Bena Mae’s Kitchen: My war with the praying mantis or manti or whatever

I hate insects of all kinds. At present there is a wasp in my kitchen and I cover my head each time I go in there. The wasp knows where I am but it is hard for me to to keep a visual on its whereabouts because it is so elusive. I’d rather face a tiger.
Swarms of bees cause my stomach to rise to my throat. A spider makes me want to sell my house. Crickets…ugh!
All this is a lead-up to my war with the praying mantis–the insect in which the female of the species eats its spouse. Holy Discovery Channel’s National Geography. What would I do without this information when I’m in a deep conversation with my learned friends?
Back to the subject at hand.
Several years ago when I was going through my Country Living decorating phase, I sought to make my house look like the pictures in the magazine…rustic, earthy, cluttered.
One day my sister brought in a bunch of cat tails, a weedy looking plant that grows in swamps. Perfect for my Country Living decor, I thought and found a large milk bottle to put them in and set them on the fireplace in the kitchen.
“You’d better watch them carefully because they have little cocoons that burst open when they get warm and release the bugs growing inside.” I immediately forgot her advice.
A couple of months went by and the sun through the kitchen windows made it feel like a sauna. I had ignored my sister’s advice, enjoying the ambiance of my milk bottle of weeds sitting on the fireplace. And then one morning I woke up to find my kitchen had been taken over by thousands of little baby praying manti that had broken through their cocoon. And I do mean thousands .
They had covered the walls, the ceiling, and every open appliance in the room. I screamed, I cried, I felt like I had been invaded by something from outer space. I didn’t know who to call. The phone book didn’t have a reference for invasions like this. I could picture myself calling 911 and seeing the look on the operator’s face when I told her my problem.
So I set about killing the tiny little creatures with rolled up newspapers, shoes, anything I could slam them with. It took a whole week of hitting, smashing, stomping and sleepless nights. I couldn’t shake the feeling of their crawling all over my body. eewww.
Except for bees that propagate and spread their pollen to other living plants, I see no need for insects of any kind. Especially those that eat their spouses.

Biscuit-Topped Chicken Pot Pie

1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut in bite-sized pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium stalk celery, chopped
2 cups shredded cabbage
3 tbsp flour
2 cups milk
2 cups chicken broth
1 large potato, cut in bite-sized pieces
¼ tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper
1 ½ cups flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup cold butter, cubed
1 cup buttermilk

Heat olive oil and butter in a dutch oven (oven-proof casserole) over medium-high heat. Brown chicken pieces on all sides; transfer to a plate.
Add onion, celery and cabbage to dutch oven and saute until softened. Stir in flour; cook 2 minutes. Gradually add milk and chicken broth, stirring constantly. Return chicken to pot; add potato, thyme and bay leaf. Cover and cook until potato is cooked through and stew thickens, about 20 minutes. Season well with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees.
To make biscuit topping, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using a pastry blender (or working quickly with your fingers), work butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add buttermilk and stir until just combined.
Using two spoons, drop biscuit dough on top of stew. Bake 15-20 minutes until golden brown.