many more thespians. I love watching movies with him. He has all the movie trivia that makes the movie ten times more interesting. We loved it. We couldn't stop laughing at the guys who were supposed to be from hell. Their horns were made out of their Afros.

Notre Dame here he comes!!!

Our first video blog. Since I already posted today I figured I would switch it up (Thanks for the suggestion bro). I was just too excited to wait.

Have you ever HEARD your eyes blink?

I’m having flash backs this morning as I drive Jordan to school. He’s had his license about 8 months now. I haven’t driven him this route in a while. I forgot how moody he is in the morning. Well not moody, it’s just his usual morning silence. He didn’t have an attitude or anything. We drove in silence I’m not sure why I turn the radio off, but it is so quite “I can hear my eyes blinking.” He responds in true teenage fashion “that’s weird.” We just sit and I continue to listen to my eyes blink. Maybe I’m dehydrated? “Seriously you gotta hear this, listen.” I’m generally goofy in the morning so I’m sure I’m getting on his nerves a little. “That’s real bizarre,” he says and doesn’t attempt to lean over an listen.

Well the other night they got home really late from his debate tournament in Berkeley, and since he has 4 months until his driving curfew is over I had to pick him up. Instead of just dropping him off I decided to go in and say hi to all the teachers and advisors I used to talk to all the time. The first person to greet us is his 9^th grade marine biology teacher, now school principal and he says “Congratulations…” Utter confusion is written all over my face. He says, “…for Jordan placing in the tournament…” Now for all of you who read my last blog I was under the impression he did not go beyond semi finals. He and I had a long talk about his disappointment and all. “…He placed 8th, right Jordan. Didn’t you get a plaque?” My son, my son, in rare Jordan form flashes those pearly whites and says “yeah” as he shuffles off to put his books down. My mouth is hanging wide open.

That boy! He didn’t make it to the finals like we had talked about, but he came in 8^th in a National tournament. That’s big time! He placed 8^th out of probably 300 kids or so. I think that’s Pretty Darn Good! I will upload a photo of this phantom plaque soon.

Alone but not Lonely...The best Valentines Day EVER!!

So this is how I topped off my evening. I figured I would start with the end; kind of like eating dessert first. I realized how I jacked up my video by singing so loud, but I was having a good old time. I'll remember for future recordings, not to talk or sing right into the recorder.

This Valentines day was truly an adventure. If I had to sum it in one phrase it would be "Alone but not lonely". My son was in Berkeley at a debate tournament and my roommate was in Dallas soaking up the all star festivities. As of Friday I was Home Alone. Being alone never felt so good in my life. I have to admit in the future I would have been restless and anxious about this, but it was needed. It just so happens it was Valentine's Day or as my son reminded me when I texted him Valentine's wishes... his response "Happy Singles Awareness Day" cute.

The video you watched was an amazing concert. We were rocking the house. Yes I danced til I sweat but this time it was up in church. Thursday I was driving to working listening to my daily shot in the arm either FISH 99.5 or Focus on the Family 95.9. They announced a concert a "Love concert" with Isreal Houghton and New Breed. They are a very cutting edge gospel group. I don't even know if they fit into the traditional gospel genre. They are off the chain. I got to work that day and ordered myself a ticket. I just knew I was going. I had no idea with who or if anyone at all. Frankly I wasn't that concerned about that. It was very impulsive move and I loved every minute of it. The concert was at Abundant Living Family Church. If anyone lives near Rancho Cucamonga that's about 15 min from Ontario I say visit (alfconline.com). If I lived closer I know I would. Surprisingly an old friend of my was a guest performer. She was off the chain as well. I know I am using that phrase way too much,but I am soooo excited I can barely contain myself. Her name is Maura Gayle and she has inspirational story and a half. You have to check her out. She did spoken word and had the crowd rockin'. My girl is profound.So my day started with church and ended with church on steroids. Awesome!

In the morning I went to the 10:30 because I stayed up half the night catching up on some shows with "on demand"; like Good Wife, Mercy, and CSI New York. I think I watched about three episodes each. Boy was I tired. I am so mad at how Mercy ended. It was a cliff hanger and with my busy schedule who knows when I'll watch it again. I love my church. Pastor Phillip Wagner delivered a great message about real life super heroes. You can probably look at it on line www.oasisla.org. Gets you thinking about your greatness. After church I saw my friends; the twins (Amy and Becky). They asked me if I wanted to grab lunch and I impulsively said yes. Oh my, oh my, Pizza and Champagne at the Oak Fire Pizzeria(previously Stone Fire) on La Cienega. Amazing. I just love the combination. Kind of like mixing lace with combat boots. Pizza and bottomless Mimosas um um. I'm a contrast kind of girl. They have some of the best pizza. We order the Margarita, a bacon and pineapple. This is not like any bacon and pineapple you have ever tried. I mean it. Amazing and then we had a sausage one. I can't remember the name of it. Funny that was the one I ordered. It was good. On the way home for a quick nap before the concert I stopped at the MAC store and got some goodies.

I am so invigorated by this weekend. Going to a concert by myself was absolutely amazing. I know I have matured in a sense. Being comfortable in your own skin is definitely a requirement for such an adventure.

I initially thought Jordan would have been with me, but before I purchased the ticket I realized he would be at a debate tournament.

He didn't qualify for finals this year he was very disappointed about that. Its his last year. He said its the end, and the two previous years he brought home trophies in Drama, but this year his coach decided he was doing Humor for his individual event, which is a bit disappointing. Everyone is asking him why he isn't doing Drama. Its kind of like you are a sprinter in track and breaking records and then your coach decides to put you in hurdles. He called me after his events and we talked on the phone for a little while. He was having an internal fight with himself. Disappointed with not qualifying and being happy for his teammate who qualified in an event he should be in. I tried to give motherly yet understanding advice. I told him "Honey this is only the beginning. God has a plan for you. And in every situations there is a lesson. Right now lets just pray for peace so you can be supportive to your team mate. You may not need to do a high five and chest bump, but being supportive is who you are to the core. Remember it was just a couple of years ago you were the only one to qualify to go to state and your team mates had to go and support you knowing they weren't competing." He said he was going to find a quite place to chill out for a minute. We prayed and a brotha seemed okay. About an hour later he was texting me about the best batch of Kombucha he ever had. You see we drink this health drink that isn't so tasty and its made in small batches so most of the time the bottles taste a little different. Some a little sweeter or too much fizz or not enough fizz, but according to him today he had the best batch ever.

I just got a taste of what the years to come will be like for us. I will be having adventures and self discoveries and he will be doing the same. We will just being doing it miles apart. I often wish I could let his mind fast forward to life in 10 years. Then he would know some things are more important then others and there are so many more adventures life will take us through. They key is to not resist and just roll with it.

Cruise like you never cruised before!!

This experience was so overwhelming it took me a few days to decide how I would approach this blog. Well here goes and understand no matter how well of a description I give you will NEVER be able to imagine what went down until you experience it yourself.

So here we are on a 3 day Cruise for my best friend Carey’s birthday. We booked the trip months in advance. I had no idea that weekend would be the start of JD’s college auditions. So I arrange for my sister and roommate to step in for me. That still didn’t negate the fact that I felt a little guilty for not being there for his first audition. Actually he really didn’t feel a need for anyone to be there with him. I was also a little bummed because I was going to be missing the Super Bowl. My cousin has an amazing Super Bowl party every year I would be missing it. And to top it all off a friend of mine died last week and I was going to miss the funeral. I actually considered missing the birthday cruise. Whenever I have a friend who passes I wish I would have spent more time with them. So I figured I better go spend time with my friends who are still alive. I navigated around the storm.

Friday I set off to meet 4 friends from high school in Long Beach. As we walked to the dock from the parking structure I noticed something very unusual. Everyone I saw was black. That’s just unusual in California. I would have expected this in Atlanta maybe or at Magic Johnson Theatres. Then I noticed another minor detail. They all looked like they had stepped out of a lil’ Wayne video. Okay maybe not everyone, but most. I was like what the what is going on up in here. Then it was revealed to me this is the 10th annual “Super Bowl” cruise. Alright I can handle this, cruising with my people, sweet.

We had the most amazing time; Great food, Karaoke like I’ve never seen it before. The entire crowd was on their feet singing the songs. I danced until dawn; until my jeans stuck to me, I had a sweat line down my back, and I had to go change my shoes. Being girly with multiple outfit changes and hanging with my girls was the highlight of my trip.


I have to say if I had wrote this blog while on the cruise or when I first got home this is how it would have went:

I just got back from the most GHETTO cruise ever. Take every rap video and a little R & B and roll it up in to 1500+ ni**as on a partying, boozing cruise. As I walked down the hall all I smelled was weed mixed with cologne and perfume. Fools had stereos blasting with the doors wide open and full on liquor bars in their room. Oh, that’s funny. You couldn’t bring drugs or alcohol on this cruise. I wonder how that happened? And the club at night, lordy lord was full of woman looking like they were pole dancing on men (instead of the pole) with their clothes on. I was like "get a dang room." People were gyrating and guys were bouncing women on their laps. Oooohhh wee. Let’s not talk about folks wearing robes, slippers and head scarves to breakfast in the morning. In the words of Bill Cosby “Come on People”. There was a guy who wore a silk robe to the club one night with no freaking shirt on. And a woman wore a shirt that said “I f*** on the first date”. I swear this was the first time in a long time I found myself judging folks. Especially when we were in a single filed line waiting to get back on the ship in Ensenada and people just got tired of waiting and decided to bum rush the entrance. It was utter chaos because 50 people decided they would cut in line. In Ensenada’s at “Papas and Beer” I had a guy grope my butt so hard he sent my underwear up my crack. Let’s just say I cussed him out so bad I would be embarrassed if my momma, daddy or church friends saw it. I could have swore I was back in the Old Testament smack dab in middle of Sodom and Gomorrah (for you heathens out there look it up). Needless to say I did not look back when I left that joint - for fear of turning to stone. That’s just a snippet of the negative side.

However that last description may sound. Overall I had an amazing time chillen’ with my girlfriends. I cruised like I never cruised before. We were just five women on a cruise having a good time praying to God we wouldn’t be arrested in Mexico for talking too much smack to the wrong person. It just wouldn’t have fit into my busy schedule.

An Experience to say the least

First, I had the most amazing, interesting,overwhelming, fun weekend on a "Super Bowl" cruise for my best friends birthday. It was absolutely nothing you could ever imagine. It was a site to see; somewhat of a spectacle. Too many overwhelming experiences to put into a blog right now. So give me a few of days to collect my thoughts and photos on that one.

I have to tell you though, I felt a little guilty leaving Jordan and going on a cruise. Not sure why. Maybe because his auditions were starting this weekend,but the trip was planned before we even got the audition schedule. Come to find out he really didn't want me around anyway (in a rights of passage kind of way).

Sunday he met with Rutgers, Today with DePaul and Carnegie Mellon. And tomorrow, NYU and Boston University. He feels great about his auditions. He seems to be very comfortable and is getting great feedback from the schools.

It was nice to hang with my girls from highschool(Carey, Jill, Tanya) and my best friends little sister (Britney). Britney was too young to hang back then, but now she was schooling us!! This trip made me feel "boujie" for the first time in my life. Look it up on Urban Dictionary. I'm sure I could have used it myself this weekend. So let me gather my thoughts and get back to you. Stay tuned for unbelievable details...

The Storms of Life, Death, and Living

A friend of mine died this week. He was in his early thirties, just married with baby on the way. A little over a year ago (Maybe even 2) he was diagnosed with a rare case of kidney cancer. We had talked about kidney transplants since he was learning all he could about his new diagnosis. To me his death was sudden he spent most of his time with family. I remember seeing him on the set of a commercial last year. He looked really good flashing those pearly whites of his. The older I get the closer death creeps into my world. When I have a friend die I get really nervous and paranoid for a while.

The day after my friend died I woke up in the morning to my son who could barely talk, due to some virus in his throat. It freaked me out to the ends of the earth and back. He has 5 auditions for college theatre departments from Sunday to Tuesday, and guess what? Months before we scheduled these auditions a friend of mine invited me to celebrate her 5^th annual 30^th birthday party. Jordan will be in good hands with my roommate and sister for his first two auditions if he needs someone, but I am still not there. My head is spinning. My son is sick and I just found out my friends funeral is on Saturday when I am supposed to be on a cruise I say supposed to because I’m now contemplating not going. My son is sick what if it’s life threatening, what if he has a reaction to the medications, what if my ship wrecks , it’s supposed to rain, we will be in the middle of a storm, what am I supposed to do. Fear truly overwhelms me. I am trippen’. The girl who usually has it all together has lost her mind. Maybe that is just it. Situations beyond my control were causing me to panic. I’m a recovering control freak and I am having a relapse.

I make it to work by 2:30, because JD is still a minor and I have to go with him to his appointments. I know, it's crazy considering I was out two days last week because of my ordeal. As the day progressed things got better. My doubts about the trip began to dissipate, because I am now breathing and my day is getting better. My co-worker checks on me towards the end of the day and says her mom used to say. “Just sit still and listen and Jesus will tell you what to do.”

Life is really not mine to control, navigate maybe, but not control. Like a captain of a ship or plane, they navigate through the air or water, but they cannot control the air pockets of gusty winds. Imagine if an airline pilot freaked out every time there was a little rain? It’s just raining a little. Put on a rain coat and navigate around the storm.