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YourHub.com \\ Castle Pines \\ Stories \\ Holidays \\ Thanksgiving

Why don't they make "turkey helper"?

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Contributed by: Connie Massa on 11/15/2007

I'm scanning the aisles of my local grocery and I spy a display of boxed meal "helpers".

Just add meat for a delicious, nutritious meal. Ready in minutes it says.

What a great invention! Like most women, I'm pretty busy these days, so anything that can help me put a meal on the table faster and easier is a bonus.

There are several varieties to choose. They make them for hamburger, chicken and even tuna fish. There is a wide selection of flavors: things like four cheese lasagna, philly cheesesteak, cheeseburger macaroni and creamy chicken and noodles.

I can't believe I've never tried my hand at these culinary delights. All these years I've been doing things the hard way- by scratch.

All right, I'm looking, but I can't find the turkey helper. Of all the times in my life I need a helper it's now. With Thanksgiving only seven days away, I'm all ready psyching myself up for twelve grueling hours of food preparation and cleanup.

After removing every box from the shelf, it's apparent they don't make one for turkey. I'm dumbfounded.

To start with, let's talk about hamburger. Who could possibly need help preparing hamburger?

A chimpanzee can cook this. It doesn't matter what your skill level is, as long as you have a frying pan and know how to turn on a stovetop burner. Within minutes, you can serve a delicious, nutritious meal on a bun.

As for chicken, you can boil, broil, barbeque, fry or microwave the stuff. You don't need a helper to do this chore. It practically cooks itself.

Then, there's tuna fish. It's not even worth mentioning unless you can't operate a can opener.

Now turkey, that's a horse of a different color. You need to select the right size bird; thaw it for a week; remove the bag of guts; wash it out; pluck any stray feathers; stuff it; tie the legs together and bake it to an internal temperature of 185 degrees or until that little red thing pops up.

Add to that making the stuffing; mashed potatoes; candied yams; green bean casserole; gravy; rolls; cranberry sauce and pumpkin and pecan pies. By this time, I'm screaming for a helper!

I don't know what these food manufacturers are thinking. If they really want to do me a favor, they need to create a Thanksgiving dinner that all I have to do is add water.

Then, I'll sit back, take the compliments and watch the Jets and Cowboys play like everyone else.

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Submitted By: Charmaine Robledo

posted on 11/16/2007 @ 11:24:29 AM

Rated Story

I am a fan of Hamburger and Tuna Helper. I am not a cook and I seldom spend time in the kitchen, so it's great that these "just add" meals can be prepared in 15-20 minutes. Also, I'll be cooking the Thanksgiving meal for my family this year, so I'm thinking Jennie-O's frozen turkey will be the way to go. It claims that it's from freezer to oven, so that's good. No need to thaw and I'll be cooking Stove Top stuffing to go with it, thankyouverymuch.

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CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Connie Massa

Castle Rock , CO

Connie Massa has posted 23 stories and 3 comments since joining on 10/2/2007. Connie Massa 's average story rating is 5.

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