I am a Bad B! I’m a queen, a fighter, a survivor and a hustler. No, really, I am all those things. You can’t accomplish all I have without being those things. For those of you who don’t know my story, it’s been a long and rough one. But I won’t bore you with all the details. Long story short, I packed up my two children, took what could fit in the car, and walked away from our home, my career and everything I had worked for, leaving a toxic relationship; and started over with nothing, back in my beloved hometown of Belzoni. So, yeah… it’s appropriate to call me a basic bad a**. I actually take a lot of pride in my self-sufficiency and resilience. But herein lies a whole new set of problems.
We are in the post “Me Too Movement” world now. And if anyone can claim “Me Too”, it is me! And I do so whole-heartedly. But, I also love me some Slingshot, who takes a lot of pride in providing for his family. So, there is always the push and pull of boundaries and roles in our relationship. As with most men, he loves to provide for his loved ones. And as a strong, independent woman who thrives on hustling for my own, I take offense in someone trying to sweep in and save the day. Pride can be beautiful, but chivalry is too. Finding the perfect balance between the two can be a struggle. This isn’t just a problem for me. This is a problem for all women everywhere now. And now is just a good time as any to address it. And why not on a random recipe blog, right? As I said in my first blog, the love for food is transcending and uniting; and I think all problems should be discussed over a good meal.
Everyone has a different perspective and opinion on this specific subject matter. That’s great. But, I think for me personally, learning to whole-heartedly trust in someone and a relationship is the biggest hurdle myself and most women face today. There are thousands of stay-home moms and wives who put their livelihood in the hands of their spouse. There has to be some unexplainable freedom in fully surrendering to the love someone has for you. And to do so, takes more bravery than I have ever had. For me, the anxiety of not having some kind of hustle keeps me up at night. My husband works on the road five to six days/nights a week to provide so I won’t have to hustle. In his mind, he’s showing his love for us. In my mind, through the scar tissue of a damaged heart, I see my independence and pride being stripped away. The traditional family unit is the real casualty of this war of worlds between a modern day woman and the conventional role of the spouse. I realize that, at some point, portions of the wall will have to be torn down, and new boundaries set, because the family unit we have created is far more special than any of my other accomplishments. As I said, this is my personal perspective, but I can’t help but feel like there are many other women out there struggling with the same hang-ups (marrying for love and maintaining some pride and independence).
Sunday dinner is my weekly gift to my family. I try to cater to each person in some way, whether it be with their favorite dessert treat, or favorite meals. Usually, my husband’s special request is Buffalo Chicken Sliders. Unfortunately, today he had to leave early for work and missed Sunday dinner. As he was pulling off, his sacrifice for his family pierced my tough, scarred up heart, and I couldn’t help but shed a tear. In this day and age, it’s hard to find a true love. And while you should be proud to be a survivor, you shouldn’t allow that pride to take away from that true love. And, by gosh, if someone wants to foot the bill every once in a while, just let them! Hell, if you’re feeling really generous, allow them to “man-splain” something too! Don’t let chivalry die because a small percentage of men lacked it in the past.
So, this week, in honor of sweet spouses every where that have to deal with us stubborn, proud, beautiful women, I am sharing the quick and easy Buffalo Chicken Sliders recipe that Slingshot loves to eat by the dozen. This recipe is perfect for football parties too!
Buffalo Chicken Sliders
1 chicken (boiled and shredded and seasoned with salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning)
1 Ranch dressing seasoning pack
Provolone Cheese slices
Buffalo Wing sauce (as desired)
Hawaiian rolls
Butter Sauce (1 stick of salted butter, melted and seasoned with Italian seasoning, and garlic salt)
Mix shredded chicken with Ranch dressing seasoning and Buffalo Wing sauce. Cut tops off rolls. Top with seasoned chicken and provolone cheese slices. Put tops on rolls and brush generously with butter sauce. Bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted and rolls toasted.
Lessons Learned From The Rainbow 