So, I’ve been a bit out of sorts with a pulled muscle.  👎 Boo.👎  Not fun.  It has kind of squashed my ability to do much, and admittedly, I have been in a major funk.  And eating a lot of comfort foods.

Today I decided to buck up and I created something that resembled a real live dinner.  And since I could be in this situation for a while, it felt really good to swap out my junk food for this Funk Food.

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Funk Food

• 2 pounds ground turkey
• 3 bunches fresh spinach, rinsed and coarsely chopped
• 2 bunches fresh baby asparagus, chopped 
• 2-3 large potatoes (Russet, Yukon Gold, etc.)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• ¾ cup milk
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 cup oil
• salt, pepper, onion & garlic powders

Cook up your ground turkey in a large sauce pan or frying pan.  Season with salt, pepper, and onion / garlic powders as desired.

While the turkey is cooking, begin a cheese sauce by melting the butter in a saucepan.  Once melted, add flour and whisk together.  Add cheese and milk in small increments, on medium heat, whisking together as you go.  Be careful not to let it boil.  Keep adding until you get the desired consistency for your cheese sauce.  Add salt to taste.  Keep on low heat and continue to whisk occasionally to keep smooth consistency.

Once the turkey is fully cooked, remove via slotted spoon into a container and set aside.  Use remaining juices from the turkey to cook your asparagus tips.  You may need to add a little water along the way so they don’t singe.  Cook until desired consistency.  For me, I usually prefer al dente, but I’m going until they are soft for now.  Remove from pan and set aside in container.

Add chopped spinach leaves to pan.  Allow the spinach to wilt all the way down.  Drain out as much of the water from the spinach as possible.  Add in a gracious amount of cheese sauce and mix thoroughly.  Season as desired.  You should have some cheese sauce leftover.  Set it aside in a separate container.

I decided to make a crunchy little topping with the potato skins for my husband, who has been absolutely WONDERFUL during this trying time for me.  Peel potato and chop up skins into smaller pieces.  Heat oil until a drop of water makes it sizzle.  Carefully drop in the potato skins and spread them out so they cook evenly.  Cook until golden brown.  Scoop out with slotted spoon and place on a paper towel.  Sprinkle liberally with salt.

A quick way to get good baked potatoes is to wrap them in saran wrap, poke a few holes, and nuke them until soft and cooked fully on the inside, about 5-7 minutes.

Slice open the potatoes.  Top with asparagus tips and ground turkey.  Drizzle with remaining cheese sauce.  (You may need to reheat sauce briefly in microwave to loosen it back up).  Top with crispy potato skins.  Serve with a side of creamed spinach.  Here’s to getting life — and food — back on track.