Not So Old Fashioned T.V. Dinner

In an effort to avoid a McDouble at Mickey D's tonight, I opted for a t.v. dinner. Normally I don't even purchase such things, but a couple of weeks ago Marie Callendar's dinners were on sale and I had a coupon. In recent days the guys have eaten several of these frozen meals, but I have managed to steer clear until tonight. Much to my surprise, though, it was actually good.

Tonight's flavor du jour was turkey with mashed potatoes, gravy, broccoli and carrots. The first thing that impressed me about the meal was that the turkey was actually mini-medallions of all white meat, unlike the last Banquet dinner I ate who knows how many years ago. In addition, the potatoes were smooth and buttery with gravy that tasted almost homemade. The side veggies were pretty standard frozen fair, but they didn't seem to matter much after tasting the main course.

I suppose I should know better than to judge t.v. dinners from experiences based on my college days - 25 years ago - but such a history is hard to ignore. In those days, the turkey would have been more akin to middle school mystery meat either lacking enough gravy to make it edible or drowning in so much gravy that the chunks of meat would be lost at sea. As for the veggies, broccoli would not have been on the menu, just starchy, soggy corn. As I recall, the only redeeming quality of ancient t.v. dinners was the desert compartment containing cinnamon apples or some sort of brownie with pie cherries. Luckily for me, these frozen entrees were not lurking inside that Marie Callendar's box.

Having eaten one, I wouldn't opt for a t.v. dinner on a regular basis, but I wouldn't mind keeping a few in the freezer for busy nights. Of course, since these lacked a desert, some frozen cookie dough from the last choir fundraiser fits the bill nicely. At least those are always good!