Our townhome community is going through a bunch of renovations. All the units have had vinyl siding installed and now the road and driveways are all undergoing repaving. They started on our driveway and small road in front of our home on Monday. This is badly needed and M and I were pretty excited that this project was happening. M and I went inside and began doing our own thing. I took Maddux for a walk and M had some work to do so he went upstairs to log onto his work computer.
When I get back from my walk with Maddux, I started to get dinner ready. While I am prepping the ingredients, I notice the caller id on the home phone says "no line." I thought this was strange so I turn the phone on and yep, no dial tone. I yell upstairs to M "did you know we have no phone service right now?" And he yells back "that would explain why I can't connect to the internet." I go and check the tv and sure enough, that is out too. I immediately get on the phone with our service provider and explain that I think the cable line was cut from the paving work that was being done. They did not seem to understand and told us that they could have a technician out the following day between 8 and 2. We asked you have no one that can come out tonight like an on call technician? They said no, they have all gone home. I explained that no one would be home the following day as my husband and I both work. They didn't really care very much so I hung up frustrated. I told M and he called them right back and had the same argument and the same result.
I asked my neighbor if they were having trouble and they were too so it wasn't just us. M called the property manager as well and he explained that yes, the lines were cut during the repaving and they hope to get someone out the following day. That was fine but it would have been nice to have a note or something on our door explaining the situation. It would have saved us that wasted hour on the phone. So we were without tv, phone, and internet for 24 hours and we missed the season finale of House. When I got home from work the next day, there were 5 cable trucks outside my house. Everything was back on by 8pm. Right in time for the regularly scheduled programming.
Through all of this, I managed to squeek out a tasty meal. It was kind of a mini Thanksgiving which was exactly what we needed. A comforting meal on a frustrating evening. It was pretty perfect.
Adapted from Food Network Magazine, June 2010
I served this with stuffing and a pan gravy that I have included the recipe adaptation. These two turkey breasts are also huge and will feed at least 4 people. M and I got several meals out of this and it was pretty good at work the next day.
2 boneless, skinless turkey breasts
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp marjoram
salt and pepper
3 garlic cloves, chopped
3 green onions, cut in half so they are about 3in
4 celery stalks, cut into 3in pieces
4 medium carrots, cut into 3in pieces
1 pkg baby bella mushrooms, whole
2 tbsp flour
1 to 1 1/2 cup chicken stock
Preheat oven to 475. In an oven safe skillet, heat over high heat. Drizzle the turkey breasts with one tablespoon olive oil. Season with marjoram, salt, and pepper. Sear the turkey on one side without moving for about 5 minutes. Flip over the turkey and add the garlic, green onions, celery, carrots, and mushrooms. Drizzle with one tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast until the turkey reaches 160 degrees after a thermometer is inserted into the thickest part of the turkey. This took about 25 minutes.
Remove the skillet from the oven and transfer the turkey and vegetables to a platter and cover with foil. Return the skillet to the stovetop and put over medium heat. If the pan looks dry, add a tablespoon or two of butter or olive oil. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 30 seconds. Whisk in the chicken stock and cook until it thickens, about 3-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the gravy alongside the turkey and vegetables.
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