As a Matter of Food

As the days grow shorter and it gets darker sooner, with the cold moving in, I crave for food that warms and comforts me. On a weekday though, I’m not so motivated to slave over a hot stove to put together a meal which takes a lot of time. I discovered this dish through my husband who ordered this, at a little quaint restaurant on the side of the road, some years back. We were on our way up to the mountains. I never had an Open Faced Turkey Sandwich before. It hit the spot! Later on, when we were trying to decide what to have for dinner and it was cold outside, once again, he’d say “Damn, it’d be nice to have an Open-Face Turkey Sandwich. Oh and some mashed potatoes with some gravy and stuffing!” Of course I had never made it before, but I figured how hard could it be? You know what? It wasn’t!

Here’s a really quick and short way to do it!

1 lb of turkey chops / boneless turkey breasts / turkey loin (turkey slices should be about 1/2 inch thick)

A pinch of salt to taste

A pinch of black pepper to taste

2 jars of fat free turkey gravy

Cooking spray

1. Spray skillet with cooking spray and heat on high.
2. Brown turkey on both sides.
3. Lower heat and add gravy.
4. Simmer for about 20 minutes or until turkey is cooked.

Serve with mashed potatoes and stuffing of your choice.

I use boxed mashed potatoes and stuffing. Follow the instructions on the box!

Enjoy!

Tomato-Artichoke with Feta and Goat Chees Bagel Chips

1 Bag of Bagel Chips – Flavor is of your choice

1 jar (6 oz) marinated artichoke hearts, drained

2 cups chopped seeded plum (Roma) tomatoes (6 to 7 medium)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

2 tablespoons crumbled Feta cheese

2 tablespoons Goat cheese crumbles

1. Chop seeded plum (Roma) tomatoes and put in a medium bowl.

2. Coarsely chop artichokes.  Add to bowl.

3. Coarsely chop fresh basil leaves.  Add to bowl.

4. Mix in Feta cheese and Goat cheese.  Lightly mix with remaining ingredients.

5. Serve tomato-artichoke with Feta and Goat cheese mix with bagel chips of your choice.

Extra Bonus Tip:

To seed a tomato you cut it in half horizontally, with stem side on top.  Squeeze it lightly so seeds ooze out.  Then you can chop it and dice it.  If you don’t want to add one or both cheeses, omit.  This dish tastes delicious even without the cheeses added.  I offered both when I served my hors d’oeuvres.  As for bagel chips, I used the ‘everything bagel’ and “plain bagel’ flavors.  You can also serve it with toasted bread slices.

All you need for that is:

Cooking Spray

1 loaf of French Baguette

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Line cookie sheet with foil.  Place bread slices on cookie sheetl

3. Lightly spray with cooking spray.

4. Bake 6 -9 minutes or until crisp.

5. Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.  Cool completely, about 20 minutes.