My Mom's QAF Chicken Pot Pie!

The month of March as an Arts Program Coordinator is insanely busy with County and State assessments. This year, I promised myself that I would not allow my job to strangle my life, so cooking at least 5 nights a week and eating correctly has been a part of that promise. Cooking my Mom's recipes has brought me a comforting joy and I feel so close to her when cooking. 

Here is  the recipe: 

I started with olive oil and 1 teaspoon of butter (salted) because let's be real, I hate unsalted butter unless I am baking. Then, I threw in the Mirepoix (onions, celery, carrots) and let that cook until the onions were almost translucent. I saved time by going right to the freezer section for the mirepoix. When I have time, I take the time, but this was a later Sunday night and I needed to keep it moving.

To the pan, I added thyme, parsley, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Then, I added shredded roasted chicken breast (this is quick, so it was already cooked from Whole Foods). I added 1 cup of Chicken Stock (store bought, again, operative word is quick) to the pan and scraped up all the bits from the bottom of the pan.  Then, I added a small can of cream of mushroom and combined. 

Finally, I then poured everything into a casserole dish and topped with Amy's buttermilk biscuits. I let bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes until the biscuits were golden brown and the topping was bubbly. 

The entire process took about an hour and it was worth it. I forgot to mention this casserole was not a dinner item, but my lunch all week and it brought me calm and comfort in what became a chaotic week at work each day! I hope you try it because it was QAF and GAF! 

#chickenpotpie

Oh…We are back; this time with books!

Hello Readers! 

It has been a minute and so much has happened in my life. Literally, my last blog was in 2020…Jesus, what a time?! I have loved, lost, gained, grown, and continued to eat and read! 

Right before my 45th birthday, I lost my courageously smart beautiful mother, Rev. J. R. Atkinson. Before, she got sick and transitioned to be with the ancestors, I had kind of lost the love cooking and eating. I did start reading more and more, but then, I my oldest daughter (who wants to be a chef in the future) started asking me to find recipes for her to cook each week. Not only did it lovingly force me back into my cookbooks, but also back into the kitchen with her and my youngest daughter. It reminded me of me, my Mom and my sister in the kitchen when I was young. Then, about a day or two after my Mom’s funeral, I found her recipe box filled with recipes from the 70, 80, and 90s from Bisquick boxes to cans of Campbell’s soup. I left them in the house, because I wasn’t ready to dive in without crying but I am gearing up the courage to come back to them. In the meantime, I have immersed myself into books (mostly, fantasy and sci-fi by BIPOC author’s) and food again!

So, we are back and I will be documenting through writing, videos, and pictures. I I just discovered Edna Lewis through a PBS documentary and ordered one of her many books. So, I will be making some recipes with my babies from her book and talking about the amazing food I have had in the past couple months, one place specifically, Barcelona in Pittsburg, PA (there is a DC location, I will try soon as well). 

So stay with me as I rediscover my love for food and books! 

Current Reads: 

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn

An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson

Pick them up NOW! I can’t put them down….so essential to my being right now.