By November. The month of thanks, the month of babies, the month of the book dinner. Everything is converging. Tasha is thirty-nine weeks and the baby could come any day. Derek's dinner is November 6. Thanksgiving is November 25. My kitchen is a command center and my calendar is a battlefield and I am the general of both.
The book is selling. Caroline sent me numbers: 1,200 copies in three weeks. For a small press, from a first-time author, for a regional cookbook — that's remarkable, she said. I don't know what remarkable means in publishing. I know what it means in cooking: when someone eats your food and closes their eyes. That's remarkable. 1,200 people have closed their eyes while reading my book, maybe. I hope so.
Denise is organizing Thanksgiving at the Thunderbolt house — the real one, the big one, the one where the family comes and the table overflows and the gravy is homemade and the dressing is Mama's. Plus: twenty dinners for the church names. Same as last year. The Henderson delivery service is operational. Mrs. Crawford is on the list. Carl the homeless man is on the list. Everyone who was fed will be fed again. That is the promise, and Henderson women keep their promises.
I've been preparing for the book dinner. Not the food — Derek handles that. The speaking. The stories. I've been practicing in the kitchen, standing at the stove, talking to the walls. I told the walls about Pearl. I told the refrigerator about Earl. I told the cast iron skillet about itself. The walls listened better than most audiences. The skillet is a tough crowd.
Made Brunswick stew. The big-batch kind. Because November requires stew and the freezer requires filling and the tradition requires continuation, and I am a woman of traditions.
Now go on and feed somebody.
Between the Brunswick stew going into the freezer and the Thanksgiving menu being drafted on the back of an envelope, I needed something fast I could pull together without standing over a hot pot for an hour — something I could eat standing up at the counter between phone calls from Denise and texts about Tasha. These Turkey Ranch Wraps became my November sanity: turkey in hand, ranch in the fridge, dinner on the table before the calendar could add another obligation to the pile. When you’re the general, you learn to eat on the move.
Turkey Ranch Wraps
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 10 minutes | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 4 large flour tortillas (10-inch)
- 1 lb sliced deli turkey breast
- 1/2 cup ranch dressing
- 4 leaves romaine lettuce, torn
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 medium tomato, thinly sliced
- 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup sliced black olives (optional)
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Warm the tortillas. Heat each flour tortilla in a dry skillet over medium heat for about 20–30 seconds per side, just until pliable and lightly toasted. Set aside on a clean surface.
- Spread the ranch. Spoon 2 tablespoons of ranch dressing down the center of each tortilla, spreading it evenly but leaving a 1-inch border around the edges.
- Layer the fillings. On each tortilla, layer a generous portion of sliced turkey, a leaf of romaine lettuce, two or three tomato slices, a few rings of red onion, a handful of shredded cheddar, and black olives if using. Season lightly with salt and black pepper.
- Roll tightly. Fold the sides of the tortilla inward over the filling, then roll from the bottom up into a firm wrap. Press gently to seal. Slice in half on a diagonal.
- Serve immediately. Arrange on a plate cut-side up, or wrap individually in foil if packing for delivery or on-the-go eating.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 420 | Protein: 28g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 36g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 980mg