I quit my job.
Hence the radio silence the last couple of weeks. As you may have gleaned from some previous posts, I’ve been debating this for some time.
My sweet and persistent friend, Daphne, has been cheering for this for weeks. Daph’s now an artist, unencumbered by The Man, who sat beside me at a previous job in Cambridge. She's become like a sister to me and had the courage to pursue her art and, notably, a newsletter.
I've talked to Daphne, among other friends, over the last few weeks regularly. She's more than once helped me prep mentally for this change. It took about a month to finally take the leap.
I’ve been planning two birthday parties simultaneously for my little ones and found myself trying to come up for air in the tsunami of time which moves at a different speed once kids are in the picture.
The days are long but the years are short, as my grandmother used to say.
She was right.
And I kept thinking: if not now, when?
My kids are still little enough to nap in the car, to climb into my lap and play with my earlobe.
So I’ve decided, with the support of Scott, to take a beat. To build GoldieLox without rushing. To paint again. To make things with my hands. To be with my children and take in a few more long breaths to smell their hair and examine their perfect little hands and eyelashes and calves.
And as I said, I want more time to focus on this, on GoldieLox, and continuing to build a brand I'm proud of that sets itself apart in the world.
So here’s dinner for tomorrow night to celebrate the last day of my 9-5.
Citrus and Date Braised Chicken with Fennel
What you need
6 to 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 fennel bulbs, sliced
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1 cup pitted Medjool dates
Zest and juice of 1 orange
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
What to do
Preheat oven to 400.
Pat chicken dry. Season generously with salt and pepper.
Heat olive oil in a large oven-safe pan. Sear chicken skin-side down until deeply golden. Don’t rush it. About 6 to 8 minutes. Flip and cook 2 more minutes. Remove to a plate.
In the same pan, add fennel with a pinch of salt. Cook until slightly softened. Add garlic and thyme.
Pour in wine. Scrape up the brown bits. Let it reduce for a few minutes.
Add broth, orange juice, lemon juice, zest, and dates. Bring to a simmer.
Nestle chicken back into the pan, skin side up. Spoon some sauce over but keep the skin mostly exposed so it stays crisp.
Transfer to oven. Roast 25 to 30 minutes until cooked through and glossy.
Serve it with
Crispy roasted potatoes with rosemary
A shaved fennel and arugula salad with lemon and olive oil
Warm challah to drag through the sauce
Shabbat shalom y’all!