By Mid-January. A grinding week. Clinic was dense with upper respiratory cases. Shanice got sick herself Thursday and was out Friday. I covered four of her visits. Dr. Rashid covered two. We got through.
Liam has a loose tooth. Not yet ready but any day. He is tracking the wiggle with the seriousness of a scientist.
Nora is learning to spell her name. She writes NORA on every surface — in crayon, in pencil, in condensation on the bathroom mirror, once in permanent marker on the couch cushion which I am still working on getting out.
Group Tuesday. Back in session after the weather cancellation. The new widow (now four months out) said the dread is less but the ache is sharper — she used that word, sharper. Bernadette said that is the second stage, the acute suffocation loosens, and the knife blade underneath shows up. I have felt this. I recognize it now that she named it. I wrote it down.
Meghan called Wednesday at 11. We talked for an hour. She is tired — Aidan has a school thing and the baby is teething. She said Brian was cooking three nights in a row, she deserves the gold medal. I said Brian deserves the gold medal. We laughed.
Saturday pancakes. Burned the first one. Liam turned six then seven in the book in his head — he asks me every other week when he turns seven. I remind him May. He is impatient.
Sunday dinner at Southie. Ma made American chop suey. Ground beef, elbow macaroni, tomato sauce, green pepper, onion. Not Chinese. A Boston thing. Liam ate a mountain of it. Nora ate the pasta and left the peppers.
Food of the week: Ma's American chop suey. Which is really macaroni and beef. Comfort food.
Ma’s American chop suey reminded me, again, that the best food for a heavy week isn’t fancy — it’s warm, filling, and made without ceremony. I didn’t have the energy for dishes or components or anything that required thinking in stages, so I turned to this Turkey Biscuit Skillet the following Monday: one pan, everything together, biscuits browning on top while the filling bubbled underneath. Liam ate two helpings. Nora ate around the vegetables, which is on-brand. It was enough.
Turkey Biscuit Skillet
Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, corn)
- 1 can (10.5 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 can (16 oz) refrigerated biscuit dough (8 biscuits), each cut in half
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Brown the turkey. Heat olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground turkey and cook, breaking it apart, until no longer pink, about 6–8 minutes. Drain any excess fat.
- Build the filling. Stir in the frozen vegetables, condensed cream of chicken soup, chicken broth, garlic powder, and onion powder. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, about 3–4 minutes.
- Top with biscuits. Arrange the biscuit halves in a single layer over the top of the turkey filling, covering as much surface as possible.
- Bake. Transfer the skillet to a preheated 375°F oven. Bake uncovered for 12–15 minutes, until the biscuits are golden brown on top and cooked through.
- Rest and serve. Remove from the oven and let sit 2–3 minutes before serving directly from the skillet.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 380 | Protein: 24g | Fat: 14g | Carbs: 38g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 820mg