A Holiday Meal Stuffed with Flavor and Fun - Turducken!

Every so often an opportunity to try something new comes your way and you just have to say yes. That is how we ended up sitting around the table with friends, explaining to a two year old that a Turducken would probably say, “gobble-quack-a-doodle-doo!”

We laughed, ate, and pondered what this hybrid creature would really be like thanks to Echelon Foods, makers of the boneless Turducken Premium Roast we were eating. Our festive post-Thanksgiving meal was rounded out with my grandmother’s famous dressing, steamed green beans, sweet potatoes, and cranberry orange relish. We also finished with a batch of fudgy chocolate brownies for good measure. We were lucky to be joined for dinner by my brother (in town for the weekend) and our friends Eric and Kate. Kate missed out on one  of our first blog dinner parties and we were happy she could be a part of this one!

I’ve talked about my brother before; he has his own competition barbecue smoker and team and loves to cook all things meat. But a Turducken has never made its way into his smoker, oven, or grill. He was given the task of preparing the Turducken for our meal. The roast had been defrosting for 3-4 days and was ready to cook. It came pre-seasoned and ready to roast, but in my family we always like to doctor things up our own way. He added some oranges and onions to the roasting pan.

The Turducken went into the oven according to the website directions for an approximately 7 hour slow roast at 220 degrees.  Our chicken-apple sausage stuffed Turducken roast was around 6 pounds and needed those 7 hours to get to the right internal temperature. We wanted to be sure it was cooked through because we didn’t want to poison our guests (or me, the pregnant host!). My brother did the initial cooking on Friday and on Saturday we reheated the Turducken for dinner. To make sure it was cooked through we reheated for about an hour and then gave the slices a quick dip in a pan of hot chicken broth.

This ensured that it was hot and thoroughly heated through. One note for next time – cover the Turducken at the beginning of cooking time to get the temperature up more quickly.

Kind of looks like it is smiling at me...

Everyone had a generous slice – including the two year old. The roast could have served 8-10 as part of a large meal. There was a lot of meat! We didn’t know what to expect but all enjoyed the experience! The slices were mostly turkey, followed by stuffing, then duck, then the least amount of chicken.

The meat was surprisingly moist even after all that cooking. The stuffing was more of a bread-mush with sausage flavor more than a distinguishable stuffing (very tasty though). The hubby thought the duck would be tough but that wasn’t the case. Next time I think we would probably wipe off some of the pre-seasoning and add our own spice rub. There was something in there that wasn't my favorite flavor. However it couldn’t have been easier to prepare as is – defrost, roast according to the detailed web instructions, slice, and eat!

We had a blast trying out the Turducken and are glad that we had the chance to do so. Luckily if we get another craving we know that our local Stop & Shop has them in stock. Check the website for outlets in your area (US & Canada).

I will leave you with a Turducken haiku from the hubby:

Three birds all at once 

It's a full house of poultry 

Sliced like bread, yummy.

Little guy and mommy checking out the Turducken heating up

Gobble-quack-a-doodle-doo!


I received a complimentary Turducken from Echelon Foods. I was not required to review the product and did not receive any other compensation. All opinions are 100% honest.

Mouthwatering Monday: Mix Bakery

I met Kelly from Mix Bakery last year and have been dreaming about the buttercream frosting since then. I am a frosting lover (not everyone is!) and her creations were rich, decadent, and just the right amount of sweet. When the hubby asked me what I wanted for my birthday dessert this year, I didn't hesitate with my answer. Cupcakes from Mix Bakery! He ordered my favorite flavor combinations and scheduled delivery for the day of my birthday dinner. Kelly makes all of her cupcakes to order and deliver the delicious treats right to your home or office.

Words can't describe how great these cupcakes are. I may have eaten 1-2 per day for the last week... My friend who is known for eating around frosting on cakes called me the day after dinner to tell me how much she liked the frosting. And the hubby told me I should spread the peanut butter frosting on toast for breakfast. It's that good.

You really need to taste the cupcakes for the full experience, but here is a photographic essay of cupcake deliciousness. I used the cupcakes as a subject to explore all the settings on my  new camera.I did not edit these photos after I took them.

If your mouth isn't watering by the end of this, I don't know what to tell you!

Cupcake delivery!
Mini-chocolate and mini-banana cupcakes with peanut butter buttercream.
Four mini cupcakes = 1 regular cupcakes.

S'mores cupcake with graham cracker bottom
and incredible marshmallow buttercream.

Close up - graham cracker crust and chocolate cake.

Here's where things get a little silly - a good twenty minutes of cupcake photography. I'll show you the highlights.

Graham cracker crust with chocolate chips.

Banana mini cupcake with peanut butter buttercream. Enough said.

Next time you need cupcakes, skip the store and check out Mix Bakery. You won't be disappointed. I'm going to start making up holidays so that I have reasons to order more!  

P.S. We ordered & paid for these cupcakes and were not in any way asked to write about them. They were so wonderful that I chose to write about and photograph them.

Poppin' Munch Madness!

Besides being my birthday month, March is also host to other fun food-friendly activities! With a full month of March Madness basketball, you'll need to to pace your game-time snacking. Keeping that in mind, here's a budget and healthy snack!

The friendly folks at popchips contacted me about a Boston Blogger recipe challenge for their "Munch Madness"  celebration. I had a blast creating a poppin' recipe for my Healthy Snack Wednesday series, so I knew I was was on board for this challenge! The winner gets to take home $250 to Roche Brothers, a $100 AMEX gift card, and a one-year supply of popchips! As an entrant in the recipe challenge, popchips provided me with a snack pack of popchips, coupons to pick up popchips, and a handy recipe notebook. 

A quick note about the contest. All entries will be posted on the popchips Facebook page in the Munch Madness photo album. The two bloggers with the most 'likes' on March 21 will be pop into the 'champion-chip' round! The final round will be an taste test event at Roche Brothers where the winner will be selected by a panel of expert snackers. If you like my poppin' creation, I hope you'll vote and 'like' my photo and spread the word! You can get to the album and vote by clicking here! You also have to 'like' Popchips on Facebook.

With my snack packs ready and assorted ingredients in the pantry, I put on my thinking cap and started brainstorming.

Chicken fingers...too easy. Mini-quiches...already done. What would show off the flavor of the popchips, be delicious, and still be healthy? The idea struck and I got to work - baked falafel!

In order to please fans of multiple teams, I decided to make a few pieces of falafel in each flavor. First step is  creating the popchips crumbs. Start with one flavor at a time and give them a whirl in the food processor. Be careful to label your flavors (I scribble when I write recipes, don't mind my spelling error)! 

Your popchips crumbs should be light and fluffy, and small enough to substitute for breadcrumbs. Each snack sized bag of popchips yielded approximately 1/2 cup of crumbs.

The next step is to make your falafel mixture. Using the food processor, blend garbanzo beans, parsley, scallions, a dash of olive oil and eggs until well combined. The texture should be like a chunky hummus. Split the mixture into five even portions for mixing. Starting with one portion of falafel mixture, add in half of one of the flavors of crumbs. Mix and continue to add crumbs until the mixture comes together, but is not completely dry. The first picture below is the falafel mix. The second picture is after mixing in the popchips crumbs.

Score each combined falafel and crumb mixture into four equal parts. Form balls and flatten slightly. Add the patties to a labeled baking sheet (you don't want to mix up the flavors!) and continue the process until all flavors are completed. I used a pencil to write the flavors on parchment paper, you can see it at the top of the rows below.

Bake for 10 minutes and then flip and continue baking for 10 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. I served these with low-fat plain sour cream. To spice up the celebration, you could make flavored sour cream or yogurt dip to match the flavors. Another great idea would be to use your favorite hot sauce and mix it with sour cream for a spicy dip. Really, there is no limit to what you can add! The patties themselves are healthy and leave room to add more decadent toppings!

Here's a look at each of the flavors, topped with a garnish representing the popchips flavor. Cheddar for cheddar, salt for salt and vinegar, barbecue crumbs for barbecue, peppercorns for salt and pepper, and scallions for sour cream and onion! The flavor of the chips came through and really worked with the falafel!

An interior look at the patties:

Here's hoping that  my bracket picks will be as successful as my poppin' recipe! And remember, if you have  minute to vote, head over to the popchips Facebook page and 'like' my photo in the Munch Madness photo album! You also have to 'like' Popchips on Facebook.

Poppin' Munch Madness Baked Falafel

5 snack sized bags of popchips (Salt & Pepper, Sea Salt & Vinegar, Cheddar Potato, Barbecue, and Sour Cream & Onion)

2 15-ounce cans of no-salt added garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

1 scallion (whites and greens), cut into 1 inch pieces

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and label 5 rows with your selected flavors

Working with one flavor at a time, process popchips until the consistency of breadcrumbs and set aside

Add garbanzo beans, eggs, parsley, scallion, oil, and salt & pepper to the food processor

Pulse until the consistency of chunky hummus

Pour equal amounts of the garbanzo mixture into five separate bowls

Using one flavor of crumbs at a time, mix into a bowl of garbanzo mixture until well combined (you may not need all of the crumbs)

Form four equal sized patties and place on the parchment paper lined baking sheet

Continue until all flavors are used

Bake for 10 minutes and then flip and continue baking for 10 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through

Serve with sour cream, greek yogurt, or hot sauce

Summary:

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Food processor, cutting board and knife, bowls, spatula, baking sheet, parchment paper, serving plates and utensils

Healthy Snack Wednesday: Cheese, My Favorite Snack

In addition to being Healthy Snack Wednesday, this is also the 200th post on Good Cook Doris! In honor of the occasion, I present to you my favorite snack and one of my favorite foods.  Cheese!  But first, a quick update on my semester in Anthropology of Food.

This week I've been busy working on my first paper of the semester, a food centered life history. I conducted an hour long interview, listened and transcribed my recording, and put together a narrative based on the interview data. It was a great experience. I love to talk with people about food. Food is something that everyone has experience with. Whether it's hunger, excess, likes or dislikes. Everyone has something to say about food! There are so many things that you can learn through talking with someone about food - their heritage, culture, religion, family history, personality, and more.

I'm used to quick, on the fly, interviews at farmers markets and food events. I don't always know that I'll be conducting an interview and of course won't have prepared questions. This was a structured interview with plenty of preparation time. I still have a lot to learn in the the interviewing department - like organizing my questions and narrowing my focus. There are so many things to cover that an hour long interview goes by in no time. 

One of the things I love to find out from people is if the way they are in the kitchen is the way they are in the rest of their lives. Think about it! Are you a rigid recipe follower? Is your desk perfectly organized with nothing out of place? Or are you a creative cook who whips up something new all the time? Are you spontaneous and like to beat to your own drum? Think about the people you know - it's a fun exercise when you are waiting for a late train or an appointment.

Now on to this week's snacking goodness! The winners of the popchips contest are at the end of today's post.

In the comments last week there were a lot of great snack ideas. I was surprised that more people didn't mention cheese. I could eat cheese for every meal of the day. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert. Anything but blue or Swiss and I'm a happy girl. Because I spent my time writing instead of cooking this week, here are a few ideas for snacking that involve my favorite dairy product.

Cheese is great alone, but making your own cheese plate is even better. I picked up an assortment of cheese from Cowgirl Creamery in DC when I was there over the holidays . I paired the three cheeses with assorted marinated olives (from the olive bar at Whole Foods), baby gherkin pickles, fig jam and toasted baguette slices. This satisfies my love for a variety of dishes. Also, you end up eating slower because of the number of items and often are full before the plate is empty. Here are a few close-ups of the delicious cheese.

Cowgirl Creamery Devil's Gulch with sweet and hot peppers

Mimolette...Almost looks like cantelope.

Serena Goat Cheese with ash on the rind

Another great way to build a cheese plate is to incorporate healthy vegetables and fruit. For an award show watching party, I put together sliced pears, cherries, cucumbers, and celery. The fruits paired wonderfully with the cheese. For the vegetables I made a quick cucumber dip with non-fat Greek yogurt. 

Of course you can just eat a few slices of cheese, but you're likely to eat more than you need. By pairing it with healthy accompaniments you have a delicious and nutritious snack.

What's your favorite cheese? If I was forced to pick my top cheeses, they would be brie, super sharp cheddar, and creamy goat cheese. 



Weekly trip to the Copley Square Farmers Market



Now for the winners! Each winner receives a 1-month supply of popchips!

Winner #1: Robin, who said, "I can't wait to try the quiches!"

Winner #2: Michelle, who left a comment on the Good Cook Doris facebook page.

Please email me at lara [at] goodcookdoris [dot] com and we'll make arrangements for you to get your prize. Thanks for entering and welcome to all the new readers!