Mrs. Curry with the pot!
I've secretly attempted recipes I've come across on Twitter from the kitchens of Resha of “Carnel Dish” (@KanYeBreast) and Angela of “The Kitchenista Diaries” (@MissAngelaDavis) and I'm still trying to perfect my throw-down in the kitchen skills. I'm always looking for new ways to impress my partner who still prefers his grandmother's cooking over mine, and it's through these women and eyewitness accounts in my own family's kitchens that I've been attempting to do a little something-something in my own home. I'm always looking for something new, and I think I've found it!
Ayesha Curry’s prepping for the release of her first ever cookbook and we’re already going, “Chef Curry with the pot, girl!” The mommy of daughters, Riley and Ryan, and the real-life basketball wife has been throwing down in the kitchen way before Steph scored a NBA ring last summer. From the looks of her uploaded photos on the ‘gram, it’s probably one of the reasons why the baller put a ring on it–the way to a man’s heart is through food.
Ayesha’s the face and culinarian behind CSN Bay Area’s cooking show, Cookin’ with the Currys, where her daughter Riley has made an appearance.
A few days ago, the beauty revealed the cover for the anticipated foodie manual and of course it embodies everything about her. Family & food.
Mrs. Curry’s been advertising just how she throws down in the kitchen through her YouTube and cooking blog, Little Lights of Mine. She's also previewed some of her best dishes and drinks on IG, and to say mouth-watering, would be an understatement:
Lamb Chops
Salt Baked Trout
Ayesha Curry's Peach Basil Cocktails
While we wait for her first cookbook to hit bookstores nationwide, we’ve gathered five of Ayesha’s recipes we hope make its way to the pages. From an oatmeal that’ll make my picky children think twice about saying yuck to oat porridge, to pastas for lunch and almond pound cakes for dessert, Ayesha Curry’s about to make her way to our kitchen and we hope yours, too.
Photo Credit: littlelightsofmine.com
Warm Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal
Ayesha said this one is like apple pie for breakfast, so that’ll be what I’ll tell my sons (and myself when I need something sweet in the morning). Her recipe is a mixture of sweetness and the woody scents of cinnamon and nutmeg with the mushiness of oats. The photo alone gives me hunger pains, so we’re hoping the recipe will be found in The Seasoned Life to have on deck at any time in the AM. Check out the recipe here!
Turned out perfect! Warm Rum Chocolate Chip Banana Bread... A little brown sugar butter and we are good to go! #hometestkitchen ... I'm thanking the lord right now that Riley doesn't like chocolate and kicking myself because I still have 15lbs left of baby weight to lose ... Ohhhh well... 😝 for the love of food. A photo posted by Ayesha Curry (@ayeshacurry) on
Warm Rum Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Three of our favorite things in one–rum, chocolate chip, and banana bread. Why wouldn’t we want to know the deets on this one? Ayesha gave the world a sneak peek last week on her Instagram account and her point about shedding some more pounds post-baby Ryan, but still indulging in some warm bread is the green light I needed in the middle of this “diet” I’m on. If Ayesha can, I can too, right?
A photo posted by Ayesha Curry (@ayeshacurry) on
Everything in this photo
I eat with my eyes and I can easily say, I love food with color! Chef Curry’s lemon glaze, shrimp and crab pasta in a homemade cream sauce with lemon zest and pink peppercorn looks good (and sounds nice rolling off the tongue)and is just it. I’m certain this one doesn’t take too long to make, but in case it does, that glass of wine will come in handy. The lemon glaze on the almond pound cake gives us that illusion of tasting something like heaven in your mouth, so we’re looking forward for tips on that one as well.
Photo Credit: @ayeshacurry on Instagram
All lamb everything
I’m a lover of all things lamb, so when I went digging around Ayesha’s pages, I saw a mention of a lamb and beef ragu and a video of Ayesha making a quick and easy dish of lamb chops with a fig balsamic vinegar dipping sauce. The meatiness of lamb adds to any dish, as well as, is sure to get leave you full (if done right). We’re crossing fingers for the ragu recipe in The Seasoned Life.
My first attempt at classic paella! I'll add more shellfish next time. Stuck with chicken, shrimp and chorizo. #yummy A photo posted by Ayesha Curry (@ayeshacurry) on
Paella
Seafood is the way to my heart and a combination of shrimp, chicken, and chorizo (spicy Spanish pork) in a saffron rice is an entire meal in itself. I’m not sure if Ayesha threw mussels in this one, but the texture and taste of the ingredients she used for her dish makes for a great Sunday side dish. Paella isn’t an instant type of rice that takes about 10 minutes to make, but the time and effort it takes to perfect this one, is worth every minute if done right. Ayesha, we’re hoping you stuck this one in somewhere!
What are you hoping to see in Ayesha Curry's cookbook? Let us know in the comment section or on Twitter @xonecole!
RELATED
Again, the answer never changes because, if there is one thing that Shellie Reneé Warren is gonna get, it’s 6-8 (sometimes nine) hours of sleep. However, since my chronotype (check out “Ever Wonder What Personality Traits Make Someone A 'Morning Person'?”) means that I like/prefer to write in the wee hours of the morning, sometimes I will sleep for the night for five hours and take a nap in the day. And y’all, that is just fine with me because I am well aware of the fact that napping does everything from give me more energy, heighten my alertness and even make me more creative to decrease stress levels, strengthen immunity, and reduce my chances of experiencing a heart attack or stroke.
My problem is I will oftentimes go “overboard” with my daytime zzz’s. What I mean by that is, in order to get the most out of a nap, they say thatyou shouldn’t sleep for longer than 25 minutes or so; otherwise, you could wake up feeling sluggish (I don’t but…). Also, it can make resting, soundly, at night a bit of a struggle.
So, what are you saying, Shellie? We should get quickies in? Yeah. And it’s funny that the word “quickie” would come up because just like a sex quickie can do wonders for you (and it can — check out “12 Super Solid Reasons To Have A Quickie Every Single Day”), it’s a full-circle moment when I say that something that can improve the quality of your sex life is to have a power nap (a nap that lasts between 10-30 minutes).
Wanna know how the two things correlate? Honestly, it’s no secret that sleep and sex work together to optimize both (check out “6 Fascinating Ways Sex And Sleep Definitely Go Hand In Hand”). Today, though, we’re going to tap into how a nap, specifically, can have you partaking in some of the best sex that you’ve experienced in a minute. I’ll explain.
Naps Reduce Stress
GiphyIf you’re feeling super stressed out right now, you are not alone. There is plenty of data out here that says that most of us are stressed for at least a couple of reasons at a time — and that can impact your sexual health on a few levels. For one thing, it can bring about feelings of depression and/or anxiety. Stress can also throw your hormone levels off (including your cycle) which can weaken your libido. Stress can make you want to put distance between you and your partner (yes, literally).
Stress can also make it challenging to get aroused or to have an orgasm. And just what can help to decrease stress? Taking a nap. Since sleep has a way of helping you to “get off of the clock” and relax a bit, that can lower your stress levels and “reset” your body so that you are calmer — and that, in turn, can do wonders for your sex drive and ultimately your sex life.
Naps Improve Your Mood
GiphyThere is one person in my life, and fairly 80 percent of the time, she’s in a super good mood. Oh, but let that girl go without sleep, and…who is this woman? LOL. There’s research behind why this happens. When a person is sleep-deprived, it messes with their brain chemicals, and that can amplify emotions like anger, restlessness and sadness. In fact, one study revealed that people who had their sleep disrupted throughout the night, they ended up having their positive outlook on life reduced by about 30 percent.
And geeze, who wants to have sex when they’re not feeling very good? Anyway, since serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps to regulate your moods, your sleep patterns, and your libido and sleep is what helps to keep it in balance — by taking a nap, not only can it help you to feel better, it can also increase your desire for sex (it can also build up your endurance which is also…sexually beneficial).
Naps Increase Your Focus and Concentration
GiphySomething that some of my clients bring up is how, when it comes to having sex, sometimes the flesh is willing while the spirit is weak because, although the desire for intimacy is there, so much is going on that they aren’t able to get still enough to focus on experiencing copulation with their partner. This also tracks because, when you don’t have enough rest, your brain finds itself not working in harmony and that can make it hard to do everything from approaching life with a sense of flexibility to making necessary decisions.
Certain data also reveal that a lack of rest can cause you to have a really poor attention span and not process things in context (the more you know). So, if you really want to get some yet it’s hard for you to focus long enough to make it happen, ask your bae to lie down with you and take a nap. Between the sleep and the snuggling (check out “Fall's Coming: 8 Wonderful Health Benefits Of Cuddling”) — you may wake up with your mind and body totally on the same page. #wink
Naps Can Make You Feel Better About Your Body
GiphyEven if, overall, you feel really good about your body, I think that we all have moments when we feel less attractive than others — and who wants to have sex when they don’t really feel…very sexy? Well, something else that sleep, in general, can do is increase your confidence in your body.
For one thing, if you want to lose a few pounds, sleep can actually make that happen by helping your body metabolize the glucose (sugar) that’s in it so that you can better manage your appetite. Other studies go on to share that since sleep deprivation can impact one’s mental health and emotional stability in a negative way, of course, getting enough rest would increase body positivity.
Shoot, science even goes so far as to say that insomnia can cause people to have an elevated level of dissatisfaction when it comes to their body image. Don’t take their word for it, though. Look in the mirror before a nap. Then look in a mirror after waking up from me. Do you feel better? I’d be surprised if you don’t.
Makes Your Brain Bigger…Which Could Make Your Orgasms Better
GiphyI saved the best for last by design. Now if you’re wondering how in the world a nap can improve (and possibly increase) your orgasms — oh, there is a method to the madness…trust. For starters, the saying that your biggest sex organ is your brain? That isn’t a myth. Long story less long, the brain is what houses your central nervous system and that is what controls how men and women sexually function (yes, literally).
And since the brain also releases feel-good chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin during sex and brain activity significantly increases in women during sexual activity (especially right before she orgasms) — well, would it trip you out to know that when you take a nap, your brain actually expands? A bigger brain (that’s healthy) can potentially intensify your sexual experiences (and your climaxes) — and who doesn’t want that to go down?
____
Like I said earlier, I never have to be convinced to get a nap in. However, if your sex life has been a bit stagnant lately, you’ve been feeling a little sluggish and you’re not sure what to do — I’m hoping that a nap can get you right.
There’s enough science to prove that it can. All you need to do is give it a shot.
Now where’s your pillow and sleep mask, chile?
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Featured image by FG Trade/Getty Images