I live over 600 miles away from home. It’s a hassle and expensive to get there, either by car or by plane. I also live by myself so the lonely, homesick nights can beat down a little more than usual, but one thing that always makes me feel so much better is cooking. Specifically, cooking my mom’s recipes from when I lived at home. The homesick recipe I make (with only five ingredients) came from a restaurant my mom would eat at all the time when she lived in Amelia Island, Florida and she carried the recipe home with her. The official name of the open-faced sandwich is “Wild Turkey” and it is hands down one of my favorite meals of all time.
Wild Turkey
Ingredients
Instructions
Set the oven to 365° and pull out a cookie sheet. If it’s nonstick you don’t need to do anything, but if it’s not than cover it with tin foil and spray lightly with nonstick spray.
Cut the loaf! Discard the end piece (I usually discard it into my mouth) and cut as many pieces as you want to serve. I usually eat two myself but it is all up to preference.
#SpoonTip: Each slice should be a half an inch to an inch thick. They need to be thicker than your average slice of bread.
Spread the cream cheese. There’s nothing fancy to do here, just spread the cream cheese across the bread like you would a bagel.
Layer on the meat. Two to three slices of turkey per piece of bread works great. I would advise against using just one, otherwise it get overpowered by the cream cheese and shredded cheese (next step).
Sprinkle on the cheese. Add as much or as little as you want, just be sure to spread it across the whole sandwich.
Now it’s time to add the banana peppers! This is a completely optional step because for the longest time I wouldn’t eat my sandwich with the banana peppers. When you add just a few though (four or five max depending on the size) it adds a great, unique, subtle taste to the sandwich.
Lastly, bake the sandwich for 18 to 22 minutes. This is a really delicate time period because if you take them out too soon the bread wont be firm enough, but too long in the oven and it will be too hard. Eighteen minutes was the perfect time for me because I like my bread just a tad softer.
SpoonTip: This sandwich is meant to be eaten with your hands so don’t be afraid to embrace the mess. Messy food is good food.
When I need something to cure my homesickness, the first thing I go to is cooking and baking. This simple “homesick recipe” passed down to me by my mom will forever be one of my favorites. It’s cheap, it’s easy, and it’s downright delicious.