Sometimes, you need to get out of your routine.
This past Thursday, I came home from work. I sat down on the couch. I slumped over and turned on one of my favorite crime shows to watch for an hour. And I sighed loudly.
Next, I would be cooking dinner. Then eating dinner. Then cleaning dishes. Then doing chores around the house. And then falling into bed.
Just like I had every day since Monday.
But when I decided to grumble about the reality of adulthood and having a work-life balance to my husband, he surprised me by suggesting we leave town.
Within an hour, we had a hotel room booked in Atlanta and tickets booked to the city’s aquarium. And suddenly, it felt like there were only two more sleeps until Christmas.
I spent all day Friday excited about the trip, and then I accidentally woke up at 2 a.m. Saturday, unable to sleep thanks to the promise of seeing jellyfish later in the day.
And oh, boy, did I see jellyfish. And beluga whales. And otters. I watched dolphins leap through the air in sync, and I couldn’t believe my eyes.
Let me tell you, as my husband and I walked through the aquarium for close to seven hours, the fish puns abounded. I’ll be surprised if he ever brings me back.
All jokes aside, we eventually found our way to the aquarium’s whale shark tank. It was larger than any animal I’ve ever seen. Once I saw it, I just had to stop for a while and take it in.
Hunter and I sat in front of that tank for an hour, talking about fish, but also, just about everything else. If anything can help you put your life in perspective, it’s how big a whale shark really is.
I wondered if the whale shark ever got tired of its routine, circling around surrounded by the same fish and manta rays every day. Then again, I’m not sure if whale sharks worry about that.
As we drove back home the next morning, I realized that I was quickly going to be right back in my routine. Still, that didn’t mean everything had to be the same-old same-old.
I started researching new recipes on the drive back, hoping to find something different for dinner that night. But I also needed something quick that I could fix after our long drive.
I tend to favor chicken and fish when I cook protein, but eating seafood right at that moment felt a little – well – fishy. Pardon the pun. I guess I’m not through with them yet.
I found this barbecue chicken sliders recipe on Food Network that seemed to fit the bill. It used a rotisserie chicken, making for quick prep work. It also called for some homemade quick-pickled cucumbers and red onion, which was something I hadn’t really done before.
Plus, no fish harmed in the making of this recipe. Check, check and check.
So, if you need to break out of your routine and just let all your troubles wash away this week, try out this recipe with your favorite barbecue sauce.
And if you try the recipe, let minnow. Sorry, sorry, I’m just squidding. I’ll be back on my best behavior next week with significantly fewer fish puns. Though, I make no promises.
After all, who knows what the next week will bring?
BARBECUE CHICKEN SLIDERS
Ingredients
Pickle topping:
2 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
1/2 large red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Kosher salt and pepper
Sliders:
3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
1 cup barbecue sauce (but feel this measurement in your heart, more than your measuring cup)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, plus more for buns
8 sweet Hawaiian rolls
Fresh cilantro leaves, for topping
Directions
■ Combine the cucumbers, red onion, vinegar, 1/4 cup water, the mustard seeds,sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper in a bowl. Toss and let stand at least 30 minutes.
■ Combine the chicken, barbecue sauce and mustard in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook, tossing, until heated through. Also, add salt and pepper to your tastes.
■ Cut sweet Hawaiian rolls in half. Then, spread mustard on cut side of each roll. You can add it to the tops and bottoms if you like, or, just to the top if you prefer your mustard in moderation.
■ Add chicken to roll bottoms. Top with the now-pickled cucumbers and red onions and with fresh cilantro. Then close the tops of the rolls.
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 38 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
