Speaking of Pocahontas…

The first time I heard my kids singing the “Savages” song, I thought they were singing, “Sandwiches! Sandwiches!” Now it’s a running joke in our family. Whenever the song comes on during the movie I start singing, “Sandwiches! Sandwiches!” very loudly.

Then I hear, “NO, MOM! IT’S SAVAGES!”

I think I’m hilarious. My kids think I’m annoying.

I think there should be a song about sandwiches. And caramelized onions. Seriously, why don’t people (other than Weird Al and Sesame Street) write songs about food?

I should really write a song about my conversion to mushrooms. It’s been a slow process. Raw ones still give me the willies, but when you cook them up with butter and onions something magical happens. Especially when you put it on a sandwich. Or a burger. This mushroom-onion mixture was originally part of a Swiss Mushroom Burger recipe I tried out of the Food Network Magazine from last month.

One of the best burgers I ever had. I made a turkey sandwich the next day out of the leftover mushroom-onion mixture and decided that was the bomb.

So we had it again for lunch the day after that. The mushroom-onion mixture comes together really quick and tastes like it’s been cooking for.ev.er.

A sturdy, whole-grain bread is nice, especially if you’re going the open-face route. I tweaked the Soft Whole Wheat Sandwich recipe from Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day to make it 100% whole wheat. It’s one of my favorite recipes from that book. The bread comes out lighter and less dense than some of the others.

I really like hot, open-face “SANDWICHES! SANDWICHES!”

Sorry I have a hard time saying that word without breaking out into song now.

Swiss Mushroom Turkey Melts

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

2 T butter
1 medium onion, peeled, halved, and sliced thinly
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 T Worcestershire sauce
4 slices whole-grain bread
honey mustard (or another type of sweet mustard), (optional)
8 slices of deli turkey
4 slices of Swiss cheese

Directions:

Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 minutes or until onion is soft and turns translucent. Add mushrooms to skillet and continue cooking for 5 minutes or so until the mixture is completely cooked through and the vegetables begin to brown slightly. Stir in Worcestershire and a pinch of salt and pepper, to taste. Cook another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. TIP: This can be done a day or two ahead.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Toast bread either in the toaster or on a sheet pan in the oven. Smear mustard on one side of each slice. Place slices, mustard-side up, on the baking sheet. Top each slice with 2 slices of turkey, 1/4 of the mushroom-onion mixture, and a slice of cheese. Bake in the oven for 5-8 minutes or until filling is heated through and cheese is completely melted.

Nat's Note:
1. I used baby bella mushrooms and peppered turkey in our sandwiches.

from Perry's Plate