I'm Grilled Out (OUTSPOKEN_Diva's Favorite Recipes)

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These aren't your mama's Brussels sprouts. 

Grilled Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons melted butter (or oil of choice)
• 1 (16 oz) package Brussels sprouts (frozen)
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
• 1 pinch paprika, or to taste
• 1 lime, halved
  

Directions

• Preheat a grill pan for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grooves
• Brush butter or oil over Brussels sprouts and season with garlic powder, black pepper, and paprika
• Place sprouts on the preheated pan and cook until tender and grill marks appear, about 10 minutes. Squeeze lime juice over sprouts before removing from pan.

Meat eaters, you're included also.

Grilled Chicken Caprese with Garlic Zucchini Noodles

Zucchini Noodles

Ingredients 

• 1 pkg. Green Giant Zucchini Veggie Spirals
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Chicken

Ingredients 

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic glaze, divided
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, plus more for garnish
• 2 cloves garlic, grated
• ½ teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 pound chicken cutlets
• 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1 small tomato, thinly sliced
  

Directions

1. Preheat grill to medium-high or heat a grill pan over medium-high heat
2. Combine oil, 1 tablespoon balsamic glaze, basil, garlic, & pepper in a small bowl. Brush the mixture on both sides of the chicken.
3. Place the frozen zucchini noodles in a preheated nonstick skillet and cover with a lid. Steam over medium-high heat until al dente (about 5 minutes), stirring occasionally. Remove to a colander and drain well.
4. Add olive oil to the hot skillet. Sauté garlic and crushed red pepper until fragrant, about one minute.
5. Add drained zucchini back to the pan and set skillet to the side
6. Oil the grill rack or pan. Grill the chicken until it easily releases from the grill or pan, 3 to 4 minutes.
7. Flip and top with mozzarella and tomato. Grill until the cheese is melted and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken registers 165°F, 3 to 4 minutes more. 
8. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon balsamic glaze and sprinkle with more basil, if desired.
9. Serve with Zucchini Noddles

The grill pan & I are on hiatus from one another. I was like this with my slow cooker & wok, too at one time. LoL Oh Well! I have so much fun making these dishes. If you try them, let me know.

As Always Talking to You Adult Terms!

 

When February Meets March

I love when Black Women do Great things. Say hello to Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner.

Born: May 17, 1912, Monroe, North Carolina

Died: Jan. 13, 2006, Washington, D.C.

Best known for: filing the most patents of any African American woman, most notably, the development of the adjustable sanitary belt.

What is a sanitary belt?  It was a narrow belt, usually of elastic, for holding a sanitary napkin in place. It looked like elastic worn around your waist with two clips or holders in front & back. The ends of the pad were stuck into the holders. Pads didn't always stick to ladies' underwear. It amazes me how most of us are barely 1 or 2 generations away from using belts still haven't heard of them. As soon as the adhesive tape was introduced to sanitary pads, it was as if mothers gave up teaching about what they had to go through. 

I know about them because my mother had bought me one in preparation for the start of my menses. I have a feeling she bought those elastic things in bulk. I saw a box of them on her dresser a few years after I started. Muh Diva laughed so hard and explained. I remembered seeing some pads called Modess that didn't have the adhesive backing in our bathroom and it all made sense. That was the 1990s when I was told. Yes, do the math. It wasn't that long ago. Now I wonder if Muh Diva knows about Mary Kenner. 

I learned about Mary Kenner via a Facebook post I saw And because of the nature of social media & a lesson learned from the 90s movie, Players Club, "I don't trust anybody's information but my own", I had to verify. Glad, I did because the post was misleading.

Mary Kenner invented an adjustable sanitary belt with an inbuilt, moisture-proof napkin pocket. She completed the patent application in 1954. In 1956, her application was approved. The invention was described as an eliminator for chafing caused by similar devices. But the company that first showed interest in her invention, the Sonn-Nap-Pack Company, discovered that she was African American and rejected her. Kenner never made money from the sanitary belt. The patent expired and it became public domain, allowing it to be produced freely. She later invented a modification of the sanitary belt that included a "moisture-resistant pocket."

Between 1956 and 1987 she received five total patents for her household and personal item innovations. She had patented the carrier attachment for a walker in 1959 after her sister, Mildred Davidson developed multiple sclerosis.

She shared the patent on the toilet tissue holder with her sister, Mildred. She also held a patent on a back washer that could be mounted on the shower or bathtub wall, aka a backwash. That invention was patented in 1987 as Patent Number: 4696068.

Now, while mothers & grandmothers as a collective may not have taught us about sanitary belts. And they may have not known about Mary Kenner. It is up to us children & grandchildren to teach our past. That's what these History months are really about. The Past, Present, & Future have much to learn. Time to give diction about what White Male pens refuse to include. 

Happy February & March!!!

✊🏾❤👸🏾💚👩🏾‍🦱🖤👧🏽💛

As Always Talking to You in Adult Terms!

Talk About It Tuesday (Asking Ma's Zaddy Something)

I really just want to know. 

Hopefully, the Little Daddies & Mommies & their lovers will go easy on me.

As Always Talking to You in Adult Terms

Yellow Cake is Black Cake?

 

Yes, I said Yellow. Yellow is a Flavor. And yes, Butter is a nice substitute for Yellow.

Yellow Cake & the Black community... Is it a thing? I've seen the discussion a lot since Covid-19 entered our lives. Social Media is full of this opinion. 

I thought surely my favorite cake (I told y'all that HERE) is not the culture's favorite cake too. I would've thought it was a Buttermilk or Lemon Poundcake maybe Sock-it-to-Me with its pecans & cinnamon swirl. Growing up in the 80s & what I thought was the bundt pan boom, I saw many of those flavors. But then Yellow (& Butter) cake is closely related to Poundcake. It replaces some of the eggs with a leavening agent to make them not as dense. Matter of fact I've seen a few unfrosted ones (successfully & unsuccessfully) passed off as Pound at bake sales. Then I thought about a black-owned shop in Dallas named Cake Bar. It has a yellow cake with chocolate frosting (Old Fashion) on its menu. It and the Wedding Cake are my go-orders (Yes, that could consider a hint) when I have gone there. My thoughts are easing to maybe this is a thing.

So, I went to the internet. I know the intelligent cultural foodies have already done the research. All I found was THIS one & THAT one. I'm not surprised. I'll put it on the list of the other black cultural mysteries. 

It could be just a matter of opinion. Again, social media is full of those. And I probably just got excited because, with my dislike for peach cobbler & banana pudding, my love for Yellow cake with Chocolate frosting was going to keep my Black Card safe. It stays in jeopardy because of my opinions on cultural food, music, and the movie Love Jones. Maybe I will start stating my love of Yellow cake with Chocolate frosting after I say my dislike to keep my Black standings from risk.

Do you think that would work? 

And yeah, do you think Yellow cake is Black cake?

Let me know in the comments.

As Always Talking to You in Adult Terms!

Umm Sir...

And this is why I have to type & not talk. At some point, I have to admit the Pimp-Jedi Mind Trick method of dating is strong in some of the male population. This has been making the rounds on social media.

"You have children with someone else so, I should also have a child with someone else & we raise them all together in our committed monogamous relationship".

That is was what he is saying but he didn't finish his statement. Here is what he was certainly saying

"You have children with someone else so, I should also have a child with someone else & we raise them all together in our committed monogamous relationship because your womb is not worthy of my firstborn".

Luckily, I see more men saying that this guy is wildly wrong.

*sigh*

As Always Talking to You in Adult Terms!

Metrosexual...What A Laugh

Shoutout to my phone for not recognizing the word, Metrosexual.

When the 20th Century was ending, I remember many expressing their comical disappointment that the word, Metrosexual was created. I chuckled because I was one of the users of that word. If you don't remember Metrosexual was the description for a cis-heterosexual man who is conscious of stereotypical feminine interests and is very concerned with personal appearance, as in grooming and dressing stylishly.

Yes, there was a popular word to call straight men who paint their nails, have hair care & skincare routines, wear more than t-shirts, jeans, & sweats when casual, and/or carry clutch bags.

I was looking at the analytics and THIS particular post had been looked at a few times, recently. (I have a feeling why.) I read over it. There was a lot of talk about my preference for men to wear lotion & haircuts. I still feel that way. Ashiness is the devil. It will Always be vile to me. And there was a little talk about me buying my nephew lip balm. (That was a good investment. Now, his skin moisturizing skills need work.) And I don't regret any of it. I still feel those ways. 

But I don't like I was some opinionated in a judgy manner. Why was I so passionate about men wearing guyliner or Manx? And what is "Basic Metrosexual"? I can't believe we defined a man's sexuality based on his grooming habits. Products like Manscape & Scotch & Porter are probably sitting laughing at us and our terms. You know who I blame...Pop Culture. LoL I can still blame them in 2022. And I Shall!

Yeah, Kelli, that is what that is...Growth.

As Always Talking to You in Adult Terms!

Rest Self-Love, Rest

I have a Rest playlist. It is an aid that helps put me in a Happy mood. Happiness gives me the energy to face a day's list that has to be done.  On it, there is a tune called Lullaby by an artist simply named Tasha. It's an easy tune with a powerful message.

If you can't see the video

Press HERE

Sometimes letting it all go for the moment is best. We stay so mentally drained because we won't just take our hands off crap & relax for a tiny bit. We were fed a hustle, must handle it mentality in such a manner that loosening the reins for even a small-time feel lazy. 

But it is not. 

The care, the magic, & the strength have a pause button. It's okay to press it.  The term Manmade Construct is thrown around a lot. Being on all the time is one of those things. Show me the commandment or law and I'll tell you to put them in that same pile. We are looking at too many dying because both ends are burnt & they have met in the middle. Let's put out our flames & strike a match when we have cooled out a bit.

Are you listening, Outspoken_Diva?

*wipes tears from eyes*

I am!

Thank You! I Love You! Goodnight!

As Always Talking to You in Adult Terms