Dining and Cooking
Spring Pea Risotto for my husband
In Italian Recipes

Spring Pea Risotto for my husband



As many of you saw on my IG Stories, I had a little bit of a breakdown several days ago when I saw that a racist woman was able to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars by being racist. I talked about it with Anthony the following day and he started by saying, “I know how upset you were by that,” before offering his own thoughts and even advice on how to protect my heart a little better. First, by saying those few words in the beginning, I felt more seen than I can remember in a long time. It was an allusion to how often Anthony has seen me fall apart because of election results, a story in the news, a really bad opinion by 9 people in black robes, the deportation of US citizens, the erosion of human rights here and overseas. He gets that I cry, a lot, and instead of judging me for it, he loves me for it.

But it also occurred to me then how we are so complementary. I feel things so hard and he processes things so well. I open his eyes to what grief looks like and he helps me to cauterize those hurts. I don’t think I could handle it if my partner devolved into despair in the way I’m prone to do every time SCOTUS issues another anemic ruling or an executive order attacking a law firm gets published. And I KNOW things wouldn’t work if my partner was anything less than a ROCK every time I voiced my fears about my next cookbook or my writing career or anything else that will form the foundation of our livelihood. Every partnership looks different, but as I sat there listening to him confidently set forth a plan on how to protect me more effectively, I realized how lucky I am that Anthony is who he is.

And I hope hope hope that when he looks at me, even when I’ve bawling and shaking and raging at yet another stupid, horrible, outrageous thing, he thinks the same thing. “How lucky am I to have this woman in my life.”

Recipe for this Green Pea Risotto:

https://thekoreanvegan.com/the-best-sweet-green-pea-risotto-recipe-vegan/

#storytime #cookingstorytime #risotto #vegan

Joanne Lee Molinaro is a Korean American trial lawyer, New York Times best-selling author, James Beard Award-winner, and host of the Are You Ready podcast. With nearly 5 million fans spread across her social media platforms, Joanne has appeared on The Food Network, CBS Saturday Morning, ABC’s Live with Kelly and Ryan, The Today Show, PBS, and The Rich Roll Podcast. She’s been featured in the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, NPR, and CNN; and her debut cookbook was selected as one of “The Best Cookbooks of 2021” by The New York Times and The New Yorker among others.

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This was me when Anthony and I first met. That was over 10 years ago. Time has taken its toll on my body despite all the things I’ve tried to do to slow it. He loved that dress. I wore it on our fifth date, and it literally stopped him in his tracks. You look stunning, he said. I married my first and only boyfriend. So, when I got a divorce in my 30s, I had very little experience with romance. So when Anthony and I first started dating, I was so insecure about everything. Was I pretty enough? Was I skinny enough? Did he like me enough? Sounds very unconfident of this trial lawyer, but there was work Joanne. And like I’ve said, there was home Joanne. And home Joanne, she had a lot of insecurities that sprang to life when she was crushing on a guy. Even in her mid30s, in my mid-4s, and parameopausal, I’m starting to have a lot of questions that make me uncomfortable. Why does everything sag? Is that another white hair? When did the bags beneath my eyes turn into straight up oversized luggage? And yes, sometimes very, very quietly, I wonder to myself, will my husband continue to love me if my body changes too much. There’s this one great line of poetry that I’ve repeated to myself long before I even met Anthony. One man loved the pilgrim soul in you and loved the sorrows of your changing face. The other day, I unloaded to my husband about all the things that have been stressing me out these past several days. The erosion of human rights, racist people hurling slurs at children, and my own fledgling business, whether I will ever succeed as something other than a lawyer. As he listened and gave some advice, it occurred to me that my husband is a rock. His belief in me is so enormous, so overpowering, it anchors me. He concluded his thoughts by asking me, “So, what do you think?” And I said to him, “I think I’m so lucky to have you in my life.” Because I am. I am so lucky to have found someone who sees the pilgrim soul in

34 Comments

  2. @4nn13h7

    The better question is, “Will you continue to love yourself if your body changes ‘too much,’ and, if not, why?” Many people’s value is in their bodies, at least to their partners, which is sad but also their prerogatives. I do not take that to be the case with you and Anthony.

  12. @EB-rp9vp

    I'm 33. I recently got diagnosed with a neurological disorder. I went from hating my body for not being stick thin to just appreciating when it functions normally. The little things we worry about usually don't matter. It's the big things. Friendships, family. People who are with you through storms.

  13. @redheadedfed

    I'm also in my mid-40s. Perimenopausal. My hair is thinning, everything is saggy, I have a belly I never used to have, I'm over emotional, have hot flashes all the time, can't sleep well or wake up drenched in sweat. I feel very insecure about my body and how my husband perceives me. We also met after I divorced my high school sweetheart and father to my 2 children in my 30s. I'm a Federal employee with over 20 years of service and was in the military before that. This is all I've ever known. I'm terrified of losing my job and having to start over in my mid-40s when I'm unlikely to find a good match in the private sector. Everything sucks right now and it's really hard to get out of bed every day. 😢

  14. @reenureena3636

    You guys give me hope for love. I haven't found it yet. But i am a hopeless romantic. And like to be self sufficient and independent. Not a great combo. But hey, I might find my version of Anthony. More love to you guys♥️

  15. @brettlynnadams9728

    When my husband and I started dating, I was a good 35 lbs lighter than I am now. We went through so much about a year into dating. We both hit major snags in our lives and ended up moving thousands of miles apart because we couldn't afford a life together yet. I was having some major mental health problems and was let go from my job as a live-in nanny. So I lost my job, my house, my boyfriend moved a thousand miles away, and to top it all off, my cat passed away within a few months of me moving back in with my parents. I'm still struggling to move past it all and get back to where I was when we started dating. But, almost 2 years later, we're married, and he has never made me feel like he will love me any less based on how my body changes. He is the most incredible man I've ever met, and I feel so beyond lucky to have him. I resonate with you so much in that statement. The people who love your soul first are the best kinds of humans ♥️

  17. @TulipsMay

    You are so prettyyyyy, I totally get the anxiety of getting older though. But don't fret, gurl you look amazing! Mid forties???? Gurllll, you still look thirties.

  18. @randomunicorn8182

    My mom once told me that my dad was her rock. If ever do end up getting married, I want a man who will be my rock and not settle for anything less

  20. @PaulaDTozer

    Why are you so worried that he won’t love you if YOUR body changes? His is changing too. Are you concerned about that? This may be a shadow that needs to be addressed so that home girl transforms into the woman your viewers see.

  27. @lacielima3978

    9 months Postpartum almost turning 29 and I’m feeling different to say the least. This legit has me in tears. You never fail to make me emotional 🙏💙 thank you and God Bless you ❤

  28. @alibeck1383

    No. Not at all. Time has not taken its toll. Not on you. They say we are our own biggest critics. You’re beautiful and not just for your age. Younger women wish they had a body like yours. You obviously take care of yourself and shows. You’re amazing. ❤

  29. @banjotiki3910

    I'm 17, my t*ts sag since I grew them, I have stretch marks and cellulite in places where not even most pregnant women have them, I have bigger bags under my eyes than you and yellow teeth and smelly feet even though I keep good hygiene.

    So this whole "young women are beautiful, I wish I was young again" logic doesnt apply to all of us.

  31. @Eeepy_Breadcrumbs

    I get that sort of thing to a degree. Though my biggest fear is not ebjnf able to live the way I want to live. Being 🏳️‍⚧️ in our country, I want to be a light to all the other trans people in our community who are struggling, or feel like they won’t get to the age of 40 whether it’s due to bullying, hate crimes, or their own personal feelings about how their identity gives them hate, and thus ending themselves over it. I remember never thinking I’d be old enough to make it to adulthood as a kid because of my own mental health thoughts and actions (self harm), and I feel at least lucky enough to be in the world for two decades.

    Either way, I give a hug to any of the trans people who read this comment, you aren’t alone, and if your a trans kid, we care about you, even though our government won’t, and I’ll be damned to not help yall out.