The trouble with turkey.

Earlier last week, I traveled to Chicago – a very quick work trip that had me flying home on my birthday. Weird! I don’t think I’ve ever flown on my birthday before … although I mysteriously was chosen for TSA pre-check through security so score one for the birthday girl!

I also celebrated with a complimentary glass of wine (thanks to a coupon from Delta) – score two for the birthday girl!

But I digress … I was in Chicago for a National Turkey Federation committee meeting to talk about creating more demand for turkey products all year-long – with the ultimate goal being to figure out what it will take to get consumers to purchase more turkey products every week.

Market research is showing us that turkey isn’t at the top of people’s mind when they are making meat purchases in the grocery store. Yes, they are buying more ground turkey and are getting more familiar with turkey sausage and turkey bacon. Folks also love, love, love their turkey sandwich at lunch – it’s easy and comfortable, right? – but much of turkey is still pretty mysterious and/or even intimidating to cook.

I think we’re all kind of hung up on the big bird thing. Those of us who live and breathe turkey on a daily basis have to help people get beyond the image of their grandmother’s turkey – albeit a wonderful and tasty tradition – at the holidays. There really is more to turkey than roasting a big bird for a special occasion, and there are clear benefits to including this lean meat – packed with protein – in your everyday diets.

In a very unscientific poll on Facebook before I left for Chicago, I asked my followers on Facebook what it would take to get them to include turkey in their everyday menu planning. Here are some of the comments I received:

• Being a pork producer, I tend to think of turkey as holiday food. I wouldn’t replace my ground pork with ground turkey, but I would buy other turkey cuts if I knew how to prepare them.
• More readily available in the grocery store for a decent price. Choices are quite limited and too much $$ for poultry!
• Turkey tenderloins are so easy to grill or use in different recipes. I’m not sure if many cooks realize how great this cut can be. You’re asking about it on Facebook, maybe a daily recipe idea in social media (FB, Twitter, etc.) would be beneficial.
• Maybe consumer friendly turkey recipes available would be a big plus for the turkey industry.

Valid points, definitely, and perhaps a reminder that people aren’t always finding all the amazing turkey recipes that are available via websites, Pinterest, etc.

I’m here to tell you that turkey doesn’t have to be scary or intimidating – I swear! In the course of the last year or so on this blog, I’ve shared several easy recipes using different turkey products:

Criracha Turkey Burgers (using ground turkey and flavorful ingredients)

Best Turkey Lasagna (another using ground turkey and still, by far, my most popular recipe on the blog and on my Pinterest site)

Turkey Pepperoni Pizza Dip (using turkey pepperoni and warm, melty cheese)

Turkey Roll-Ups (using everyone’s favorite – turkey deli meat)

My Favorite Turkey Pasta Salad (using pre-cooked turkey breast, hard boiled eggs and a light, creamy dressing)

I’m going to continue to expand your horizons a bit and show you other turkey options – like turkey tenderloins, turkey chili (one of my favorites!) or even just throwing a turkey breast in your crockpot. I bet you already do that with a beef or pork roast, so why not turkey?

In the meantime, I’d love to hear from you on whether (or not) you use turkey beyond Thanksgiving and the sandwich at lunch time. If so, what products do you like? What’s your favorite turkey recipe? What’s confusing to you about turkey? What would like to see on my blog – or anywhere, for that matter – that would help you incorporate this healthy, lean protein into your family’s everyday diet?

Feel free to share your comments and questions below – or if you’d rather email me, I’m completely cool with that, too.

Let’s talk turkey, okay?