ft. ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’ & Crinkle Top Brownie Bites

February 12, 2021 by Sydney Grant

Do you see that… just there on the horizon? Is that…a long weekend??? We’re so close everyone; we’ve nearly made it to another three-day weekend. I’d like to thank my 5th cup of coffee, my therapist, and America’s presidents for getting me here. Well, not all of the presidents. (You know who you are.)

Happy Valentine’s Day and happy Lunar New Year for those of you who are celebrating. Whether you have a hot date planned this weekend with your significant other, your pet, or with yourself throwing crumpled up chocolate wrappers at happy couples you see from your balcony, Rebecca Black and I wish you a happy Friday.

Black History Month is in full swing. If you want to learn more about Black Dollar Index, which Dimitry mentioned during our call and rates major companies’ racial equity, make sure to head to their website. Rankings include Adidas, Apple, Netflix, and more.

However you’re planning on spending your weekend, enjoy these quarantivities!

In Honor of Black History Month

People to Know

Bayard Rustin

You know Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., but do you know Bayard Rustin? Although most people recognize MLK as the man who initiated the 1963 March on Washington, it was actually Rustin who worked behind the lines, coordinating and organizing the protest. As a gay man with former ties to the communist party, he was deemed too controversial to be one of the faces of the movement, so he worked in the shadows, helping to orchestrate the massive demonstration. He was even affectionately referred to as “Mr. March-On-Washington” by A. Philip Randolph, founder of the Negro American Labor Council. Rustin spent the duration of his life fighting for racial equality, namely economic justice and is considered one of the most influential players in the civil rights movement.

Black-Owned Places to Know

All Flavor, No Grease

Truck Location Varies — Check Instagram for updates

Visit their Instagram to view their menu, hours, & current location.

You haven’t truly lived until you’ve tried a quesadilla from this famous LA food truck. Then, once you’ve had the quesadilla, try everything else on the menu, because Chef Ocho would never steer you wrong!

The Pink Locket

Online

Question? Can you ever have too much jewelry? The correct answer: absolutely not. This shop makes stunning, modern pieces that will complete any outfit, or make any gal in your life smile.

Visit their Etsy to order your own!

Eso Won Books

4327 Degnan Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90008

Take a break from your kindle and show your local book shop some love with Eso Won Books. Read, learn, and reflect on Black history while supporting Black authors and businesses.

Visit their website for hours and to place an online order.

Quarant-streams

‘Judas and the Black Messiah’

Watch this at your next drive-in movie night:

Judas and the Black Mesiah follows William O’Neal on his famous journey from car thief nobody to the government informant that betrayed Illinois Black Panther Party Chairman Fred Hampton. After getting picked up by the cops while posing as an FBI agent, O’Neal is offered a choice: spend six years in prison or infiltrate the Black Panthers and provide as much intel on them as possible. Spoiler alert — he chooses the latter and on Dec. 4, 1969, 21-year-old Hampton is shot and killed during a police raid fueled by O’Neal’s insider information.

As one of the only Hollywood movies to put a Black Panther who’s not played by Chadwick Boseman at its forefront (not that I’d ever complain about watching any movie that features him in spandex — we miss you, Chadwick), it’s clear as to why Judas and the Black Messiah was one of the most highly anticipated movies of the year. It’s finally available to stream as of today — and playing at select drive-ins — so make sure to watch it this weekend.

Purchase tickets or stream it via HBO Max.

‘Framing Britney Spears’

Watch this to #FreeBritney:

As the YouTuber, Chris Crocker iconically said back in 2007, “Leave Britney ALONE!” If you’re unfamiliar with the video I’m referring to, stop reading this and watch it immediately. Now that we’re all sufficiently educated…Well, sorry Chris, but it only took 14 years and a searing documentary from The New York Times for us to realize you were right — we should have left this poor girl alone.

In Framing Britney Spears, which dropped on Hulu last Friday, The New York Times delves deep into Spears’ past, shedding a horrifying light on the paparazzi and media’s harsh treatment of the star during the late 90s and early 2000s. The press isn’t the only villain of the doc, though, as it also paints a not-so-pretty picture of some celebs (*cough* Justin Timberlake *cough*) and Britney’s father, Jamie Spears, who is currently the conservator over her affairs and multi-million dollar estate. If this sounds toxic to you, and not in the iconic pop song kind of way, then you’re right, but I’ll let you watch the documentary to find out why.

Stream it via Hulu.

Quarant-reads

‘The Rib King’ by Ladee Hubbard

Read this if you can’t believe that Aunt Jemima is just now changing its name:

Celebrate Aunt Jemima’s long-overdue rebrand by reading The Rib King, which centers around Black servants working for a wealthy white family in Washington, D.C. August is a loyal butler who’s served the Barclays for years and their chef, Miss Mamie, is a prodigy in the kitchen. When the family finds themselves desperate for money, they decide to bottle and sell Miss Mamie’s famous rib sauce, calling it “The Rib King” and slapping August’s face on the label. But when neither Miss Mamie nor August sees any profits from their product, August grows enraged and decides to seek revenge. For her sophomore novel, Hubbard examines the exploitation of Black culture in America and the racial stereotypes that are still, unfortunately, being perpetuated today. The subject matter may be unsavory, but that won’t stop you from consuming this book in a matter of days.

Purchase now via Amazon.

Quarant-eats

Marcella Hazan’s Bolognese Sauce via NYT Cooking

Make this bc Friday night calls for a heaping bowls of bolognese:

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 tablespoons butter plus 1 tablespoon for tossing the pasta
½ cup chopped onion
⅔ cup chopped celery
⅔ cup chopped carrot
¾ pound ground beef chuck (or you can use 1 part pork to 2 parts beef)
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
1 cup whole milk
Whole nutmeg
1 cup dry white wine
1 ½ cups canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, cut up, with their juice
1 ¼ to 1 ½ pounds pasta
Freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese at the table

PREPARATION

Put the oil, butter and chopped onion in the pot and turn the heat on to medium. Cook and stir the onion until it has become translucent, then add the chopped celery and carrot. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring vegetables to coat them well.
Add ground beef, a large pinch of salt and a few grindings of pepper. Crumble the meat with a fork, stir well and cook until the beef has lost its raw, red color.
Add milk and let it simmer gently, stirring frequently, until it has bubbled away completely. Add a tiny grating — about 1/8 teaspoon — of nutmeg, and stir.
Add the wine, let it simmer until it has evaporated, then add the tomatoes and stir thoroughly to coat all ingredients well. When the tomatoes begin to bubble, turn the heat down so that the sauce cooks at the laziest of simmers, with just an intermittent bubble breaking through to the surface. Cook, uncovered, for 3 hours or more, stirring from time to time. While the sauce is cooking, you are likely to find that it begins to dry out and the fat separates from the meat. To keep it from sticking, add 1/2 cup of water whenever necessary. At the end, however, no water at all must be left and the fat must separate from the sauce. Taste and correct for salt.
Toss with cooked drained pasta, adding the tablespoon of butter, and serve with freshly grated Parmesan on the side.

Crinkle Top Brownie Bites via What’s Gaby Cooking

Bake these bc brownies are the only Valentine you need:

Duke & Dame Boulevardier via Betches/Duke & Dame:

Make this bc cheers to the friken’ (long) weekend baby!:

Kick off the weekend with another cocktail by a Black-owned spirit company, Duke & Dame. The Duke & Dame salted Carmel whiskey makes this Boulevardier recipe just the right amount of sweet and there are only three ingredients, plus it couldn’t be easier to make.

Ingredients