Monday. We all know your pain. The tired and down-trodden slug off to start the work week. On any given normal Monday, you’re painful enough. But let’s just Hunger Games things up with a trip to the dentist, the orthodontist, the DMV and Walmart. Oh, and a trip to the local Lowes store for plumbing parts! The odds are NOT in my favor! SIGH!
Today’s post is just simply about life happening and the excursions around town to make all of this delightful fun go ’round.
Lately we’ve been keeping our friendly, politics-talking dentist gainfully employed. The hubby is on visit #2 of a root canal, while Sons A and B each are on visit #2 for cleanings and cavity fillings. Son B christened his debit card by paying for his cavity co-pay. Gotta pay if you can’t brush! So after spirited campaign and historical discussions with our tooth-fairy, who we left quarters for, it was off to the orthodontist.
Son B is fresh outta braces. His teeth were so straight and doggy-denture worthy! Until the bottom choppers started to do the tango and shift around. Grrr…after spending $$$, now I’m showing my teeth. Turns out Son B is the proud owner of not one, but now two sets of retainers! Guess who left quarters for the orthodontist too?
If this wasn’t painful enough, Son B is begging for his learners permit. It’s a right of passage. I get it. You probably pleaded with your parents too. The 10-year-old across the street will someday. It will be painful for his folks too! Since Son B was out of school for the two previous appointments, why not just round out fun and head down to the local DMV!
It’s a strange feeling being asked to leave your soon-to-be 16 year old alone in a DMV to take his permit test. The place was packed with a wide assortment of all that society deems bright, beautiful, and fresh out of somewhere. Wall to wall, standing room only! The not-so-friendly public safety employee gave me options–stand outside or wait in the car. No seat for me inside. Needless to say, the 70 degree temperatures outside in the car didn’t cause things to move quicker inside the DMV. After an hour and a half, unfortunately, we’ll be back… Definitely no quarters for them today!
Next stop, Lowes. We were just there yesterday. Twice. (Note to discerning reader: measure fittings BEFORE going to the home improvement store!) In any case, I overlooked plumbers putty as I was ready to replace the drain and stopper in the good old garden tub. No problem. It’s bought and ready to use. But…I’ll be back to Lowes tomorrow. Gotta buy a DrainKey to get the broken drain fitting out of the tub. Guess Lowes is getting quarters, and nickels and dimes too!
If all of this excitement isn’t gripping enough, there was the culminating coup te gra (French for final death blow or mercy killing). A grocery stop at Walmart.
We’re not strangers to Walmart, both as shoppers or insiders. Son A climbed the ranks in the Wally-World throughout high school. He has plenty of stories of cheese-dusted trolls crawling out of their basements for Sunday snack runs, banana-costumed customers threatening to free the yellow-bunched masses in the produce section, or the scantily clad plus-sized folks out for a stroll. You know the ones…People of Walmart! Son A has the BEST stories of crazy cat ladies and pet raccoons in trucks! But after a trip to the local DMV, I think Walmart has a new rival in the spectator sport of people watching!
By the end of this Monday, I’m wiped out. I don’t want to people any more! But dinner doesn’t cook itself, so thank goodness for rotisserie chickens, simple prep, and feel good comfort food! Savory Chicken with Herbed Buttermilk Dumplings! Based on an online recipe using canned biscuits and rotisserie chicken, my spin on it is below. If your Monday (or other week-day) screams like mine did today, definitely swap out the homemade herbed biscuits below for canned ones! Monday, Monday…
Savory Chicken with Herb Buttermilk Dumplings
Quick prep, the convenience of a store-bought rotisserie chicken, and one-pan cooking makes this comfort-food at it’s finest!
Ingredients
For Herbed Buttermilk Dumplings (aka Biscuits):
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling dough
1 tbsp. granulated sugar
1–1/2 tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
8 tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
2/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup milk (whole or 2%)
For Chicken Filling:
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 medium onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups (32 ounces) chicken broth or prepared chicken bouillon
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 store-bought rotisserie chicken, deboned and skinned, meat cut into large chunks (about 4 cups)
Salt and pepper, to taste
1–2 tsp. fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
For Herbed Buttermilk Dumplings (aka Biscuits):
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a large bowl, blend together all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, black pepper, rosemary, parsley, and thyme. Cut cold cubed butter into flour mixture using a pastry cutter, two knives or your hands. Butter should be pea-sized. Add the buttermilk and milk. Blend until just combined. Turn onto a well-floured board. Pat and fold dough two to three times. Pat dough to about 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with a straight-sided round cutter (2- to 3-inch rounds). Set aside.
For Chicken Filling:
Melt the unsalted butter in a large oven-proof saucepan or skillet. Add onion and cook until softened (about 5 minutes). Add garlic and cook for an additional minute. Sprinkle all-purpose flour or onion and garlic. Stir to evenly coat. Gradually add chicken broth/bouillon to onion mixture. Stir well after each addition. Bring to a boil and add diced carrots and celery. Cook for about 5 minutes to let vegetables soften slightly, before stirring in rotisserie chicken. Add salt and pepper to taste.*
Top chicken mixture with cut herbed buttermilk dumplings (aka biscuits). Space cut dough about 1/2 to 1-inch apart, depending on the size of your oven-proof skillet. Bake for 21-25 minutes or until biscuit tops are golden brown. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley. Serve immediately. Topping with freshly grated parmesan is optional!
Notes
*If using bouillon, you may want to adjust the amount of salt in the chicken filling.
IMNPB
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