While I’m waiting for my Autumn Chicken Wild Rice Casserole to cook, and before I get started on my first ever New York Style Cheesecake.
Last week during a slow period, my coworkers and I started a discussion on naturally curly hair. Four of us have been “blessed” with it, but my coworkers were surprised to hear I have it since I always show up to work with straightened hair. I busted out an older pic of me sporting it and the synchronized gasps nearly floored me. As much as I’ve disliked my curls throughout my life…especially after growing up being bullied by my peers for having them (some people really do choose to voice their hatred for the stupidest things)…I found a little love growing for them later in life. Not enough for me to showcase them often, but something in that moment clicked because I’ve been considering a drastic change for my hair. Even thought maybe it’s time for bangs. I know, I know. Was just a thought though. Anyway, I decided to go all weekend with my naturally curly hair leading the charge into our battle at work, and the reception was insane. Compliments are hard for me to accept, more so when they come from women who you can feel the genuinity from. Planned on straightening yesterday because the upkeep is so time consuming making sure the curls are consistently moisturized and frizz-free, but thought…why not give them one more day.
Well, yesterday the spirals flew in the breeze pretty much all day long, and at one point my oldest turned to me before starting the car, smiled, said, “You’re so pretty, Momma.” 🥹. My hand instantly found its place over my heart and for the first time in a good while, I felt like maybe I was doing something right for a change. I know it’s just a physical thing, but when you receive so much positive attention for something you used to receive nothing but negative attention for, you become very hesitant to divert from what’s currently making your heart smile a little more and honestly, making you feel better about how you choose to present yourself.
So, I woke up to the curls this morning.
They’re not as pretty as they were yesterday as the frizz really presents itself, but I’m starting to like how they make me feel. I may not keep them for long given the upkeep, but today they’re continuing to not be suppressed by the harsh 410° heat from my straightener. Maybe treating them a little kinder will somehow magically train me to do more to treat myself the same way. Who knows if it even runs that deep. Just gonna let myself be myself today, in as many ways possible and see if the love within grows a smidge.
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2 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon olive oil ½ cup sweet onions chopped sea salt pepper 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated 6 ounces cremini mushrooms 2 ounces wild mushrooms 1 Honeycrisp apple, thinly sliced (I omitted this) 2 tablespoons fresh chopped thyme, plus more for serving 2 ½ cups low sodium chicken broth ½ cup white wine or more chicken broth 2 cups wild rice ¾ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces 2 cups baby spinach 1 ½ cups Gruyère cheese, shredded (And I added a can of cream of mushroom soup for extra creaminess before putting it in the oven)
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Melt the butter and olive oil in a large, oven safe skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring often until the onion is soft. Season with salt and pepper. Add the garlic, the cremini mushrooms and the wild mushrooms, cook another 5 minutes or until the mushrooms are caramelized. Stir in the apples and thyme and cook another minute longer.
3. Pour in the 2 cups chicken broth and the wine and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the rice and chicken, cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 45-55 minutes or until the rice is cooked, if needed, add the remaining 1/2-1 cup broth if the rice feels a little hard still. Remove from the heat and stir in the spinach.
4. Sprinkle the cheese over top the rice and transfer to the oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Remove from the oven and serve with fresh thyme.
@PerfectionOfTheHeart BTW your curls do look amazing! I hear ya on the "way too much work" aspect...it's why I keep my hair in a bun most of the time for work.
And thank you. I do the same when I’m working. For some reason it felt a bit heavy in that state though and untidy when it really wasn’t. Seems so much easier to not worry about the tresses when it’s straight.
@PerfectionOfTheHeart I'm working from home because I'm sick today and had a video call with my boss and colleague in another state, both women I trust feel safe sharing anything with and being my authentic self even on my ugliest day.
I had my hair down and I swear in my head it looked like I had a snarly bush and I couldn't stop myself from apologizing even though they are my 'gals' and I know not only that they didn't care but that they didn't even agree anything looked bad. They were both pppffffftt you look fiiiine, beautiful even.
Isn't it awful how we psych ourselves out!? [But damn frizz is a real problem man! 😅]
