Toasted Ciabatta with Turkey, Provolone and Red Onion

I find Sunday afternoon to be comforting,  yet challenging.  After a good sermon and some fellowship, topped off by our wonderful Bible class, I just want to come home, relax and be with family. 

  But after a morning of church service and Bible study, everyone is,"starving"!  Here's where the challenging part comes in!  We all want something good to eat, but unless I've thought ahead (and gotten up extra early to put something in the slow cooker) it's not going to happen.  I do have a few really quick and reliable Sunday favorites.  These recipes have simple ingredients and require very little prep or clean-up time!  You can also stretch them to include an extra person or two on the spur of the moment.

  On Sunday, I like to look around the table and see my husband and sons' faces.  As our sons have grown up, this has become a treat rather than the usual occurance.  However, if our youngest son doesn't have plans, and our older son has Sunday off I invite him over and then we have time to connect (FaceTime is included for our middle son who lives in Illinois).  This is part of the comforting aspect of Sunday.  (We've even found a way to play board games to include all three sons using FaceTime!)

  As you enjoy your Sunday, here is the recipe for my toasted turkey sandwiches.  Just add a vegetable tray and fruit plate and lunch is served!

1.  Slice ciabatta rolls in half (got these at Walmart deli).  Then spread one half with butter  and top with very thin slices of red onion.  Top the other half of the bun with a thin slice of Provolone cheese.  Place on baking sheet in a preheated oven (400 degrees).  

2.  When the roll is toasted and the cheese has melted, take the baking sheet from the oven.

3.  You are ready to add deli turkey breast, tomato, lettuce and mayonnaise!

I told you it was easy!!

Ready to Talk Turkey

Oh my goodness, it was a busy summer and fall around our homestead. If you're one of the folks who check my blog out once in a while, then you probably realize that I've been missing. Some of you might have enjoyed my absence while others just counted it as a little something that was missing from their morning coffee break. This summer, we sold a home and bought another home within a one month span. It was a move that was just amazing, logistically-speaking. While we are now "settled" in the new house, we still have some boxes here and there, garages that are full, pictures that need hung and tile grout that waits to be sealed. These items will all be accomplished in time, but I had to return to the blog; I've missed chatting with you every day. I hope that your summer and fall were filled with great moments. Because, after all, that's what life is made up of.....several great moments.

My new home has a nice kitchen and I'm all set to cook my first Thanksgiving meal in this new place. I'm thawing a 20-pound turkey that I bought at Albertson's. Oldest son, Justin, will be making the green bean casserole, Blake will tackle the stuffing and Ben will make pumpkin pies. I've got to find the roaster (which is tucked away in one of the garages) and get it washed up. Tomorrow will be busy, but I look forward to Thanksgiving all year. I will get my holiday scrapbook of recipes off the shelf, so look for a recipe to show up on here tomorrow. You know that I believe recipes should be shared! Thanks for sharing your time with me every day on this blog. I count my readers when I count my blessings. Happy holidays. ~Marcia

Prize-Winning Turkey Stroganoff

I am going to continue our theme of turkey recipes this week. It all started because I decided to thaw out one of my post-Christmas bargains from my freezer (at 25 cents a pound, I bought the biggest ones in the case to stash away for later!) Today our recipe is a very old newspaper clipping from area cooks who won prizes for their delicious dishes. We like stroganoff, and turkey makes it milder in flavor.


Turkey Stroganoff

Saute 1/2 C chopped onions in a TBSP table fat (butter) until brown. Add 2 C diced turkey and 1 C turkey broth, boil for 3 to 5 minutes. Add 1 can cream of mushroom soup and 1 C dairy sour cream; heat together. Serve over hot noodles and garnish with parsley.

(My apologies to the cook-I didn't have her name on the clipping.)

I will be at these swaps today:
-LifeasMom
-Prairiestory
-MizHelen'scountrycottage

Turkey Burgers

In the winter, these burgers are best when fixed on a George Foreman Grill. Stack all the fixin's on them that you like on your hamburger! Add a few (baked) chips and you have a healthy "game day lunch" for in front of the T.V. :) Then, go watch WVU dominate!-oops, did I say that out loud?!

Turkey Burgers

1 pound ground turkey
1 small onion, diced fine
1/2 tsp each: salt, pepper, paprika, thyme, sage
2 TBSP parsley
1/4 C bread crumbs (I like Italian), or cracker crumbs
1 egg, lightly beaten

Combine all ingredients. Form into patties and fry in olive oil until browned on both sides and done in the middle (or cook on Foreman grill).

Adapted from Kerr Home Canning Book's recipe for "Chicken Patties" (Chicago World's Fair Edition-1933).

I will be at these swaps today:
-WeareThatfamily
-Kellythekitchenkop
-DiningwithDebbie
-Thethriftyhome
-WhoisDrLaura

Book I'm reading: The Shack

Oriental Turkey

Sorry I missed you yesterday; I was traveling. My menu will be scattered this week, anyway, so you didn't miss anything. As promised, we will be sharing turkey recipes this week. We thrifty folks know that buying turkeys (and hams) after the holidays at bargain prices (and stashing them in the freezer) means you always have something to fix that makes a lot of meals! Hopefully, these recipes will provide variety. Happy Tuesday!

Oriental Turkey

1 turkey breast half
Cook in oven at 325 degrees for one hour. Top with 1/2 to 1 cup apricot preserves mixed with 1/2 C Catalina or Spicy French dressing. and 1 TBSP dried onion flakes. Bake 1/2 hour longer uncovered, basting occasionally. I like this with Lipton Terriyaki Noodles as a side.

I'll be at these great swaps today; check them out!
-Atthewell
-Gypsyscorner
-BeautyandBedlam
-Allthesmallstuff
_33shadesofgreen
-From Mess Hall to Bistro
-Fudgeripple

First Week of February Menu

This morning I ran some quick errands because we have a winter storm watch here for the next few days (after enjoying mid-70's last week!). So after the morning school drop-off, I went to the grocery store, dropped off books at the library and returned a movie. While I was rushing through the grocery store picking up what we needed, I spotted frozen turkey breasts for 25 cents a pound; I bought three to stash in my freezer. In honor of my great find, I'm going to be sorting through my favorite recipes for turkey for next week. Hope you like it. If you have great turkey ideas or suggestions, please leave them in my comments. We will be having my Turkey Provolone and Red Onion Subs for Super Bowl if everything goes as planned. Have a "Super Week"!

Mon., Jan. 31
Rosemary/Garlic Pork Chops
Wild Rice
Corn
Wheat rolls

Tues., Feb. 1
Baked Chicken
Pasta Florentine
Wheat rolls

Wed., Feb. 2
Baked Tilapia
Waffle fries
Italian Salad

Thurs., Feb. 3
Stuffed Green Peppers
(Meatballs for Dana)
Mashed Potatoes

Fri., Feb. 4
Pizza and Movie Night
(Bake Oatmeal Raisin Cookies for the weekend)

Sat., Feb. 5
Super Bowl Party in Southlake!
(Turkey Breast in Crock Pot)

Sun., Feb. 6
Turkey Dinner
Mashed potatoes
green beans
corn
cranberry sauce

Turkey Provolone and Red Onion Subs
Lettuce, tomato, pickles
Coke Zero
Chips and Ranch Dip

Join me at Orgjunkie and Momscrazycooking today for more ideas.

***Note: Thanks to Miz Helen for the blog award! Such a nice lady and favorite blogger buddy. She has great recipes at Miz Helen's Country Cottage.***