Notes from November — Week One

Welcome to my Notes From… series, where I share the things I’ve been doing throughout the week.
From projects to playlists and books on my TBR, this is what I’ve been up to lately.

📚 Books I’m Reading

An American Marriage — Tayari Jones

I started reading this in college and then forgot about it. It’s been on my list for a while, so I decided to pick it back up.

So far, I love the clear prose and storytelling. I’m not a fan of Roy, but the writing is so good I’m still invested in him. Celestial is definitely the most interesting character so far.

🎧 Media I Watched / Listened To

Maybe embed a playlist here

🍳 What I Cooked

🍲 Rosemary Garlic Chicken with Rice in Broth

A cozy, one-pot meal for quiet evenings

Serves: 4
Time: 45–55 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

✅ Ingredients

1–1.5 lb chicken thighs (bone-in preferred; boneless okay)
1 cup rice (I used brown rice)
4–6 garlic cloves, smashed or minced
2–3 fresh rosemary sprigs (or 1–1.5 tsp dried)
4 cups chicken broth (plus more as needed)
1–2 tbsp oil + butter
Salt + black pepper, to taste

Optional add-ins:

½–1 lemon (juice + zest)
Splash of white wine
2 bay leaves
Parmesan or pecorino, for topping
A handful of spinach or peas at the end

✅ Instructions

1) Sear the Chicken

Set oven to 425°F.
Season chicken generously with salt, pepper, garlic, and rosemary.
Heat oil in a heavy pot (Dutch oven works best) over medium-high heat.
Sear chicken until the skin is crispy, about 3–4 minutes.
Flip the chicken, add butter, and place in the oven for 20 minutes.

Searing adds depth, but the dish is still delicious if you skip it.

2) Build the Flavor

Remove chicken from the pot.
Lower heat to medium and deglaze with chicken stock.
(Optional) Add a splash of white wine.

3) Cook the Rice

For every 1 cup of rice, boil 2 cups water.
Add rice to boiling water.
Cover and cook following package instructions (typically 20–30 min for brown rice).

4) Finish + Serve

Add cooked rice, chicken, and broth to a shallow bowl.
The rice will absorb the broth.
Taste + adjust seasoning.

Serve warm with extra lemon, rosemary, or grated parmesan.

✅ Tips + Variations

Make it richer:
Add a knob of butter before serving.

More brothy:
Add an extra cup of broth near the end.

Crispier chicken:
Broil thighs for 3–5 minutes before serving.

Vegetarian version:
Swap chicken for mushrooms + chickpeas; use vegetable broth.

✅ What to Serve With

Bitter greens salad
Roasted carrots
Bread + butter
Lemon yogurt on the side

🧶 Crafts / Hobbies

I checked out a book from the library about how to make beeswax candles and other things with beeswax.
I’m hoping to make something this weekend when everyone’s home and I can get help with the baby.

🍂 Outside / Nature Moments

I took a short walk just before sunset.
The autumn skies have the prettiest sunsets — like the day winding itself down.

✨ One Small Joy

I made my sister’s birthday cake this week: carrot cake with pineapple and cream cheese buttercream.
It was really good. I used a recipe from Sally’s Baking Addition — this is the second or third cake I’ve made from that blog, and they’ve all been great. She might be my go-to for homemade cakes.

Thanks for being here.
Check back next week to see what else I get up to.
Until then, have a fun weekend. 🍂

light & gather