You all could appreciate this... Duggars

[Kitten]

AnnieC - you could use the croquettes. They're basically the same thing. Hashbrowns would also work. As for the turkey mince, I think the Duggars just don't know how to write receipes. Yeah, you buy the mince raw and brown it off before you start to put the whole thing together.

As for easy-peasey dishes for meal donations, potlucks, etc. - the easiest one I know is CrockPot shredded BBQ pork (also works with beef or chicken, though). Slice up 1-2 large onions. Throw half of them in a CrockPot. Put a pork loin on top. If you have one of the large CrockPots, you can use a whole pork loin; otherwise, use a half. Add whatever spices you think sound good to you - I usually throw in cumin, a bit of cloves, maybe a dash of cinnamon, black pepper, and sometimes a non-salt spice mix like Mrs. Dash. Add the rest of the onions. Pour about a cup of apple cider vinegar (for a whole loin) over everything. Cook on high for 6-8 hours, or low for 8-12 hours, until meat is falling apart. Dump out everything, discard the onions (you can keep them if you want, though), and shred the meat. Mix with your choice of BBQ sauce to your desired blend of "juiciness" and put back in pot to heat through. You can serve on hamburger buns, toast, tortillas, or by itself. To jazz it up, I sometimes do carmelized onions while it's cooking, and either mix them in at the end, or serve as a topping.

This is my go-to meal for football viewing parties, buffet dinners, etc. Inexpensive, easy to make, easy to serve, everybody likes it. Okay, not the vegetarians, but I do a mean stuffed squash for them... :D

[ems]

Thank you for the suggestion, clarinetpower, pork loin does sound easy and like something everyone would like. I don't think I'm going to make this family a meal (I know, that's terrible, huh?). I don't really know them at all, but I'll see if the list fills up and if it doesn't, I'll probably go ahead and do it.

For things like this, I often make a Shoyu Chicken recipe that everyone seems to love with some steamed rice and veggies on the side. However, if a family isn't crazy about Asian flavors, they'd hate that. And it doesn't transport well as the chicken is in a liquid. Last time, even though I thought it was securely closed in one of those oven proof Glad container things, it leaked all over the carpet in my car.

I'm from CA where cream of this and that casserole isn't terribly popular, at least not with my family and friends. I can see where casseroles are well suited for these type of things though- easy transport and all that. Just not Tatertot casserole, yuck! Until the Duggars, I thought Tatertots were only found in elemenatary school lunches at in fast food breakfasts. I didn't realize people buy them for use at home. I guess I usually bypass that part of the freezer section at the store.

Nuri, I can't believe you had a TTC encounter too! Who would have thought that stuff was so popular. I hope it doesn't scare this guy away.

For your viewing pleasure, I managed to find a way to protect the privacy of all involved to show you the attached....

The cranberry chicken AND the chicken tortilla casserole sound so much better...

Maybe the mom isn't a big cook and figures that if something is mentioned on tv (on TLC on a show about a super-huge family?? It ain't the Food Network...) it must be good.

[CynicMom]

Ground turkey isn't similar to minced meat. It's just leftover meat that's been through a grinder. It isn't pre-cooked and has to be VERY thoroughly browned because it's the cut of meat most likely to contain salmonella (or poo). In the US turkey is eaten on Thanksgiving but usually not eaten the rest of the year - hence the grinder. Ground turkey is supposedly healthier than ground beef.

[ems]

Thinking about this casserole, I do actually have a friend who would probably love it. She's always making some type of cream of crap casserole or another. She does 30-day cooking and many of the meals are simliarly artery clogging concoctions. She makes one that uses canned (or does it come in a pouch?) chicken chunks with cream of mushroom soup, Velveeta cheese and a Ritz cracker and butter crumble on top. I could NEVER bring myself to eat that, even if I ate meat. It's like a heart attack in a bowl.

Canned chicken? Whhhhyyyy? I mean Velveeta is bad enough. I know not everyone is a gourmet chef, and I eat/cook with my share of processed food myself, but I think everyone should be able to sautee some chicken breasts...If not then buy pre-cooked and sliced, not from a can!

I did see one recipe for Buffalo Chicken Dip (yummy btw) on the Food Network site that called for canned chicken. I made it with a few of my own tweeks including chicken that did NOT come from a can.

[ladypuglover]

Ground turkey isn't similar to minced meat. It's just leftover meat that's been through a grinder. It isn't pre-cooked and has to be VERY thoroughly browned because it's the cut of meat most likely to contain salmonella (or poo). In the US turkey is eaten on Thanksgiving but usually not eaten the rest of the year - hence the grinder. Ground turkey is supposedly healthier than ground beef.

You can buy ground turkey, chicken and even pork just as you would hamburger here in the US. We often eat turkey year round in all its forms and I always had fresh ground turkey to my chili along with fresh ground buffalo, pork and chili meat. All ground from the store and I cook them up in the same pot. No pre-cooked meats here as I worry to much about safety for that recipe.

So I believe the ground turkey in question is the same as ground hamburger and one would treat it the same way.