“No thank you, dear,” Delores said firmly. “Please cancel my previous order, Georgina. I’m going to have my own Turkey Stack and Special Corn Chowder. It sounds like the most interesting lunch I’ve had in years!”
“Good choice, Delores,” Georgina complimented her. “I’ll put in your orders and bring your drinks. And then I’ll sit down and talk to you on my break. I didn’t get one this morning, so I’ll tell the manager I’m taking it now.” She turned to Hannah. “When I get back, you can do what you came here to do.”
Hannah frowned slightly. “You mean . . . eat?”
“No, I mean you can start asking me questions about Tori and Mayor Bascomb. I know you’re investigating. You always do. And I know that’s why you came in today for lunch. But I know even more than that. You’re just lucky I was working the afternoon shift when Tori came in here with Stan Kramer. Those two had a very interesting conversation and I heard the whole thing. Let me tell you, I wouldn’t be surprised if what I’m going to tell you leads you straight to Tori’s killer!”
TURKEY STACK SANDWICH
2 medium-thick slices of firm whole wheat bread cup mayonnaise (I used Best Foods Mayonnaise)
cup stone ground mustard (I used Dijon)
2 sandwich-size slices of Swiss cheese (I used Kraft)
2 sandwich-size slices of roast turkey breast cup whole berry cranberry sauce (I made my own from fresh cranberries)
cup coleslaw made from finely shredded cabbage
Place the two slices of wheat bread on a cutting board.
Mix the eighth-cup of mayonnaise with the eighth-cup of stone ground mustard.
Spread the mayonnaise and mustard mixture on the surface of the two slices of bread.
Push one slice of bread to the side (that’s the top of your sandwich) and work with the other slice.
Start by topping your bottom slice of bread with a slice of Swiss cheese.
Place one sandwich-size slice of roast turkey on top of the Swiss cheese.
Spread the turkey with the cranberry sauce.
Hannah’s 1st Note: If there’s any cranberry sauce left over, feel free to eat it along with your sandwich after it’s assembled.
Place the other slice of roast turkey breast on top of the slice with the cranberry sauce.
Drain the coleslaw and pat it dry with a paper towel. You don’t want a leaky sandwich!
Arrange the coleslaw on top of the turkey slice in a thin layer.
Hannah’s 2nd Note: Don’t use too much coleslaw. In this case, less is more. The slice of turkey doesn’t have to be completely covered with coleslaw. Your goal is simply to get a little bit of crunchy coleslaw in every bite.
Top the coleslaw with the second slice of Swiss cheese.
Cover your Turkey Stack Sandwich with the top slice of bread, mayonnaise and mustard side down.
Press your sandwich down slightly with a wide spatula or with the palm of your impeccably clean hand. This will keep it from falling apart when you slice it.
Slice your sandwich into two pieces crosswise and place the pieces on a plate.
Serve your sandwich with a cup of Special Corn Chowder if you made it. If not, you can substitute corn chips or potato chips.
Hannah’s 3rd Note: If you have leftover cranberry sauce and leftover coleslaw, don’t forget to put them on the table for your guests who would like more.
Yield: One delicious sandwich. This recipe may be doubled, tripled, quadrupled, or repeated for the number of people you’ve invited to lunch.
SPECIAL CORN CHOWDER
(Made on the stovetop)
1 cup whipping cream 2 chicken bouillon cubes (or enough dry bouillon crystals or beads to make 2 cups of chicken broth)
? stick (2 ounces, ? cup, pound) salted butter 10-ounce bag frozen whole kernel corn 2 sixteen-ounce cans cream style corn 1 Tablespoon brown sugar ? teaspoon grated nutmeg (freshly grated is best)
? teaspoon onion salt ? teaspoon garlic salt ? teaspoon ground black pepper Hot sauce to taste (I used Slap Ya Mama)
? cup instant potato flakes (if needed to thicken the chowder)
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One jar of jalape?o jelly 1 package microwave buttered popcorn
On the stovetop, using a 3 to 4 quart saucepan over LOW heat, warm the cup of whipping cream with the chicken bouillon cubes and the salted butter. Stir constantly. You don’t want the cream to scorch. Continue to heat and stir until the bouillon cubes and the butter have dissolved.
Add the bag of frozen corn kernels and stir until the corn has cooked. This will take about 6 minutes.
Add the cans of cream-style corn and stir them in.
Add the Tablespoon of brown sugar and the grated nutmeg. Mix well.
Add the onion salt, garlic salt, black pepper, and hot sauce to taste. Heat everything until your Special Corn Chowder is piping hot.
Check the chowder to see if it’s thick enough. If it’s too thick, add a little more whipping cream. If it’s too thin, sprinkle in a few of the instant potato flakes until it’s the right consistency.
Add more salt, pepper, or hot sauce to suit the tastes of your family.
Hannah’s 1st Note: Careful if you decide to add more hot sauce. Don’t forget that you’ll be topping each bowl with a teaspoon of jalape?o jelly, which will add its own “heat” to the dish.
Turn the stovetop burner down to SIMMER and prepare your jalape?o jelly and popcorn for serving.
Place approximately 3 Tablespoons of jalape?o jelly in a small, microwave-safe bowl.
Heat the jelly on HIGH for 20 seconds to melt it. Stir to see if it’s melted and if not, give it another 10 to 15 seconds on HIGH in the microwave.
Set the melted jelly on the counter.
Follow the package directions to pop your buttered popcorn in the microwave. When it’s popped, and after it’s cooled enough so that you won’t burn yourself, open the bag and pour the popcorn into a bowl.
Give your Special Corn Chowder another stir and ladle it into bowls.
Top each bowl with a teaspoon of melted jalape?o jelly placed in the center of the bowl. It will spread out in a little puddle.
Top the jalape?o jelly with a half-dozen or so perfect pieces of hot popcorn and serve immediately.