Nope, I’m not infallible. I don’t always make meals that are fantastic. In fact, today was a downright FAIL. At 5:30 this morning, I put a chopped up onion, a lean pork loin, ketchup, diet coke, garlic, and hot pepper in the crock pot to cook for 12 hours in the hopes that I’d come home to a delicious barbecue meal.
Nope. Didn’t happen.
I came home to a burnt mess on the bottom of the crockpot with a shrunken, kind of barbecue colored pork loin in the middle. Adam and I thought that maybe if we took it OUT of the burnt mess, shredded the meat and tasted it, maybe it wouldn’t be terrible. Again: nope. It was dry and barely seasoned.
THEN, I added barbecue sauce to the bowl of shredded pork, stirred it up, and put it on a sandwich with fat free american cheese:
You can win me!
Onto other news… FREE STUFF NEWS!! Earlier in the week I was sent a 32 oz. jar of virgin coconut oil from Tropical Traditions, and they have so generously offered to send one of you, a What’s For Dinner reader, your very own jar of virgin coconut oil! I’ve been using it as a moisturizer for a few days now, and my previously NASTY dry elbows feel super smooth! It smells amazing, and I can’t wait to start cooking with it. I think some coconut shrimp are in my future!
Even with all the recipe oriented magazines I subscribe to, I find that most of my favorite recipes come from friend and family referrals. (Which is what makes this blog so great, in my opinion!) This recipe comes from a Facebook status update from my friend Karen (the wife of one of my college theatre professors, in fact.) Her status was literally all the ingredients, and I had to figure out the rest. Add one charcoal grill and some teriyaki sauce and you’ve got…
TERIYAKI TURKEY BURGERS
1 lb. ground turkey (I used Jennie-O)1/6 cup minced dried onion (or 1/3 cup chopped fresh sweet onion)1 tsp. salt1 tsp. pepper1 TBSP dried parsley1 TBSP Worchestershire sauce1 tsp. hot sauce (I used Cholula)1/3 cup chopped dried cranberries (can throw them in whole)1/3 cup breadcrumbs (I used panko)1 TBSP teriyaki sauce
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix with your clean, bare hands (makes me feel like a kid again. Form into 4 patties (1/4 lb. each). Grill or pan-fry. I used my charcoal grill and it took about 20 minutes, flipping the burgers every 4 or 5 minutes to ensure even charring (turkey can burn easily, so monitor diligently.) Once done, place on an Arnold’s Sandwich Thin (my new favorite bread product!!!) and top with 1 TBSP of your favorite sweet teriyaki sauce (I used Soy Vay.)
The thing about cooking turkey (like chicken) is that it needs to be cooked all the way through, or you can risk salmonella poisoning. I suggest using a meat thermometer around the 15 minute mark. The burger will be done at 182 degrees. Make sure to put it in through the SIDE of the burger to get an accurate reading. I had it sticking into the top of the burger for a while and it didn’t get above 130 degrees, but then I tried the side of the burger (making sure at least 1/2 of the thermometer stick was in the meat) and the needle immediately shot up to show it was done!
I LOVED this burger. I have never been a big fan of turkey burgers because I always found them kinda bland and dry. But this burger was moist, flavorful and FILLING. I actually had to put back some of my side dishes after plowing through that puppy because I was so full! The savory sauces & herbs balanced well with the sweet cranberries, and both were great compliments to the turkey. It kinda reminded me of Thanksgiving, in June!
I used Sparkrecipes.com to calculate the nutritionals — and they’re not bad! Each patty is about 225 calories, 9g of fat, 1g of fiber and 24g of protein. Add the teriyaki sauce (35 cals, 1g fat, 0 fiber, 0 protein) and the Arnold’s sandwich thin (100 cals, 1g fat, 5g fiber, 4 g protein), and you’re looking at about 355 calories for the whole sandwich (7 Weight Watcher Points.) I definitely will be having another one for lunch tomorrow! Enjoy!
Sushi saves the evening!! Better luck next time with the BBQ.
coconut oil as moisturizer? does coconut oil also smell like coconut?
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I actually remember you from WAY before that — when you were BFF with Becky Swartz, and me and Danny Swartz were campers at some Skokie Park District camp (Maskokie? Devonshire? Sports Camp? It’s all a blur…) Gosh, you must’ve been like 7 or 8 years old at the time. And who could forget The Crucible, and the HOTTEST NIGHT EVER. And I’m not talkin’ sexy Puritan girls, I’m talking 100 degrees in the Auditorium with a million lights on and 3 layers of wool clothing. And poor Kate Lesciotto had to be taken away by ambulance for heat exhaustion! Oh, how we suffer for our art!
Mmm sushi! Have never cooked with coconut oil, but sounds interesting! Yummy looking burgers and I have to agree – hands on food always makes me feel like some adventurous little kid!
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Straight coconut oil on your skin! I bet that feels like a big drink of water for dry skin! Does it smell like coconut on your body too?
awesome giveaway! it looks fab!
I am LOVING coconut oil to soften dry skin. I’ve also heard you can use it instead of butter in baked goods…hello, oatmeal chocolate-chip cookies
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I’ve been wanting to try out the wonders that is coconut oil for some time now, so how perfect is your giveaway?
Too bad about the bbq pork, but at least you get sushi. If only I had know it was sushi day, I would have gotten myself some.
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hah oh mara, i thought you were infallible in the kitchen!!! Well ok..you are allowed one fail per year
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I would love to win a jar of the coconut oil, just bought some to try out, but to give it a good test, could use some more. It has been working great as a moisturizer.
great giveaway!!! really want to try that coconut oil!
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OH MY GOSH THAT IS SO MY PHRASE OF THE DAY!!
Doesnt the zipper bug your butt,
Miz.
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I like to think I don’t mess up in the kitchen but when I do it’s terrible. A few weeks ago I was making salads with chickpea patties, but they totally fell apart and tasted terrible. I’m no good at frying things, whihc is probably for the better!
I had a similar incident with chicken in my crock pot! Before that I didn’t think anything could come out of one dry as a bone.
Coconut oil sounds intriging! I’ve never used it before…
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I love the way coconut smells! It sounds fun.
oh, I hate when I have crockpot mishaps
what a perfect day to have sushi 
I would love the try the coconut oil! I haven’t been able to find any here.
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I have been wanting to try cooking and baking with coconut oil… didn’t know you could use it as a moisturizer too!
That has to be the only meal in a LONG time that hasn’t turned out great, Mara! And I’m sure ketchup + BBQ made it awesome, anyway
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I defintiely couldn’t tell that was a “fail,” Mara! Looks tasty.
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I hate when that happens Mara! I’ve found that my crock pot still is too hot, even on the 12 hour setting – I normally just do the crock pot when I am home and can monitor it – the resurrected sammie looks good though!
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I have seen so many healthy recipes using coconut oil recently! I’d love to try and make these granola bars I saw!
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i’ve been looking for coconut oil everywhere!
Sorry to hear about the dinner flop! It still looks good!!
Coconut oil sounds like it would work wonders on my dry skin!
K´s last blog ..You Shook Me All Night Long
Oh lord I have done some experimenting with my crock pot as well and it usually ends up with dry shrunken meat…not inedible but you need to add some sort of something to make it come out good like the bbq sauce or ketchup works well to…ranch dressing also a fav lol. I subscribe in google reader and am new to your blog. I have seen the coconut oil around in a few of my favorite stores but haven’t tried it but am interested to know what you find out about it and how you use it to cook etc.
Oooh coconut oil! I have been wanting to try it! Have a good day, Mara!
Looks pretty delicious to me!
Have a great weekend.
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Would love to win!!
Thanks so much for the opportunity!
I’d like to enter, please, if Canadians may.
I would like to see if it helps to lower my cholesterol like it has for others.
Yeah for sushi! Those turkey burgers look fantastic and so does the barbecue even though you say it was dry!
I have had a few crock pot disasters with sugary things- once with a Moroccan chicken with apricots. It totally burned and was awful and made my house stink! Hooray for sushi is all I can say!
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Ooooh! I wanna win!
I am a coconut oil fiend! About a year ago, my husband and I threw out every single skin, hair, body and cleaning product that we had that had any chemicals in it at all.
Since then, we use coconut oil in our smoothies every morning, use it instead of butter or olive oil when we can (it’s great for baking) and I use it as my face and body moisturizer when I get out of the shower.
One thing that I haven’t done that I am planning on, it to use it for my hair as a conditioner. I know the ideal is to sit with it on for a few hours and then shampoo it out, but I just haven’t gotten to that yet.
I also have a great recipe for popcorn topping:
in a small pot, we melted coconut oil mixed with fresh ground nutmeg, course ground salt and cardomon powder. Poured it over hot freshly popped popcorn and you are good to go!
thanks!
Teriyaki Turkey Burger – that sounds like a winner, my husband would love this.
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Oh wow I’d love to win this!!
Why would you put Diet Coke in a crock pot with anything that you wanted to cook?
Mara @ What's For Dinner? Reply:
June 20th, 2009 at 10:29 am
Diet Coke Chicken is a favorite stove-top recipe that I decided to adapt to the crock pot. It obviously didn’t work.
Ooh! I’ve been wanting to try baking with coconut oil for so long, this would be great!
Sorry about the bbq, it sounds like something i would do..
I’d love to win so I can try using coconut oil!
Just signed up for your blog a few days ago! Would love to try the coconut oil! Also, I really love the look of your blog…and your personal story of transformation!
I’ll take a jar!
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Hi! New reader here! I’ve been wanting to try coconut oil! What a perfect giveaway! Too bad your dinner didn’t turn out, it sounds good!
nice giveaway!!! this would be a fun addition for creating new recipes!
I would love to try that coconut oil, I have been meaning to get some. Great giveaway!
I’m going to feed coconut oil to my chickens.
coc.oil = great for skin.:D:D:D
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I’m going to have to try to create a GF “sandwich thin”. They look ultra good
I’d love the chance to win that coconut oil prize for my drrryyy skin!! thanks Mara!
Double duty using something in cooking and for a moisturizer!
That coconut oil sounds amazing