Food! OMG best treat ever!

[TDSChristy]

Basil that is a lot of Cheez-its. I bet it tastes super yummy, with all that buttery ranch goodness. Eat some for me!

[Sarah]

New Favorite!

I saw this made on Diners Drive-Ins and Dives, had to try it myself.

Battered Balls of Turkey

Basically it's turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes rolled into a ball, lightly battered, fried, and served with gravy. Like thanksgiving dinner rolled into one bite.

Here's what I did:

Turkey:
Didn't feel like doing a whole turkey, so I poached some parts (bone in) for an hour in:
1 gallon water
2 carrots, cut in pieces
3 celery stalks, cut in pieces
1 onion, halved
1 head garlic, halved horizontally
4 fresh thyme sprigs
2 fresh rosemary sprigs
10 peppercorns
3 bay leaves
Strain, let it cool, and shred it.

Stuffing: (this is how I make it, I guess you could use Stove Top...follow package directions…)
1 quart chicken broth (use the stuff you strained from poaching the bird)
2 ounces dried mushrooms
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped green pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon salt
3 cups bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup dried cranberries or cherries
1/2 ounces chopped pecans
2 whole eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons dried sage
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Heat the chicken broth in the microwave in a large microwave-proof bowl. Place mushrooms in a glass bowl and pour heated broth over them. Cover and allow to sit for 35 minutes.
Meanwhile…
In a large mixing bowl toss the onion, celery, and green pepper with the oil and salt. Place the vegetables on a sheet pan and roast for 35 minutes. During the last 10 minutes of cooking, spread the cubed bread over the vegetables, return to the oven, and continue cooking.
Drain mushrooms, reserving 1 cup of liquid. Chop the mushrooms and place in a large bowl with the vegetables and bread, reserved chicken stock, cranberries (or cherries), pecans, eggs, sage, parsley and black pepper. Stir well in order to break up pieces of bread. Spread into a deep, buttered baking dish and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.
Let it cool so you don’t burn your hands off rolling it.

Mashed Taters…you don’t need a recipe for that, right?

Gravy:
Again, use the strained stock you still have left over from the poached Bird
Melt the 2 T of butter with 2 T olive oil, and add 4 T of flour. Cook this roux, stirring frequently, until it is golden brown. Slowly whisk in the strained stock being careful to work out any lumps. Cook until the gravy has thickened, about 10 to 15 minutes.

TO Make the darn things:
Take about a tablespoon of turkey, stuffing and taters, and roll together into a ball. Dip in either egg, milk or a combination, then roll in flour, then back in egg wash, then back in flour. Let them sit for about ten minutes on a cookie sheet while the oil heats up, and then drop them in a few at a time and let them get golden. Drain on a rack, paper towels, or a brown paper bag, and serve with the gravy.

YUM

Not as hard as it looks, I swear