This morning I woke up anxious that it was already Sunday, that the weekend was once again coming to a close. Each Sunday tends to be a reminder that my free time (i.e. non-work hours) is dwindling and the Monday through Friday cycle is about to reset itself again.
Then, while I was still in bed, I forced myself to take a step back. This was one more morning where I didn’t have to roll out of bed and get out the door on time. It was one more morning I could make coffee, stay in my PJs and watch something stupid on Netflix (I’m looking at you, Vince Vaugh and Jennifer Anniston in “The Break Up”).
This realization did not cure my Sunday scaries (a term I have a love/hate relationship with). It did, however, give me enough perspective to enjoy the morning, rather than be a total downer from the moment I woke up. Because when you wake up with a dull dread, what kind of tone does it set for your day?
So I chose to be grateful that this was one more morning set to my own pace. I made coffee, put a little nutmeg and cinnamon in the grounds, and enjoyed the quiet of the apartment.
Normally, while enjoying that quiet I would just sit and scroll through my computer. And although I did end up doing that at some point, instead I started the morning in the kitchen making sour cream biscuits.
My biggest guilty pleasure (especially on weekends) is sitting on the couch, scrolling through the internet and just being lazy – which is fine in small doses. But I’ve found I do this more than I should and it becomes a time suck. It’s emotional junk food that’s just as bad as real junk food. Sure, making biscuits is not nearly as healthy as getting out of the house to workout, but it is so much more pleasant to stand in my sun-lit kitchen and make something with my hands while I listen to Christmas music. Doing that today reaffirmed that this morning was still mine – biscuits, Bublé and all.
It’s hard to pull yourself out of a habit that’s probably not the best thing you can do for yourself. And it can be hard to force yourself to see Sunday as one more day of the weekend, instead of the dreaded end of the weekend. But it can be easy to find one task that will allow you to enjoy the moment, however brief.
So here’s a recipe for the biscuits I made this morning. It’s not a cure-all, but it’s something to spread butter on. Which cures almost anything.
Sour Cream BiscuitsAdapted from Butter with a Side of Bread
1 egg
1 cup sour cream
1 TBSP sugar
1/4 cup butter
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray, if needed.
Crack egg in a bowl and beat with a fork. Add the sour cream and sugar. Cut the butter into small slices and add to the mixing bowl.
Add in the remaining dry ingredients and stir just until mixed. Dough will be sticky.
Lightly flour a counter top and use a rubber scraper to scrape the dough out from the bowl.
Sprinkle some additional flour on top and lightly knead a few times. Shape it into a mound.
Tear off small rounds of the dough and form into biscuits. This can make anywhere from 7-9 biscuits total.
Place the biscuits in the greased pan. Bake 15 minutes at 400 degrees and serve with the topping of your choice (butter, cheese, jam, eggs, fly solo, etc.).
Test Kitchen Notes
The original recipe calls for grated butter, which I totally missed. If you end up cutting it into small pats like I did, the biscuits still turn out nice and golden brown.
The original recipe also suggests spreading out the dough and cutting into nine rounds. I’ve found it’s just easier to tear apart and form irregular shapes – that way you get craggy biscuits instead of uniform shapes. It’s your preference!