Brie Cranberry Turkey Melt Sandwich

Thinly sliced turkey is topped with cranberry sauce and brie cheese, then popped in the toaster until melty and gooey. When you want a Thanksgiving-style sandwich without all the fuss.

The past couple of weeks have gone by in a frenzied blur. The week leading up to our Big Bear trip I was so busy filling orders of Spoonful Spreads almond butter that I completely forgot to make the Oreo White Chocolate Cookies I’d been planning on. I take my cookies very seriously thankyouverymuch so forgetting to bake an ooey gooey cookie filled with my favorite ready-made cookie (cookie Inception?) is absurd.

Weekends come and go, starting with a hurried Friday evening prepping for a nice dinner out and ending with a somewhat lazy Sunday saying “It’s Monday already?”

Last week’s activities involved both celebrating and saying goodbye to a dear friend who’s moving out of Los Angeles, Callie. Saturday we had a night filled with 90s sing-a-longs at a Karaoke bar in Koreatown for Callie’s birthday/going away party. Monday Nicole and I made Callie a 7-layer rainbow sprinkle birthday cake and Tuesday we had dinner and cake at Mercado.

Mercado is one of my favorite mini-chains in Los Angeles, with a location in Santa Monica (the original), mid-city by The Grove, and Hollywood. They have fantastic margaritas and a selection of thoughtfully curated tapas and entrees. The focus isn’t “here’s some meat and tortillas. Oh and some vegetables we threw together on the side for balance.” The sides and sauces are almost as much of a star as the protein — roasted cauliflower with pickled vegetables. To die for elote – a corn dish with caramelized onions, chile butter, and cotija. My favorite entree is the scallops crusted in pumpkin seeds on a bed of thick chipotle sauce served with chayote and squash.

It was sad seeing Callie go, but I know she’s more than ready for a new adventure, and I’m ready to go visit her wherever that journey takes her.

On the rare night that I’ve been home for dinner, all this action leaves me wanting something quick. While a bowl of cereal (my favorite breakfast food, other than cinnamon rolls, if cinnamon rolls count) sounds freaking awesome, it’s probably not the best choice and also I want something warm.

While I’m not too keen on sandwiches for dinner, this Brie Cranberry Turkey Melt Sandwich falls near the borderline of being appropriate for dinner. Thin-sliced deli turkey is topped with cranberry sauce and brie and toasted until just warm and melty. Throw some lettuce in there for some green and you’re all set.

This recipe isn’t fussy or exact. It’s more of an idea for when you’d really rather get some Seamless takeout to show up at your door in 5 minutes but in reality it wouldn’t show up for an hour and you’re hungry now and if you get Seamless you’ll really not be happy afterwards when you realize you’ve ruined your whole day of good eating. That’s pretty much the process I go through when Seamless sends me $5 off coupon codes and I think “hmm, maybe I’ll be bad tonight” but then I’m like “no, I’d rather eat a good dinner and have ice cream after.” #balance