By October. My twentieth birthday passed last week, quiet and good, Sunday dinner at Gloria and James with the full spread. I told them about the transfer application this week, in the kitchen on Sunday while we were making sweet potato pie. I had been waiting to tell them after I filed it rather than before, because I did not want to manage their hope and my own at the same time.
Gloria stopped what she was doing and looked at me. I told her about UAB and the early childhood education degree and she listened the whole way through. Then she said: I am proud of you every day. Those were James words. The ones he wrote in the birthday card last year. She was borrowing them and they both knew what that meant.
James said: you are going to keep going, then. I said I am going to keep going. He nodded once, slowly. That nod is one of the most meaningful gestures in my life. It means: I see what you are doing. It is right.
The sweet potato pie that Sunday was perfect. Her recipe, my hands, her kitchen. Everything right.
I have been writing more on the blog this fall. Two posts this month about what it is like to be a foster care alumni who is building something from scratch, not starting from nothing but from less than nothing, from negative starting points, and turning those into the building blocks of an actual life. The posts have gotten comments from people who wrote to say: this is my story too. I do not say much back except: I see you and you are not alone. That seems like the right thing.
The sweet potato pie that Sunday was Gloria’s recipe, but these Breakfast Sweet Potatoes are mine — the version I make when I want to carry that same warmth into an ordinary morning and feel like something is being built. Sweet potatoes have meant that kitchen to me ever since, and this recipe is how I bring a piece of it back whenever I need it. It takes almost nothing to make, and it gives back more than it costs.
Breakfast Sweet Potatoes
Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 50 min | Total Time: 1 hr | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 4 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Hot sauce for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Bake the potatoes. Preheat oven to 400°F. Pierce each sweet potato several times with a fork, rub with olive oil, and place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake 40–45 minutes until tender when pierced with a knife.
- Prepare the filling. Remove potatoes from oven and let cool 5 minutes. Slice each potato open lengthwise and gently fluff the interior flesh with a fork, being careful not to tear the skin.
- Season and add beans. Sprinkle smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper over the opened potatoes. Spoon black beans evenly into each potato.
- Add the eggs. Crack one egg into the center of each loaded potato, nestling it into the flesh. Return the baking sheet to the oven and bake an additional 10–12 minutes, until the egg whites are set but the yolks are still slightly soft.
- Top and serve. Remove from the oven and top each potato with shredded cheddar, a dollop of sour cream, and a scatter of green onions. Serve immediately with hot sauce on the side if desired.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 340 | Protein: 14g | Fat: 13g | Carbs: 42g | Fiber: 7g | Sodium: 310mg