Akemi and I set our alarm for six a.m. this morning so we could get an early start on the turducken. According to the instructions: 4 1/2 hours at 325 degrees covered, then another 45 minutes at 375 uncovered. Tent and let sit for half an hour, then serve!
While I was setting the oven temperature, Akemi went to take the turducken out of the refrigerator – and almost dislocated her shoulder in the process. The damn thing weighed almost 20 pounds! I hurried over to help and, together, we slipped it into the oven. Satisfied, I headed back upstairs for an extra two hours of sleep while Akemi elected to stay downstairs, practice her Italian, and do some cleaning. I came downstairs a little after 8:00 a.m. to find her sweeping up “bunny dust” as she calls it.
“You mean dust bunnies,”I corrected her.
“No,”she was insistent. “Not dust bunnies. Bunny dusts!”
Okay. Bunny dusts.
By the time the guys came over for football, the bunny dusts were swept up and the turducken was roasting away.
Needless to say, the triple bird extravaganza – chicken stuffed into a duck stuffed into a turkey, each layer insulated with delicious stuffing – was a resounding success:
Since we were having turducken as our main course, I thought it only proper we do piecaken for dessert. For those who don’t know, a piecaken is – well, pretty much what you’d suspect: a pie baked into a cake. In this case, a pecan pie baked into a giant brownie.
To save time, Akemi and I prepared this the night before. Really, SHE prepared while I played assistant – beating the eggs, pouring the mixture, and transferring items into and out of the oven…
I had three helping of the turducken and sides topped with gravy and pan drippings, then capped off lunch with a slice of piecaken and a double scoop of ice cream.
I don’t think I’ll ever be hungry again.
P.S. Snow Monkeys lose! Snow Monkeys lose! Again!
Your bird looks perfectly cooked. Everything looks delicious. Nice to have Master Chef Rob Cooper there in case you needed his talents. No doubt Chef Akemi had it all under control.
Wow, what a meal! I’ve got to make that piecaken!
Sorry about your Snow Monkeys, Joecito. 🙁
Wow, that is a lot of bird meat. It all looks great though, and I kind of wish that I had have had some kind of Thanksgiving dinner this weekend. Not in the cards, though.
“I don’t think I’ll ever be hungry again.”
*laughs out loud*
Poor Snow Monkeys.
The turducken looks scrumptious. The piecaken – a little over the top for me. I love pecan pie and it just seems a waste to wrap it in brownies. Not that I don’t enjoy a good brownie, but together. Not so much, I think.
Oh wait – how did you make mashed potatoes with pork drippings when you were having turducken??? Sounds tasty but did you save them up for the occasion?
And Ivon’s brussel sprouts and parsnips looks delicious.
Beautiful bird(s)! And I wonder if you could make the Piecaken with Blondie batter instead?
What was the stuffing? Sausage? I’m looking for ideas for US Thanksgiving next month.
Secret ingredient for REAL pecan pie is Karo syrup.
And I’m sorry about the Snow Monkeys loss and I feel for you. My son and I are hoping the Ravens can pull it together soon, otherwise it’s not going to be a good year.
I am not brave enough to try assembling a Turducken, and my boys might try the piecaken, but I wouldn’t. Not because I wouldn’t like it, Joe. It’s because I would…far too much. I hope you have an awesome Thanksgiving weekend.
I almost flat-lined just reading that menu. Love it.
Sorry about the Snow Monkeys loss. 🙁 Congrats to Rob on the Cowboys win. 🙂
Looks delicious. I would likely try everything except the turducken.
Sorry about the Snow Monkeys. 🙁 I do seem to remember you vowing to never watch football again. Or was it just to never participate in fantasy football leagues?
Wishing a Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian friends!
Good lord, I think I gained 5 pounds just looking at this. But it looks so good!
Happy Thanksgiving!
My, what a feast! Have you ever tried mashed parsnips? Tasty.
I chuckled over the neatly arranged pecans on the pie. Adorable. I’m used to seeing the traditional American smunched up nuts.
Poor Snow Monkeys. I thought you were going to retire them?
That meal looks amazing!!!!! I didn’t know that piecaken was baked in a brownie. I made it a couple of years ago. I broke up the pie into pieces, instead of baking it whole. What is it 1200-1500 calories a slice? It was good eating though. It was pretty sweet but you’re right, Ice cream made the dish.
Akemi is learning a new language? How many does that make? I feel like a sloth… Yay for you Akemi!!!!!! Does this mean you’re planning an Italy trip?
Deni: How did your outdoor adventure end yesterday? 😆
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving! No turducken for us though. Just an old-fashioned roast turkey.
Is the turducken boneless? That much venison is daunting. The brownie pecan pie looks amazing, like it escaped from the display case at the Cheesecake Factory.
I saw Gravity and for the first time I wasn’t aware at all of my 3D glasses. It reminded me a lot of SGU. I enjoyed it but I’m also enjoying reading all the critiques astronauts had about what would really happen or about the “movie science.” I just like that there were no smashy crashy robots in it.
@Tammy: Lauren finally got home and let me in. I doubt anyone noticed. Either that or they’re too polite to say anything. 😉 It was, uh, “refreshing”.
Riley had an emergency trip to the vet after vomiting 16 times. She was shaking and frothing at the mouth (big time), I was so scared (thinking she’d gotten into “something”) I can’t begin to tell you. Mr.Deni rushed her over (they’re two minutes away) and although the tech came in to take her vitals and such (while the vomiting continued),the vet took almost an hour to come in to see her. By then, things had settled down, so they sent her home with instructions to watch her. Yeah, I’m watching her all pooped out, my poor girl. Hoping it’s not pancreatitis now, but earlier I was thinking she’d eaten a toad/plant/plastic/whoknowswhat. What gets me is that we watch them while they’re outside and it takes them a split second to grab something and consume it. Yeah, dogs, brains. Who knows? 😉 Oy.
@Deni I am SO sorry to hear about Riley. Ironically I am about to call the vet because Maddie got into raisin bran yesterday and today she is not eating, is lethargic, and very quiet which is not like her. Haven’t seen vomiting or diarrhea yet. She is having issues with me leaving her alone to care for other dogs. Jeff said that when I was gone Saturday night, she was pacing around the house, has this very worried on her face like, “Where is she?” Went outside multiple times (either looking to see if I was there or to do her business). I hate to have to crate her but she is getting ridiculous. She grabbed my large bag of Stevia and brought it over to the couch and ripped that open. I hope Riley will be okay. Hugs to Riley
Kudos to the cooking skills on display in the Mallozzi household. They look amazing, well done 🙂
Was just reading about the new Sword Art Online 2 hour special being aired Dec 31 in Japan, and some of the promo artwork shows Kirito in his Gun Gale Online Artwork(Though this is just a recap special of the series). It seems likely they’re going to announce a new season next year.
@PBMom: What’s with these dogs? Raisins would scare me, I hope Maddie’s ok. Riley spend the afternoon napping, not interested in anything, so I’m still worried, but hopefully it’ll pass. Let me know how Maddie’s doing on FB, ok? Monday’s our day (Mr. Deni and me) to watch Michael, so we’re pooped from all of it, guuuuh. xo
@Deni, I hope Riley is feeling better. Fingers crossed it’s not pancreatitis, scary stuff. A neighbor who had been pet-sitting one of our dogs gave him a deer bone, argh. That night, after we’d returned (exhausted, from an overseas trip) Skipper threw up so much he was in danger of dehydration, so we made an emergency vet run at 3am, where he ended up on IV meds for 48 hours. Apparently the ‘treat’ didn’t agree with him. Over $1k later, he came back home but his stomach was touchy ever after.
@PBMom, also sorry to hear about Maddie. Hopefully your vet checked renal function. We used to put out raisins for the mockingbirds, but despite our best efforts, one of our BC’s always figured out a way to get to them first, so we had to quit.
that piecaken (pie-in-cake?) looks good, even though i’m not a fan of pecan pie.
Sorry, Joey…I just don’t eat anything with the word ‘turd’ in it. 😉
das