Author Archives: mathdreads
Becoming a Family Recipe
Apparently, I created a monster on that faithful day when I found a tin of herring while foraging in the cabinets for something to eat. I didn’t eat the canned herring in that moment. Mostly because it was canned herring. Instead I researched recipes that use it as an ingredient. Out of a sea of … Continue reading
Auspicious Launch to the New Year, 2023
New Year’s Day Dinner Superstitious or not, I made sure my first dinner of the new year included yellow food, green food and black eyed peas. My Hoppin’ John wasn’t as “hopping” as I would have hoped since I used the chicken broth found in the pantry rather than looking for the spicy version. No … Continue reading
2022 Christmas Eve Flights
I started off my Christmas celebration dressing up as Santa’s Helper for the last Chair Dance class before the holiday. My instructor, dressed as the iconic Jack Skellington from “The Nightmare before Christmas,” was the only other person in costume. Although I usually video my weekly chair dance routine to mark my progress, I normally … Continue reading
Non-Materialistic Christmas
For the first time ever, I made a conscious decision not to add to my immediate family’s cathedral of junk. I googled “non-materialistic Christmas gifts.” From consumables to experiences, I brainstormed what was within my budget. Initially, I planned to buy the ingredients for baked goods I thought they would enjoy preparing and then consuming. … Continue reading
The Devil’s Never Late
I’m not sure if I should refer to myself as an “emerging” or a “recovering” entrepreneur. Certainly, when I was an independent contractor, first as a health/life insurance agent, then as a customer service representative, I made money. That was the closest I came to my entrepreneurial dreams of working for myself, making money, setting … Continue reading
Rest Is Resistance
After seeing author Tricia Hersey interviewed on TV, I put her latest book, Rest Is Resistance, on my ever-growing booklist. The book asserts that American grind culture is the conclusion of white supremacy and capitalism, especially for Black people. I’d always been immersed in the grind, but had been too busy hustling to analyze the … Continue reading
Thanksgiving 2022
Typically, a Thanksgiving post would show the actual meal, either with or without all the people gathered around. So, even though all that traditional stuff happened, my niece, nephew and I did something untraditional as an edible project, which involved good old-fashioned trial and error. We made Margarita Jello Shots. Last month, my niece and … Continue reading
New Year’s Resolution Starting in November
Months ago, I had an epiphany: I didn’t need to “good job” my way out of Texas. I stopped putting undue stress on myself with the weekly job hunt rat race. My current job was portable. All I had to do was make a plan to leave. Once I returned home, I resisted most attempts … Continue reading
Naturally-Dyed Red Velvet Cake
I didn’t grow up celebrating Juneteenth, but I learned more about its origins and celebration, thanks to living in Austin, TX for 14 years. One of the aspects of the celebration is consuming red libations. The color red has symbolic meanings from blood to spiritual renewal. One particular red food that caught my eye was … Continue reading
Orange Peel Jello Shots
Of all the things to teach the younger generations, perhaps this one was near the bottom of the list. So happy we got to it! One of my nieces, who already makes Jello Shots, helped me with this twist on the alcoholic dessert. Since we didn’t have a handheld juicer, we first squeezed the oranges … Continue reading