Hormel Compleats Turkey & Dressing

Made By:  Hormel Foods
Tools Required:  Microwave, sharp object
290 calories per package

Rating:  :\

(Available online through Amazon.com)

Today my sweetie and I are having an extra-convenient lunch because we are caring for a new puppy!  We have added an eight-week-old German Shepherd to our family.  So far, we have enjoyed the two varieties of these Hormel Compleats meals we have tried; let's see if the third one follows the trend.

The preparation is exactly the same as the other Compleats meals, but I will repeat it here for convenience:  we remove the paperboard overwrap, poke holes in the film or otherwise make a steam vent, microwave for 90 seconds, then let stand for one minute. 

Upon removing the film, we are greeted with two discs of turkey meat on top of an oblong cake of dressing, with the balance of the tray filled with gravy.  I note that this one shares the unphotogenic qualities of the Roast Beef meal, so I moved the meat to one side and tried to stir up some of the dressing for a more representative picture.  The meat doesn't really seem like 'real' roast turkey (as if the shape didn't give that away), the texture is fairly soft--it's basically that chopped-and-formed turkey loaf product that gets served in school cafeterias around Thanksgiving.  The dressing does have some chunks of celery in it, but is otherwise pretty bland and uninteresting, and the gravy is of the 'canned' variety.

Probably about the most positive thing I can say about this meal is that it was fairly easy to eat with chopsticks.  The flavor wasn't awful, but I don't know too many people who get excited about lunchroom fare.  It just seems so much more plain and processed than the other Compleats meals I've reviewed, that I'm going to have to call this one a letdown.  :\