572696 Sun Nov 16 11:04:57 -0800 2008 175 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 4177874 There are so many Thanksgiving dishes that are obligatory to include on many family dinner tables. What T-day dishes do you wish would disappear forever from your family feast? We don't live near any extended family, so we only eat what we like on Thanksgiving or at any other gathering. But, some of the things I've had at other's people houses on Thanksgiving are a mystery to me. Guess my list would include: Sweet potatoes with marshmallows. I love sweet potatoes, baked and served with a bit of butter. Why marshmallows? Really boring or poorly cooked green beans. Horrid store-bought pumpkin pie. Homemade is so much better, and not difficult to prepare. My husband always brings home grocery store-bought pumpkin pies at this time of year. In fact, we have one in the trash right now. He said it was not edible, so I just took his word on it and didn't even try a bite. What is on your list of bad Thanksgiving fare? Sun Nov 16 11:04:57 -0800 2008 238115 laurachow 1 4178200 Luppy & nearly cold mashed potatoes..timing is so critical w/these. Imitation cider...why bother when the REAL stuff is so easy to find Imitation eggnog...make your own and experience heaven! Now if I could only get my inlaws to read CH! Sun Nov 16 14:05:26 -0800 2008 4177874 36312 HillJ 2 4186201 My family cooks and whips the potatoes the day before and refrigerates them in our removable slow cooker crock. Then around 1 or 2 we put them in the slow cooker on medium for 4 hours and they are nummy and toasty warm for supper! Wed Nov 19 10:27:40 -0800 2008 4178200 164007 Bryn 3 4186231 Bryn, now if my mil could only accept a few holiday suggestions.... :) Wed Nov 19 10:37:21 -0800 2008 4186201 36312 HillJ 1 4178373 The domesticated, chemical cocktail, agri-business, Butterball style turkey. A tasteless carcinogenic homogeniac mess. The poultry equivalent of the MacIntosh apple. Give me wild (or free range) or give me lobster! Sun Nov 16 15:37:08 -0800 2008 4177874 93538 Passadumkeg 2 4178389 Ummm, lobster! Sun Nov 16 15:47:58 -0800 2008 4178373 238115 laurachow 2 5062425 Amen! We've got a Narragansett hen coming our way this year, and FINALLY, I'm looking forward to turkey again. It's just too depressing, eating something that can't even manage to procreate on its own. Sun Sep 27 15:26:58 -0700 2009 4178373 64882 Vetter 1 4178381 Green bean casserole with Cream of Muchroom soup and those fried "onion" things on top. Should be renamed gray bean casserole, blech. Ditto on the fake apple cider and the grocery store frisbee pies. There's a reason they're 3.99, people!!! Sun Nov 16 15:43:29 -0800 2008 4177874 95577 yamalam 2 4178781 Good heavens, I'm with you on that gray bean casserole! We had a potluck at work last week and there were a couple of them there(one with potatoes in it) . Ack! I wanted to wish it away!!! Sun Nov 16 19:05:06 -0800 2008 4178381 227643 Luvfriedokra 3 4179648 http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/11/country-green-beans/#comment-177570 Under the "could be a new way to love green beans" category, I read this recipe just this morning. Yum inspired. Mon Nov 17 07:18:37 -0800 2008 4178781 36312 HillJ 3 4183161 I had a guest who brought the green bean casserole but made it with canned brown mushroom gravy instead - it was vile, and I'm not a picky eater Tue Nov 18 10:20:27 -0800 2008 4178781 41042 jacquelyncoffey 4 4184466 Actually, my wife (the real cook in our family) does one. I am not really into green beans, in general, but have no aversion to them either - except that they usually clash with most wines, but they are not alone in that aspect. I do not know her recipe, but it does involve mushrooms and then a "canned" topping, those French-fried onions. At most sittings, I find myself reaching for two helpings of her dish, even if I have to hold my wines for other courses. Wish that I had the details, but for a non-fan, to begin with, I find hers to be head-n-shoulders above all others, that I have tasted. Hunt Tue Nov 18 17:32:17 -0800 2008 4183161 11329 Bill Hunt 5 4184855 I have made it using all "from-scratch" items except for the onions, and it was delicious. I don't like the "original" recipe that uses all canned ingredients, and it was especially nasty when brown gravy was substituted for the cream of mushroom soup. If your wife makes something other than the original recipe, I'd love to see, because the dish can be really good if you make it right. Tue Nov 18 20:08:55 -0800 2008 4184466 41042 jacquelyncoffey 5 4191567 Green beans clash with wine? I've never thought of them as clashing with wine ... sauteed with plenty of butter, I think they go nicely with Côtes du Rhone, Beaujolais ... I might have to pay more attention, though, it could just be that I'm used to it. Fri Nov 21 08:14:27 -0800 2008 4184466 177724 tmso 6 4196502 The problem is an organic acid cynarin, that, at best, confuses the tastes of wines. Whether it becomes a "clash," is totally up to your palate. Hunt Sun Nov 23 16:10:04 -0800 2008 4191567 11329 Bill Hunt 5 4196788 SO just told me that it is a "well known fact", that artichokes clash with wines. Little did I know... Is this similar to the "acid" in green beans? Sun Nov 23 18:30:57 -0800 2008 4184466 137946 Scargod 6 4196796 For me, the only thing that really clashes with wine, is telephone poles. Sun Nov 23 18:34:44 -0800 2008 4196788 57170 Veggo 6 4197370 One of my favorite meals is an artichoke (done in the MW as I learned from you all) and a glass of red. Mon Nov 24 03:55:34 -0800 2008 4196788 36661 Sam Fujisaka 2 4179322 If you've been reading the thread about the prepared food prices at Neiman Marcus, you should go on-line and check them out. They have a bloody green bean casserole! Here, see for yourselves! http://tinyurl.com/5q5m4d That's $70.00 for the green beans, $15.50 for delivery and processing, plus state tax where applicable, and where I live, it's applicable! That's a tad under $93.00, or (it says it serves 12) $7.73 a portion! Under duress, I might pay that much to have it hauled away, but never to put it on the table! Mon Nov 17 04:43:13 -0800 2008 4178381 112096 Caroline1 3 4179350 Interestingly, a lot of the items in the Neiman Marcus catalog actually come with the baking dish or tart pan with which they are displayed. That being said, $7.73 per person for a green bean casserole is highway robbery! Mon Nov 17 05:02:55 -0800 2008 4179322 34558 roxlet 3 4179367 $70 bucks! Whoa, that is un-friggin'-believable! In addition to all the expected answers to this question (canned cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, etc), I would like to include tomato aspic and mashed rutabagas. Why my family included these two dishes to our holiday spread I'll never know. Ugh. Mon Nov 17 05:14:24 -0800 2008 4179322 71241 lynnlato 4 4181926 Geez, how can anyone hate mashed rutabagas/turnips? Mashed with a little butter and brown sugar, they are the perfect way to convey gravy from plate to mouth. Plus, nutritionally speaking, they are way better for you than mashed potatoes - more fibre, less sodium, way higher vitamin content, etc. I'd rather have these than lumpy, cold mashed potatoes any day, and especially on Thanksgiving. Mon Nov 17 20:32:49 -0800 2008 4179367 48210 KevinB 4 4197104 I second the turnips. My parents make them every year, and without fail, it's the one leftover dish that ends up molding in the fridge. I'll admit that aside from my mom making them, I've never eaten them elsewhere, but she's a great cook, so I'm inclined to think that it's more the turnips than her method of preparation that's turning me off. I've always thought there were just kind of dry. Sun Nov 23 21:25:20 -0800 2008 4179367 179924 Al_Pal 3 4179399 Prepared green bean casserole by mail, good grief that's strange & amazing. I have no idea how the mil prepares her mashed potatoes (we're not permitted in the kitchen during holidays) but it's some "secret recipe" known only to her....and for my money...it's going to stay a secret. Really poor; always cold. The older I get the less I enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving. My wife & kids are having a Tex Mex Thanksgiving menu...but we do make the rounds with family and there is just no getting away from my mil's ode to Turkey Day. Holiday best to all at CH! Mon Nov 17 05:33:55 -0800 2008 4179322 36312 HillJ 4 4181888 Your wife and kids are having a Tex Mex T-D menu? What are you having? Mon Nov 17 20:18:07 -0800 2008 4179399 131001 c oliver 5 4182332 http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/dean-fearings-dallas-thanksgiving c oliver, We're following the "feast" from this article. We've tested several of the recipes already. Minus the turkey (since we make the rounds w/family). Tue Nov 18 04:51:58 -0800 2008 4181888 36312 HillJ 6 4191676 HillJ, thanks for posting this link. I'm actually doing the turkey from Zarela's Veracruz cookbook and was thinking that some of the traditional sides my family usually has wouldn't be the best match with a turkey rubbed with chile paste. Some of the recipes on the Food & Wine link you posted seem to be a much better fit. Fri Nov 21 08:53:37 -0800 2008 4182332 10506 DiningDiva 3 4182370 The tamales are tempting. Six dozen/six pounds. Less than a buck apiece. They look small... You have to order by the 22nd! I could just go to Texas for Thanksgiving ($350-400). Tue Nov 18 05:19:14 -0800 2008 4179322 137946 Scargod 4 4182569 There's a high risk you'd get much better tamales by flying to Texas! Tue Nov 18 07:03:41 -0800 2008 4182370 112096 Caroline1 5 4197114 I was actually talking about tamales with someone the other day, and I would LOVE to know where I can get some good tamales or exactly what it is that would make them good. I'm actually from Texas originally, so you wouldn't expect finding good tamales to be a real problem, but I've never had any that weren't dry and bland. Which is a total shame because I've heard that when they're good, they're AMAZING. So after 25 years of life, I'm sadly still searching for a good tamale. Or perhaps just a good recipe. Sun Nov 23 21:30:45 -0800 2008 4182569 179924 Al_Pal 3 5056320 OMG, I just fell out of my chair laughing at Caroline1's post! Seriously, $93 for one of those godforsaken conglomerations of green bean glop? I would definitely pay that much to never again experience a family member or friend bringing one to the Thanksgiving meal - but paying $93 for something that you can pay about $5 to make yourself, that takes no time to make, and will probably taste just as awful???? Thu Sep 24 16:07:35 -0700 2009 4179322 1107449 tonina_mdc 2 4183277 One year my aunt told me to bring a vegetable dish, and silly me, I did something interesting with zucchini. I thought I'd never hear the end of it. That's when I discovered that the vile green bean stuff was some kind of tradition and that vegetable was code language for green bean casserole. Yuck. When did that happen? I know that the holiday is more about eating a lot than eating anything interesting, but that stuff is truly gross. Tue Nov 18 10:51:23 -0800 2008 4178381 16828 Judith 3 4197117 I totally beg to differ! My family always has the traditional Thanksgiving dishes, but we make a POINT of trying a new dish every year...possibly because my mother rarely cooks anymore now that her three birds are out of the nest, so this is a good chance for her to try something she's been wanting to since she has to cook anyway. And some of the experimental dishes were so good that they've become Thanksgiving staples. Sun Nov 23 21:35:03 -0800 2008 4183277 179924 Al_Pal 2 4184452 My mom and both grandmothers favored frenched green beans lightly boiled and that is what I like. So the first time I tried that green bean casserole at my Aunt Rita's it was so hard to swallow even one bite. I hid the rest under a half-eaten slice of ham. My theory on why they exist is that it is so very hard to keep green beans hot for long. I make Thanksgiving dinner every year and the hardest thing is making sure that the green beans are piping hot yet not over-cooked when they come to the table. They still get cold really fast but that is what the hot mashed potatoes with really hot gravy are for, putting on your fork along with the rapidly chilling green beans. Another thing I have figured out over the years is to be sure to make more green beans than you think you will need. Big bowls of them retain heat and nuke nicely the next day for the hot sandwich platters. Tue Nov 18 17:26:50 -0800 2008 4178381 184593 givemecarbs 2 4191911 LOL @ "grocery store frisbee pies"~~~in defense of the Entenmann's (not sure of sp.) chain of baked goods~~~their pumpkin "frisbee pie"(LOL again) isn't really that bad, if you can't make your own. ~now Mrs. Smith's, I wonder how she got Mr. Smith to marry her, must not have been for her pumpkin pie. Usually in my own personal experience, most supermarkets had a fairly decent "frisbee pie" as far as pumpkin...but be afraid, very afraid, of what they try to pass off as sweet potato pie, has an odd aftertaste, and is just odd, period. Fri Nov 21 10:03:37 -0800 2008 4178381 177648 LadyOnO2 2 4192374 ARGH!!!!!!!! they have a ton of ads for this and it makes me nauseous just looking at the ads, let alone seeing it on someobody's table. It is the height of laziness in my opinion. Fri Nov 21 12:32:39 -0800 2008 4178381 157117 DustyOR 3 4197124 I concur. Honestly, making a pumpkin pie has to be one of the simplest things on earth, and I find it so tragic when someone can't or won't put even that minimal amount of effort into making their own on a holiday that's ABOUT good, home-made food. Sun Nov 23 21:38:19 -0800 2008 4192374 179924 Al_Pal 1 4178444 The cran-from-a-can that makes that "sploip" noise as it exits its metal tomb. Sun Nov 16 16:17:07 -0800 2008 4177874 166787 beth1 2 4178470 If yo'u're talking about the kind of cranberries that come out of the can with the imprint of the lids of the can and needs to be sliced, I'm right there with you. Kids seem to like it, though. Sun Nov 16 16:33:07 -0800 2008 4178444 24468 chicgail 3 4197130 I've never been a fan of cranberry sauce (and my mom always makes it fresh - NEVER from the can), but from doing Thanksgivings with friends over the years, I've noticed that it's really only the people who grew up eating canned cranberry sauce who actually like it. One of my friends loves vienna sausages, and I think it's sort of the same thing - you'll enjoy it if you were raised with it, but it's probably not something you'll like if you try it for the first time when you're older. Sun Nov 23 21:43:32 -0800 2008 4178470 179924 Al_Pal 4 5056408 This is probably true. A good friend who we have somehow got roped into spending every Thanksgiving with makes a from-scratch cranberry sauce every year - and I DESPISE it. It's why I don't want to spend Thanksgiving with her...because I'm a secret canned cranberry lover. I love the sploink noise! It was always my job to slice it as a kid, and now, I can't stand any sauce that's got chunks. Which is funny because I think canned cranberry is the only canned item I eat all year, and definitely the only thing that tastes of cranberry. Thanksgiving just isn't the same without those perfectly even slices! Thu Sep 24 16:54:30 -0700 2009 4197130 19626 thursday 5 5057410 I am a member of the "secret canned cranberry" society as well. ;) Fri Sep 25 07:10:48 -0700 2009 5056408 15691 mcel215 6 5102564 I love canned cranberry. And it is cranberry and little else. And the sound at birth is, "SSCCCHHHGGLLLOOOOOOOPPPPP"!! Wed Oct 14 10:14:05 -0700 2009 5057410 36661 Sam Fujisaka 7 5110916 Okay, now it's a toss-up between you and Beth1 for the best onomatopoeia-ish description of canned cranberry glop. I love your onomatopoeia word, but "as it exits its metal tomb" is just such a wonderful phrase.... Sat Oct 17 15:35:58 -0700 2009 5102564 1107449 tonina_mdc 8 5112687 I think Sam's sound is from a "metal womb" not "tomb." Sun Oct 18 14:12:58 -0700 2009 5110916 131001 c oliver 9 5113948 True, but as I'm not a fan of canned cranberry glop, I prefer beth1's description of the metal tomb. To me, that stuff seems as though it's very much a dead, not a live or fresh product! So her description seems more apt, in my opinion. :-) Mon Oct 19 07:17:45 -0700 2009 5112687 1107449 tonina_mdc 10 5115812 Tammy and the Spoolettes just sang this about me!!! He like iceburg lettuce He like toast and Spam He like can cranberry Oooh, oooh what a lovin' man He eat Jello an' marshmello Co't 45 an' gas station co'ndog Like my mama chitlin' an' pea Ooh wah ooo he our lovin' man [Copyright, Captain Pissgums & the Gay Cowboys Music] Mon Oct 19 18:01:37 -0700 2009 5113948 36661 Sam Fujisaka 11 5115823 Next song is ladies' choice. Wanna dance? Mon Oct 19 18:06:16 -0700 2009 5115812 131001 c oliver 11 5115974 So is that a slow dance - I hope :) Mon Oct 19 19:10:16 -0700 2009 5115812 131001 c oliver 11 5119007 Wow, Sam. Just...wow. :-O Classic. :-) Tue Oct 20 22:31:37 -0700 2009 5115812 1107449 tonina_mdc 7 5115959 That's why I make red chile "gravy", to give the meal some flavor. I like any kind of cranberry sauce, we eat it all year long w/ venison. The Pilgrims had no taste buds. Mon Oct 19 19:05:49 -0700 2009 5102564 93538 Passadumkeg 2 5056399 HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, that might be the best description of that godawful canned pseudo-cran crap I've ever heard, Beth1!!!! Cranberries deserve a far better fate; they are so yummy, tart, crunchy, and cool! Thu Sep 24 16:44:29 -0700 2009 4178444 1107449 tonina_mdc 2 5059288 In childhood and adulthood, we always had whole cranberry sauce (sometimes canned, sometimes fresh) and the cran-from the can jellied stuff at either end of the Thanksgiving Table. Everybody got what they wanted. Fri Sep 25 20:35:17 -0700 2009 4178444 1093031 Florida Hound 1 4178490 If I had my druthers, I would cut out the mashed potatoes. They've never done anything special for me, and the sweet potatoes and dressing are so much better. Oh, and my Dad's new 'ladyfriend' likes to bring along an oyster casserole (fresh oysters, cream, butter, and, crushed Ritz crackers - all mushed together and baked into oblivion) that is a crime against shellfish. Why did so many have to die for something so nasty? Sun Nov 16 16:43:40 -0800 2008 4177874 186923 Cachetes 2 4178613 Fat free stuffing; fat free mashed potatoes. Yuck!! Sun Nov 16 17:38:51 -0800 2008 4178490 138693 SusieS 2 4178879 Now, I love my mashed potatoes, but we usually do either garlic, or horseradish mashed, with a wonderful, mainly au jus gravy. I have yet to be served "rubber" mashed, but I'd wager that many families get their mashed potatoes from a box - bad move... really bad move. Hunt Sun Nov 16 19:57:09 -0800 2008 4178490 11329 Bill Hunt 3 4179310 I also feel it's not Thanksgiving without mashed potatoes. But I like good mashed potatoes and would even prefer instant "mashed" potatoes to those that are whipped with an electric mixer until they turn into one large mass of potato gluten! Those things are nasty! My daughter makes them that way. She knows better. I even gave her my potato ricer, but her husband likes potato glue! <sigh> I don't go there for Thanksgiving any more. Besides, two years in a row her mother-in-law destroyed my sweet potato souffle. First by dumping marshmallows on it and turning it all to ash. Yes! Bona fide incinerated black flaky ash! In a souffle dish! The next year I thought I'd be proactive and just bake it there. She kept opening the oven and it never got baked. But now I live 600 miles away. What's funnier than life? You've got to keep your sense of humor. '-) Mon Nov 17 04:29:58 -0800 2008 4178879 112096 Caroline1 4 4180405 I'm with you on having mashed with some extra texture, though I'll take the whipped version, over anything from a box, just so long as they are not "liquid." I hate that. At our age, we have far fewer "family" Thanksgivings, and now spend more time with friends. Fortunately, many are great cooks, and a few even chefs, so it's less a problem now, than in years past. Things might swing back to family, if my oldest nephew, a chef in RI gets his act together, but until then... Hunt Mon Nov 17 11:26:33 -0800 2008 4179310 11329 Bill Hunt 4 4186255 haha, that's what we called it as kids, 'glue potato'. It was our favourite request for when we were feeling sick. normally served with cheese grated on top. Clearly it rubbed off on relatives - when my 17 yr-old cousin got sick, my aunt called my mum, anxiously asking for her recipe for 'glue potatoes - she says it's the only thing she'll eat!" Wed Nov 19 10:48:01 -0800 2008 4179310 10431 Gooseberry 2 4181025 Oyster casserole sounds so wrong Mon Nov 17 14:21:14 -0800 2008 4178490 238606 alissers 2 4181495 That "casserole" is in fact scalloped oysters, a fine old New England dish (though properly made with buttered soda-cracker crumbs, not Ritz!) that I've adored since I was knee-high to a turkey. Crime against shellfish? Fie! It is an apotheosis. That said, if you throw it together with cheap, tough industrial-grade oysters and don't mind your fluids-to-solids ratio, it can be merely OK rather than transcendental. If I can't get worthy oysters, I'll default to oyster stuffing, since the seasoning covers many sins... Mon Nov 17 17:37:25 -0800 2008 4178490 11478 Will Owen 3 4181945 I agree, done well its a delight. I make it (or some version of it) fairly often. Mon Nov 17 20:39:57 -0800 2008 4181495 80141 ccbweb 3 4182482 Your reply makes a lot of sense -now that I think of it, she comes from an old New England family, and a lot of her cooking reflect that (it's a mystery to me in all of my second-generation Italian-ness). Now that I've lately moved to Boston, I should seek out some recipes for traditional New England fare and give them a try. Any suggestions? As for my Dad's ladyfriend, she's always welcome. But her version of scalloped oysters is far from the near-divinity of which you speak, so I'll still skip it this year! Tue Nov 18 06:25:54 -0800 2008 4181495 186923 Cachetes 2 4191919 IMHO, if you HAVE to do mashed potatoes on thanksgiving, make 'em with cooked turnip (especially the big rutabagas) mixed in, gives them a whole new taste dimension, especially if who ever made the turkey makes a good gravy too. I never did understand why people would do "that" to oysters, that nasty baked concoction. Oysters aren't meant to be eaten any other way other than off the half-shell or deep-fried and appreciated!!! (will say a prayer for you on thanksgiving re: that nasty casserole, or that dad's new "ladyfriend" makes something different this year) Fri Nov 21 10:07:02 -0800 2008 4178490 177648 LadyOnO2 2 4197138 Mashed potatoes can go one of two ways: freaking incredible or absolute garbage. I grew up eating my grandfather's recipe which also includes onion, a couple different kinds of cheeses, some milk, and some seasonings you'd never expect. I mash them (no electric mixer) so they don't have such a uniform texture. And they're amazing. Truly incredible. We make TONS of extra potatoes just so we'll have leftovers, and my sisters and I still can never get our fill of them. On the other hand, when we don't celebrate a holiday at my parents' house and end up having to go over to another family member's house, the potatoes are typically horriffic - bland and overly buttery to make up for the fact that they came out of a box. Which is why my parents always petition to have Thanksgiving at their place. Sun Nov 23 21:53:20 -0800 2008 4178490 179924 Al_Pal 1 4178652 I am not a fan of turkey, so I'd skip that in favor of a better roast chicken or something else. I also don't like a lot of my SO's family's traditional fare, especially a dip made from imitation crab and bottled cocktail sauce and velveeta covered mushy broccoli and cauliflower. Ech. I'm with you on the sweet potatoes - I like them roasted with a little butter and served skins-on. YUM. Sun Nov 16 17:57:21 -0800 2008 4177874 156153 akq 1 4178875 For me, it's the dressing. In all of my years of celebrating Thanksgiving with dining, I have only experience maybe one stuffing recipe, that was worth going back to. These have been across the board in style, type and preperation. I usually accept some, taste it, and then push it around my plate. I'd guess that there are some good recipes out there, but even top chefs' versions have left me wondering, "what's the deal with this?" Even the sweet potatoes with the tiny mashmallows (and I normally HATE marshmallows of any size), do not turn me off. Now, I do go for the toastier marshmallows, and like the potatoes when there are fewer of these, but still, I can do it and often enjoy it. Since my wife was Miss Sweet Potato back in 19XX, I guess that I get some pretty spectacular versions. Sill, fewer and toastier marshmallows suit me better. Hunt PS Happy Thanksgiving to whomever! Sun Nov 16 19:54:51 -0800 2008 4177874 11329 Bill Hunt 2 4184649 Wow...and I thought that I was the only one who had an aversion to stuffing!! I have loathed the stuff (pun intended) since I can remember. Every year someone convinces me to try their stuffing - since every single person has his or her "special and amazing" stuffing recipe which everyone always just loves. And every year I don't like it, and every year no one can get over the fact that I dislike it. I will continue to try it, because I am always ready and willing to try all foods...but I am in the Bill Hunt team where I end up pushing it around my plate. Happy Turkey Day CH'ers!! Tue Nov 18 18:42:59 -0800 2008 4178875 87968 cocktailqueen77 3 4184682 I have to admit that just after I posted initially, my loving wife came in with some stuffing from Fresh & Easy, the newish Tesco (UK) stores popping up around the US. I dutifully took a tiny bit. A few bites, and it was gone. I went back for another small serving. My wife asked, "you? Going back for more stuffing?" I tried to deconstruct it in my mind. I'm guessing that it was done with a garlic bread crumb base, and had a nice, rich beef gravy in/on it. I was thinking of my replies, as I did eat this second, albeit small, helping. It wasn't the greatest dish that I've had, by a long shot, but WAS the best stuffing that I can ever recall. I guess that for every dish, there are possibly variations that will satisfy even the most ardent detractor. Still, this is a major anomaly for me. Considering the offerings that I have had from wonderful cooks and even great chefs, I was blown away that a mini-grocery for prepared foods, like Fresh & Easy could have such a tasty dish. Live, taste and learn. Sorry to have to report that I have gone over to the "dark side." [Grin] I guess that it had to happen sometime, but I resent that it came, just after I posted - bah, humbug! Hunt Tue Nov 18 18:54:34 -0800 2008 4184649 11329 Bill Hunt 1 4178929 Turkey. Seriously, what's the point? The dark meat is ok, but the white meat is tasteless. Turkey is really there just to make gravy. Sun Nov 16 20:22:22 -0800 2008 4177874 86221 lulubelle 2 4179052 Oh, I agree. Although turkey sandwiches the day after aren't bad. Ideally, I'd love a big plate of stuffing (cooked inside the bird, please) with gravy and a tiny taste of turkey, a dollop of mashed potatoes, and spoonful of homemade cranberry sauce on the side. But I'd horrify my family if I ate that. My dad always makes a big green salad. Sigh. I eat salad 364 days a year. I don't want it on Thanksgiving. Sun Nov 16 21:32:56 -0800 2008 4178929 11231 Glencora 2 4180810 Another vote for turkey. When I do duck, prime rib or the like, someone always complains that there's no turkey... Once I did turkey with oyster dressing and that was generally snubbed in favor of the typical, Southern style cornbread dressing. I don't do little marshmallows in sweet potatoes or canned cranberry sauce. Mon Nov 17 13:20:01 -0800 2008 4178929 137946 Scargod 3 4191257 Add me to the list of Turkey white meat avoiders at least on the day itself. My favorite is a cold turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce sandwich the next day or a hot turkey open faced sandwich with the leftover potatoes and vegetables hash browned. Much better than Thanksgiving dinner itself. Fri Nov 21 06:16:16 -0800 2008 4180810 173216 riknpat 4 4191688 I view the turkey as merely a flavoring device for gravy and stuffing. I like the turkey diced in a mix of leftover stuffing, cranberry relish, but eaten on T-day it is pretty tasteless. I would suggest that those who doesn't like green bean casserole to try the Cooks Illustrated version w/o the canned soup binder. Fri Nov 21 08:56:29 -0800 2008 4191257 22220 Kelli2006 4 5060854 I'm also a member of the dark meat lovers' fan club. Even moist white turkey meat just doesn't have the delicious flavor of a thigh or drumstick. Thankfully, most of my family members feel differently, so my sister and I basically get to split the dark meat leftovers each year. There's nothing better than dark turkey meat with lettuce, some onion, and a good coarse-grain mustard on toasted whole grain bread. Walking out of the kitchen at 1AM on Thanksgiving night with that sandwich in one hand and a bowl of my mother's "green junk" in the other is my favorite food moment of the whole holiday. Sat Sep 26 18:24:24 -0700 2009 4191257 1107449 tonina_mdc 5 5061047 Sounds fantastic, but I have to ask what the "green junk" is??? We have a required dish that my mother makes called "green stuff." Sat Sep 26 20:42:20 -0700 2009 5060854 100743 almccasland 6 5061672 A bizarre personal favorite of mine, made from pistachio pudding, a little (real) whipped cream, diced pineapple, mandarin orange segments, and chopped walnuts. I know it sounds odd, but it is SO good! I beg my mom to make it every Thanksgiving and I carry off the leftovers each time. Pair it up with that dark turkey meat sandwich when no one else is awake, and all is right with the world! Sun Sep 27 09:08:59 -0700 2009 5061047 1107449 tonina_mdc 7 5062288 My Mom insisted on making this green stuff last thanksgiving with lime jello, coleslaw cabbage, and miracle whip. She was the only one who touched it. Sun Sep 27 14:19:52 -0700 2009 5061672 164007 Bryn 8 5062691 Wow. No offense, but that sounds godawful. Out of curiosity, why did she make it? Sun Sep 27 17:51:14 -0700 2009 5062288 1107449 tonina_mdc 9 5062750 Sentimentalism? I don't know she does like it. She's an amazing cook other than that jello ring. Sun Sep 27 18:22:37 -0700 2009 5062691 164007 Bryn 7 5162507 My MIL makes this same "green stuff", and everyone in the family loves it. She doesn't put mandarin oranges in it though, but I'm going to recommend that to her - sounds good. As good of a cook as she is most of the time, I think her early senilty kicks in sometimes, because every now and then it's like "what was she thinking?!" Like the time she decide to take the leftover salted pistachios out of the nut dish and dump them in the "green stuff". It made the entire thing taste salty - and gross. Fri Nov 06 18:51:31 -0800 2009 5061672 253542 cycloneillini 2 4192256 And this is why I'm having roast with red wine and whatever else I feel like putting in there :D No dressing or stuffing, I'm making corn pudding. Fri Nov 21 11:53:00 -0800 2008 4178929 112034 spellweaver16 1 4179305 I have to say I am not a fan of any of traditional Thanksgiving fare. Luckily my immediately family is equally enthusiastic so if we do Thanksgiving ourselves we will just go out or have something we all like. Of course, if I go over to other places, then I have to deal with the gross traditional stuff. Mon Nov 17 04:19:04 -0800 2008 4177874 107671 queencru 1 4179617 It's no longer an issue, but Thanksgiving dinner at my mom's house always included a bowl of tiny white onions in cream sauce. As far as I can remember, back into the 50's, not a soul ever touched them and they went down the disposal as the table was being cleared. Through the 60s, 70s, 80s - creamed onions made an appearance every November. Everything else she made was happily devoured - especially the chestnut stuffing - but nobody EVER ate those onions. I asked my mother why she kept making them when nobody liked them and she just shrugged, "Tradition." Mon Nov 17 07:02:56 -0800 2008 4177874 10787 Deenso 2 4181708 I ADORE creamed onions, but my mom stopped making them because only my father and i ate them. She put really sharp cheddar on top of them and they were so so good! Maybe I'll make them again this year. Mon Nov 17 18:59:10 -0800 2008 4179617 86221 lulubelle 3 4181953 At my house it was always peas and pearl onions in a white sauce. I still make it. I think it was probably a cream of something soup or just straight cream in the dish when I was a kid. Now I make it with a bechamel and some herbs and I season it well and I really like the whole thing. When I was young, it was just something else I had to pass along in order to get to the gravy which is what I was really after. Mon Nov 17 20:42:32 -0800 2008 4181708 80141 ccbweb 3 4191924 Mom always made them for Dad, every year for Thanksgiving, and I remember how happy they were when I decided I liked 'em too. Never had them with sharp cheddar, but wow does that sound good, must try... Fri Nov 21 10:10:17 -0800 2008 4181708 177648 LadyOnO2 2 4197149 YES! I don't think my mom has made them lately because I think she and my grandmother are literally the only two who will touch them, but those onions used to sit next to the leftover turnips and rot right alongside them in the fridge. Sun Nov 23 21:57:25 -0800 2008 4179617 179924 Al_Pal 1 4179867 Rolls. They are never eaten as long as dressing is available. And agree the only purpose of the turkey is for gravy. Mon Nov 17 08:38:21 -0800 2008 4177874 11990 Janet from Richmond 2 4179935 Guys, I think most of us are saying the same thing here. Traditional Thanksgiving feast or not, please if you're hosting a spread, TAKE THE TIME AND ENERGY TO DO IT RIGHT!!! Buy good ingredients and prepare them well. If it's too much time, effort, and money, or you're cooking for too many people, then turn it into a potluck. Coordinate with everyone and see what they can bring. Don't have the time to fix a dish? Bring wine, money, ice, anything. Or bring yourself, if you will pitch in and help. Those that don't participate but show up to eat, don't invite them back next year. You can also just go out or bring in a prepared spread from a good restaurant. Something else: Don't invite everybody if you can't get along with everybody. Thanksgiving should be a fun festival of celebration. Don't make the day miserable by insisting that "everyone must be included." It should be enjoyable for all. If someone comes ready to pick a fight, don't invite them back. They will only bring it down for everyone. Mon Nov 17 09:00:12 -0800 2008 4179867 133862 Thefoodczar 3 4183719 Nice points czar! John and his dad are begging his mom to have the thing catered this year. She goes into a cooking tizzy for days and gets really stressed, thus stressing everyone else out around her. They keep telling her it's just not worth it. Last year she made a tiny bowl of mashed potatoes for like seven people and they were all fighting over it. John officially hates thanksgiving now. Tue Nov 18 12:49:41 -0800 2008 4179935 184593 givemecarbs 4 4186023 Thanks, givemecarbs. Why get stressed out? Go ahead and have it catered. That way you can focus on fun, wine, football, and family. Have a blast!! Wed Nov 19 09:32:00 -0800 2008 4183719 133862 Thefoodczar 2 4180906 Rolls? Really? At nearly every Thanksgiving I've been to, it seems like the rolls always run out. Even with dressing. I like just about any traditional Tgiving fare as long as it's done well. I am lucky, though, in that when my mother plans a Thanksgiving dinner, she spends weeks considering flavor profiles, etc. My in-laws, however, come from the school of boil-the-vegetables-until-they-are-limp-and-flavorless. Mon Nov 17 13:47:15 -0800 2008 4179867 111207 rweater 2 4186249 At my house every one has one or a half of one. There are always tonnes left over. But if they aren't there there is an uprising. Wed Nov 19 10:46:30 -0800 2008 4179867 164007 Bryn 1 4179914 I guess I'm lucky enough to not having anything that I actively dislike. It's all very good -- I just wish I could try some new recipes once in a while. There are so many dishes that we just have to have that, aside from a dessert or two (and even that's hard to change), everything is the same year after year. Mon Nov 17 08:51:49 -0800 2008 4177874 10666 Chocolatechipkt 1 4180877 skip the marshmallows on the sweet potatoes. None of that fruit cocktail/marshmallow salad stuff either No margarine or oleo No fake sour cream (DSis used to use IMO all the time, uggghhhhhhhh) No Cool Whip Mon Nov 17 13:36:58 -0800 2008 4177874 109905 laliz 2 4181407 That's one of the things I like about hosting Thanksgiving -- being able to control those factors! :-D Somehow we've never had sweet potatoes on the holiday, I guess b/c there's always tons of mashed potatoes and pureed butternut squash and other things. Hmm .. Mon Nov 17 17:03:18 -0800 2008 4180877 10666 Chocolatechipkt 2 4181766 Fake sour cream? I've never even heard of such a thing! It sounds pretty horrific though. Mon Nov 17 19:26:19 -0800 2008 4180877 102571 mordacity 3 4181956 Seriously....what is it? Mon Nov 17 20:43:00 -0800 2008 4181766 80141 ccbweb 4 4182496 There's this fat-free sour cream (I never got that concept of "fat-free cream" anything) product that gets sold. If you look at the ingredients, its all chemicals. yuck. Tue Nov 18 06:33:20 -0800 2008 4181956 24468 chicgail 5 4182689 Aha. I've seen some of those....actually many of those. There are times when its been difficult to find sour cream that didn't have a list of ingredients. I stick with Daisy. Tue Nov 18 07:49:27 -0800 2008 4182496 80141 ccbweb 6 4184480 Yes, too many of our local grocers, in an apparent attempt to make us dine in a more "healthy" fashion, now carry, "genuine, imitation sour-cream like product." I worry, when I see the Exon-Mobile logo on the tin. Heck, even the bottled waters have a big label, "0g trans-fat." Of course, you have to remember that my family is from Mississippi, so the big dish for Thanksgiving is deep-fried lard... at least it's not "genuine, artificial lard-like product." Hunt Tue Nov 18 17:40:40 -0800 2008 4182689 11329 Bill Hunt 1 4181006 We go to my parent's home for Thanksgiving, and my inlaws the following Sunday. Both serve the traditional feast. At my parents home, everything is homemade and delicious---except for the rolls. My mother insists on purchasing and baking those grocery store brown and serve rolls. I have no idea why--they never get eaten. Who wants to waste calories on something like that? The dinner at the inlaws is another matter. They mean well, but really cannot cook. I think the top two unappetizing items are their mashed potatoes--potatoes cooked in water and then mashed with that same water. That's it. No seasoning of any kind, not even salt. The other would be their pearl onions--again, boiled in water, and served, undrained, in that same unseasoned water. Oh, and their turkey is always a Butterball (shudder). But, the company is good, so that's a positive. Mon Nov 17 14:15:32 -0800 2008 4177874 203273 liamsaunt 2 4191933 I think your mother-in-law needs the pearl onion recipe from either ccbweb or lulubelle, and maybe offer to bring the mashed potatoes? Fri Nov 21 10:14:12 -0800 2008 4181006 177648 LadyOnO2 2 4192268 I hear you on the dual Thanksgivings. One year I had two dinners scheduled in one day and thank god. The first one I went to was at my grandfather's and his lady friend was certainly no good cook. The turkey was stone cold, for whatever reason. And my mom and aunt found cockroaches in the cupboard where she stored the plates. I nibbled some turkey to be polite and escaped to go to my dad's as soon as possible! Good mashed potatoes, moist turkey, and fabulous gravy, among other things, and it was all hot! It was heaven. Fri Nov 21 11:57:27 -0800 2008 4181006 112034 spellweaver16 2 4199300 I loathe pearl onions. My mother always makes them plain old boiled. She at least drains them and adds butter, but I am not a huge onion fan. Also, I used to always have to help peel them when I was younger, and that was a bitch. Mon Nov 24 17:11:40 -0800 2008 4181006 240339 Chefsquire 1 4181449 I can't stand pumpkin pie-even homemade. I've tried substituting pumpkin cheesecake & a pumpkin roll, but my folks expect pie. I could do without the turkey as well (except for the gravy,) and eat extra sausage stuffing instead! Mon Nov 17 17:18:48 -0800 2008 4177874 226378 turqmut 2 4181947 Have you tried sweet potato pie? Looks a lot like pumpkin, tastes good, and is actually healthier. Don't tell them, and see if they can spot the difference! Mon Nov 17 20:40:11 -0800 2008 4181449 48210 KevinB 3 4183250 Why is sweet potato pie healthier than pumpkin? Idon't want either one; just wondering. Tue Nov 18 10:45:51 -0800 2008 4181947 131001 c oliver 4 4184144 Less added sugar, I'm guessing? Tue Nov 18 15:25:20 -0800 2008 4183250 152338 fallingup 4 4184562 Higher in protein, Vitamin A, beta-carotene, fibre, and Vitamin C. I'm not saying pumpkins are bad; they're actually like most other squash, which is fairly good for you. But sweet potatoes are really good for you: www.foodreference.com/html/sweet-pot-nutrition.html Most recipes call for so much added sugar that it dwarfs what appears naturally in either pumpkin or sweet potatoes. Tue Nov 18 18:08:45 -0800 2008 4183250 48210 KevinB 5 4184621 If I recall my gastronomic chemistry, the skin of both the sweet-potato and white (Irish, etc.) also contain a great deal of iron in a form that the human body can easily metabolize. Now, if I could only get my wife to eat the skins! Hunt PS I do love pumpkins also Tue Nov 18 18:28:30 -0800 2008 4184562 11329 Bill Hunt 2 4183193 I think you and I are related. No pumpkin anything for me, I don't like turkey, and I absolutely adore my mother's sausage stuffing recipe with gravy. Tue Nov 18 10:29:51 -0800 2008 4181449 41042 jacquelyncoffey 1 4183238 Ex-mother in-law's oyster stuffing, instant mashed potatoes, store bought stale rolls, and cranberry sauce from a can. I am thankful that I never have to eat her Thanksgiving food again....I hug my mom extra hard on Thanksgiving due to her wonderful Thanksgiving dinner!!! Tue Nov 18 10:42:23 -0800 2008 4177874 136241 six dower 1 4183588 Another vote for green bean casserole. In addition, overcooked broccolli always seems to make its way to the table on Thanksgiving. Limp. Watery, olive green brocolli. Ugh. Tue Nov 18 12:11:49 -0800 2008 4177874 239703 jarona 1 4183876 Myself, I always cook from scratch. But when i was married, my ex-MIL cooked the turkey to death (it was lying in the pan, all splayed out), she used bisto for the gravy, and made stove-top stuffing. Yuck, yuck, and yuck. She never had to do Tgiving again! (Hmmm, maybe that was her master plan...bwahahahaha! Tue Nov 18 13:31:28 -0800 2008 4177874 84750 spazita 1 4184108 Sadly, grandma Melba's peach jello recipe (with bananas!) has passed with her. PS - the family does genuinely mourn her chocolate pie. Tue Nov 18 15:14:35 -0800 2008 4177874 60563 Rabbit 1 4184470 Cranberries for me...(except that my rejection of them has become a family joke). Every year as a child my grandmother would tell me that "They are different this year!" and for the first 18 years of my life I kept trying them...and each year I would wince. When I hit my mid-thirties I started to try to cook with them for others and they love what I do to them...but I still hate them. Hatity Hate Hate! Tue Nov 18 17:35:35 -0800 2008 4177874 178033 JanPrimus 1 4184888 I really dislike cranberries, all i taste is tart, and I am not overly fond of pumpkin. I really don't mind them being on the menu, but with all the food available, why do people seem so intent on getting you to like the one or two things you really don't want to eat? Tue Nov 18 20:28:12 -0800 2008 4177874 57890 KaimukiMan 1 4185177 Well I guess I will have to complain about myself here. He he! From my mother's side of the family is mashed rutabagas. I boil up a big rutabaga and mash it up with plenty of butter and then add an equal amount of freshly mashed potatoes. The mashed potatoes make the rutabaga taste smooth and creamy. To me the rutabagas are the perfect counterpoint to the turkey, filling, gravy and regular (from scratch) mashed potatoes and I serve them every thanksgiving. A few people at my table also like them but some of my guests avoid them like the plague. If those guests read chowhound they would surely post that they would like the mashed rutabagas to go bye bye! Wed Nov 19 01:57:51 -0800 2008 4177874 184593 givemecarbs 1 4186088 I like canned cranberry sauce - there, I said it. I don't like home-made - something about the texture is SO disturbing. I like the noise it makes coming out of the can, I like to see the little can ridges in it and I like it on a turkey sandwich with curry mayo the next day....I feel like I've just come clean in an AA meeting...and, marshmallows belong nowhere but on a stick over a campfire Wed Nov 19 09:53:41 -0800 2008 4177874 230549 lindsley 2 4186817 I'm with you on the cranberry sauce; I've had good and bad homemade, and the canned stuff is no different from buying grape jelly in a jar. I don't think most hounds make their grape jelly from scratch, although I'm sure I'll be flamed by those who do! As for marshmallows - don't know where you're from, but up here in the Great White North, marshmallows in the hot chocolate are a nice treat after a day of sledding/skating/skiing. Wed Nov 19 13:36:45 -0800 2008 4186088 48210 KevinB 3 4187685 Oh, KevinB, you're right - I stand corrected - I got so sidetracked by the horror of marshmallows in sweet potatoes, that I forgot hot chocolate (I grew up in Wisc) and s'mores (I was a camp counselor)...thanks for reminding me. Wed Nov 19 19:04:14 -0800 2008 4186817 230549 lindsley 3 4192352 They also belong in a rice krispies square! :-D Fri Nov 21 12:24:49 -0800 2008 4186817 166743 pinkprimp 2 4197164 I've never understood why marshmallows have to go anywhere near sweet potatoes. I only like marshmallows when they've been set on fire and charred on the outside but are still gooey on the inside....and in Lucky Charms. But why ruin an awesome sweet potato dish with something as vile as marshmallows? Sun Nov 23 22:08:24 -0800 2008 4186088 179924 Al_Pal 1 4186529 Being from a no shoes in the house, rice eating tradtion that included a full, all homemade Thanksgiving (with the exception of both fresh and canned cranberry sauce), I / we could easily do without anything potato. We never had green bean casserole, but that would be on the list if we had ever had it. Wed Nov 19 12:00:36 -0800 2008 4177874 36661 Sam Fujisaka 2 4191610 Aw come on, anglo Americans revel in their starch-fest with stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and cornbread. Why not potatoes *and* rice? I always thought that my family had them beat by copying the traditional spread and adding risotto to the mix; not sure who saw that and thought "this meal could use rice" but it works. Fri Nov 21 08:26:50 -0800 2008 4186529 177724 tmso 3 4196324 Well, our Thanksgivings always seemed to have turkey, gravy, stuffing, rice, homemade and canned cranberry sauce, a ham, sweet potatoes, Swedish meatballs, crudites, green salad, potato salad, deviled eggs, chicken teriyaki, musubi, inarizushi, makizushi, Japanese style spinach, asparagus, pork char shu, pumpkin pie, apple-cranberry pie, chiffon cake, devil's food cake, a german torte, and cream puffs. No one ever screamed out in anguish, "Arrghhh, we're out of potatoes!". Sun Nov 23 14:48:10 -0800 2008 4191610 36661 Sam Fujisaka 4 4196826 Wow, that's really something for everyone! Is this usually a big group? Sun Nov 23 18:45:53 -0800 2008 4196324 10666 Chocolatechipkt 5 4197374 It used to be when I was growing up in California. About 30 -35 people, all passionate about food. Mon Nov 24 03:59:32 -0800 2008 4196826 36661 Sam Fujisaka 1 4186788 Pumpkin pie! don't care if its from a bakery or a French chef made it, I cant't stand the taste of pumpkin anything! Brussels sprouts! Yuck, perhpas I was subjected to over-boiled ones with rock hard crumbs on top, but the smell of these make me want to retch! Wed Nov 19 13:27:27 -0800 2008 4177874 15139 Diane in Bexley 1 4188710 My brother-in-law's mother's tzimmes. I have no idea what went into Penny's Tzimmes, but there wasn't a single person in the family who would eat it, not even her own son. After many years, someone finally "forgot" to put it on the table and that became a new family tradition. It got even worse when my mother-in-law married a man with diabetes. Then we also got a big bowl of sugar-free tzimmes. Even worse, if that's possible. No one wanted to hurt her feelings but no one could choke that stuff down. I never got gravy until recently. After all, who really wants lumpy, sludgy brown goop that tastes like salty mucilage? Then the Spouse decided to do it properly with homemade stock, sherry, mushrooms, and lots of other real goodies. It takes quite a bit of time but he enjoys it and it's a revelation. The stuff actually tastes really good. But not that many people are willing to go to the effort, understandably. Thu Nov 20 07:47:01 -0800 2008 4177874 25244 rockycat 2 4197194 Does he have a recipe for the gravy or does he just wing it? It sounds good. Sun Nov 23 22:43:44 -0800 2008 4188710 57288 EmmaToo 1 4191182 In years I am making thanksgiving dinner, I enjoy all of it. But this year I am doing it with friends, one of whom insists on making his mother's vile congealed salad of lime jello, cabbage and mayo! When I go to my family's dinners in Alabama, they overcook a frozen turkey and serve gloppy casseroles of canned veggies and canned soups, but at least there are plenty of good local vegetalbles, delicious cornbread dressing and deserts. Fri Nov 21 05:28:53 -0800 2008 4177874 228931 thevirginian 1 4191237 Funny how everyone's traditions at the holidays can be so different! In my mind, there are no green veggies at Thanksgiving - all yellow and orange. Turnip, butternut squash, boiled onions.... Unfortunately, I am the only one who likes turnip, so I don't often have it, thus at T-giving it's a must. And I love the canned, jellied cranberry sauce! I am not a sweet potato girl, and anything with marshmallows in it is just wrong! Fri Nov 21 06:09:09 -0800 2008 4177874 177048 nanis 1 4191426 Gravy. Turkey gravy. Turkey hash. In any combination this is a heartburn recipe. Favorite food is a cornbread or corn based breading with oysters - not too finely diced, please. Cornbread with lots of cracked pepper or jalapeno is also a pretty good complement to the more bland traditions. I'll agree with several people on sweet potatoes - keep the marshmallows in the tent. The green bean with mushroom soup onion topped debris field is better suited for church summer picnics 'cause I won't be there. Fri Nov 21 07:26:38 -0800 2008 4177874 236391 chibob 2 4191543 My mil made cheddar cheese onions that my sil's husband and I fought over big time. Unfortunately nobody learned how to make it before she died, not even her daughter. Too bad! I still miss them 18 years later. I used to hate turkey growing up. My mother didn't like it, wouldn't spend $ on a good one, and then threw it in the oven to dry over high heat without basting. You could gag on it, it was so dry. Too bad, because her stuffing and gravy were superb. The first time I had TG at my mil's, I was astounded. She actuallly cared for the bird properly while it was in the oven. I never knew turkey tasted like anything other than cardboard! Thank goodness neither parent never--ever--made that vile marshmallow/sweet potato thing. Dessert as a side dish veg is not appealing. But yay for jellied canned cranberry sauce! Comfort food, especially when it "accidentally" gets some stuffing and gravy spilled on it on your plate. Fri Nov 21 08:06:45 -0800 2008 4191426 62815 CJW 1 4191987 Oyster Dressing. It's a must do at my family TG, but I can't stand the stuff. I like my oysters roasted on the grill, please, with plenty of horseradishy cocktail sauce. I like fresh cranberry sauce for the dinner, but I like the canned stuff sliced thinly on my turkey sandwich the next day. Fri Nov 21 10:29:58 -0800 2008 4177874 49452 SweetPhyl 2 4192275 I’d gladly eat anyone’s oyster stuffing – its got to be tastier than the boring outside-the-bird stuff I’ve been served over the years. I prefer mine cooked INSIDE the bird, and always have. I used to tell my younger siblings that it was actually food the turkey had already eaten before we cooked it. They were grossed out, ergo, more for me! And isnt it interesting that the green bean casserole (GBC) is so universally loathed, yet perpetually served? My mom did not make this (it had either not been “invented” yet or she was not aware of it waaaay back in the 60s) Since I hate green beans I’ve never touched this noxious stuff but I did make it once (upon request from a glad-to-be-gone boyfriend) and sent the leftovers home with the requestor. I also confess to actually liking that cranberry “jelly” but again, it’s a childhood thing. These days I actually prepare my own cran sauce, with orange zest, fresh ginger and cherry brandy. Its divine and goes great with leftover turkey. Thanksgiving for me as a kid was always about the preparation – days ahead mom and I baked the pies (made our own crusts and fillings) and polished the silver. We brought out the best china and glassware, and ironed and folded the napkins. There was even a dress code – NO jeans, no T-shirts and even dad and grandpa wore ties. Yeah, it’s a lot of work. But you only do it once a year! These days I spend my T-day as an overnight guest in someone else’s house, where our hostess has made abundantly clear that she does NOT want my help or suggestions. You should have seen the looks I got the first year I was there when I suggested perhaps a little garlic or horseradish in those pre-cooked and reheated mashed potatoes. Two years ago, craving something – ANYTHING -- healthy, I asked about a green salad, offering to make the fresh vinaigrette myself – I was told that there wasn’t room on the 25 foot long fold out table (rented for the occasion). Shall I whip some cream for your (Publix pumpkin) pie? No no … Reddi Whip is fine and “the kids prefer it” (I doubt seriously her grandchildren have even tasted real whipped cream). One year a regular guest was doing the Atkins diet, and brought all her own “low carb food”. If only she could have kept her mouth full, we would not have had to hear about how many carbs were in what WE were having. OK ok … I surrender. The trip itself allows Mr. Cheflambo to visit with his favorite cousin and his only brother, so I just show up, eat up, and shut up. The other 364 days a year I can eat what I like. Fri Nov 21 11:59:09 -0800 2008 4191987 102895 Cheflambo 1 4196268 I'm done with the nasty Green Bean Casserole. I tried to make it with all fresh ingredients, made my own cream of mushroom soup, etc- no one touched it because my frizzled onions were not from the can I guess. Other than that- everything I'm making is loved by all and I'm so excited to host my friends and family this year. Sun Nov 23 14:16:58 -0800 2008 4177874 110426 Boccone Dolce 1 4196312 Green bean casserole! Like my husband says, if people like it so much, why don't they make it year-round?! It's not like it's a challenge. Sun Nov 23 14:40:48 -0800 2008 4177874 204286 lisafaz 2 4197264 The cafeteria at my college served this at least twice a month at Sunday dinner. I can't stand it, but one of my good friends had to have at least two servings, so I was always enlisted to get her an extra helping. Mon Nov 24 00:35:52 -0800 2008 4196312 86221 lulubelle 1 4196336 I don't want "giblet" gravy. I want gravy that would pass through a tea strainer. I don't want gravy to be a Heimlich episode. Take those livers, hearts, gizzards, and unclassified neck parts and feed them to the cat. They don't belong in gravy. Sun Nov 23 14:53:36 -0800 2008 4177874 57170 Veggo 2 5057389 Veggo, that's downright uncivilized of you. Damn good over a peppery, sage cornbread stuffing! I assume you have teeth? Fri Sep 25 06:59:12 -0700 2009 4196336 137946 Scargod 3 5065029 no giblet or "parts" in the gravy and NO cornbread in the stuffing Mon Sep 28 15:22:35 -0700 2009 5057389 109905 laliz 4 5162509 Totally agree on cornbread stuffing, but I do like giblet gravy. I chop mine very fine and it really adds more flavor than texture. Fri Nov 06 18:54:17 -0800 2009 5065029 253542 cycloneillini 4 5162549 Not only no giblets in the gravy (and certainly no hard-boiled eggs), but no flour or corn starch to thicken it up. Just reduce it until it tastes great, skim off the fat and serve it. Fri Nov 06 19:23:43 -0800 2009 5065029 24468 chicgail 3 5112698 Veg's MUCH younger than you and I but I'm with him on the gravy. And my mother used to also put chopped boiled egg in it :( Sun Oct 18 14:16:15 -0700 2009 5057389 131001 c oliver 4 5162510 Boiled eggs in gravy sounds just nasty! Fri Nov 06 18:55:06 -0800 2009 5112698 253542 cycloneillini 2 5059559 I'm with Veggo. I don't even like gravy thickened with flour. I prefer the natural juice from the turkey, combined with a broth made from the giblets, onion & carrot and the whole thing reduced to a rich, almost wine-like savory liquid. If you want to eat those giblets after the broth is made that's fine. The dog likes them, too. Sat Sep 26 04:51:49 -0700 2009 4196336 24468 chicgail 1 5059238 I'm doing Thanksgiving for 14 this year. All authentic, all made from scratch. My mom has a tradition that she makes one new dish or dessert every year. It may replace last year's new one that wasn't a hit, or one of the traditional items is eliminated. I'm not a big pumpkin pie fan, so it wasn't a hard decision for me two years ago to substitute a new recipe for Pear-Cranberry Streusel Pie. It was rummy, and I'm going to make it again this year. I'm going to pass on the green bean casserole this year, because I have several new side dish recipes to choose from that I think everyone will enjoy more than "gray bean casserole." I'm with those who would eliminate the turkey, but it just wouldn't be the same. Fri Sep 25 19:55:55 -0700 2009 4177874 253542 cycloneillini 1 5059279 126 replies so far, as I write this and nobody has mentioned Mama Stamberg's Thanksgiving Relish? Susan Stamberg has been one of my favorite National Public Radio journalists over the years. NPR started a tradition many years ago, where Susan Stamberg gave the recipe for her mother-in-law's relish. We finally tried it, and for my tastebuds it was a horse radish disaster. Once was enough. But I will enjoy hearing how NPR creatively works the recipe in to "All Things Considered" again this year. That much of the Mama Stamberg tradition is as far as I'll go. In our house, we always had sweet & sour red cabbage, (or Rod Kaal or some such in German/Norwegian). I love the stuff and insist its on the table, but nobody fights me for it. We all love the traditional "Libby's" pumpkin pie recipe. Generally feel let down when one of the relatives says they'll bring the pumpkin pie and they bring some avante garde pumpkin pie recipe thing they found in the latest food magazine. Keep the pumpkin pie simple, and pass around the whipped cream and/or ice cream (perfect topping). Come on, guys. The green bean casserole may be over-done, but I kind of like it. Fri Sep 25 20:30:13 -0700 2009 4177874 1093031 Florida Hound 2 5060545 You're welcome to any green bean casserole that shows up at my Thanksgiving dinner! Bleah! I'd be happy to pay any shipping costs.... :-) And as an aside...my father made a turkey roll the first year after he and my mother divorced. As if that holiday season wasn't already bad enough! I still get shivers thinking about all that greasy compressed meat. Sat Sep 26 15:27:26 -0700 2009 5059279 1107449 tonina_mdc 1 5060798 The god damn turkey. Sat Sep 26 17:52:07 -0700 2009 4177874 93538 Passadumkeg 2 5061159 Yep. Me too. I don't like turkey. It tastes rotten (literally) to me. None of my family likes it either so we always have country ham. When my brother got married my sister in law demanded that we have turkey. We explained that we don't have it because we don't like it and won't eat it but suggested that we could make a turkey breast for her since she liked it. She declined that offer and said we had to have a whole turkey because it was traditional. So she made a whole turkey and we had to keep moving the dinner back because the dang bird took forever to cook. She also demanded that we have stuffing that was stuffed into the bird while it cooks. Now, we are a cornbread dressing family. So that year we had country ham and turkey (with stuffing) and everyone felt obligated to eat some of the turkey. I didn't try the stuffing because I was scared of it (she took it out of the turkey before the turkey was done and put it in a serving dish). We had a lot of turkey left over and she wouldn't take any of it home with her. So my Dad and I split the leftovers (we are not ones just to throw out food) and I managed to pile enough stuff on sandwiches to hide the turkey while I worked my way through the leftovers. She still brings a turkey for Thanksgiving dinners but she makes a turkey breast and no one but her eats it. She's never tried our country ham. Sat Sep 26 22:14:32 -0700 2009 5060798 61135 Boudleaux 3 5061373 Unless it is a wild bird, both corporate turkey and chicken are both flavorless but at the same time, tastes off to me. I'm having a Pen State Chinese/Korean student of mine from years ago up to Maine for Thanksgiving. Scallop cerviche and boiled lobsters give thanks for me. Funny that when I'm in the states what a fowl mood I get. Sun Sep 27 06:14:24 -0700 2009 5061159 93538 Passadumkeg 4 5095251 I don't like turkey either. Three of the big TG offenders ( gb casserole, canned jellied CB sauce, and candied yams with marshmallows) are things that I kind of feel don't count for this list, since we never ate them growing up. I mean, I do hate them , but they're not a part of my family's TG tradition. Turkey, though - it's not that I hate it, exactly, and I do prefer the dark meat to the white - it's just that it doesn't jazz me at all and it seems a pity that a turkey has to die for me to not even enjoy eating it. I always do duck for TG if my guests will stand for it. Sun Oct 11 12:44:06 -0700 2009 5061373 42367 ratgirlagogo 5 5095945 I have never tried duck (due to lack of opportunity, not outright refusal!), but I've heard it's rather greasy. What is it really like? I might get to host Thanksgiving next year, so I'm mulling possible changes.... Sun Oct 11 18:27:02 -0700 2009 5095251 1107449 tonina_mdc 6 5102576 Duck is great. It need not be greasy at all - all depends on how you fix it. Great flavor. Wed Oct 14 10:19:36 -0700 2009 5095945 36661 Sam Fujisaka 6 5162347 If you decide to do the duck (and don't wait a year if you are interested), do a five hour duck. Five hours at a low temp, all the fat is rendered leaving a crisp skin and juicy meat. It's not even hard, just long. Once an hour you take it out of the oven, prick the skin and turn it over. Google 5 hour duck and you will find the recipe. But yes, three to a bird, at most. Fri Nov 06 16:59:26 -0800 2009 5095945 18970 Val55 5 5101926 I've been thinking about doing away with the turkey this year, feeling much the way you do, and replacing it with ham. Actually I think we'll have both turkey and ham this year, so no one feels slighted. Wed Oct 14 06:11:47 -0700 2009 5095251 10666 Chocolatechipkt 5 5115970 Rat, get lots of duck, one duck serves 3, at best. Mon Oct 19 19:09:57 -0700 2009 5095251 93538 Passadumkeg 1 5062086 Stove Top Stuffing! My SO loves that stuff and I can barely stand to smell it. I prefer homemade dressing made with leftover cornbread and biscuits. Sun Sep 27 12:50:36 -0700 2009 4177874 78897 alliedawn_98 2 5062191 Allie, check your state's divorce laws. I understand that in several progressive food states that Stove Top Stuffing is clearly stated as grounds for divorce as a form of incompatibility. Sun Sep 27 13:44:03 -0700 2009 5062086 93538 Passadumkeg 3 5064204 My mom's fruit salad. For as far back as I can remember, my mom has made fruit salad-just basic fruit mixed with cool whip. Every year, it goes uneaten-even by her. We keep asking why she continues to make it, she just says it's tradition. One year I think she skipped it and we all wondererd where it was, of course we teased her and now it's a running joke every year. "So Mom, are you going to make your famous fruit salad that nobody eats? "Of course, it's tradition" she replies" I could live without pumpkin pie and sweet potato casserole, they're both just too sweet for me. My MIL made green bean casserole one year. It was the first and last time I ever ate it. Blech-I can't believe there are people out there who actually like it. I prefer turkey the next day in a sandwich, but could eat stuffing, gravy, and canned cranberry sauce all day. Mon Sep 28 10:47:54 -0700 2009 5062191 158403 jcattles 3 5098891 Hahah! We're not married so no divorce laws needed. He has lots of other good qualities so I'll keep him around for now. :) I just make my own dressing and he has his Stove Top and all are happy. At least his is quick and simple so I only have to spend a lot of time on mine! I don't care for the green bean casserole but got around making that one by coming up with a simple vegetable casserole that we all like. I don't mind the cream soups. I just don't like the texture and flavors of the green bean casserole.....maybe because I don't like canned green beans? Tue Oct 13 03:29:57 -0700 2009 5062191 78897 alliedawn_98 4 5112444 It's not that bad if you make it with frozen french cut green beans. But I stopped making it lately anyway. Sun Oct 18 12:00:07 -0700 2009 5098891 11097 coll 1 5098399 Boiled peas. With everything else to choose from I don't know why my mom insists on always having boiled peas at the table. No one wants them, at most they take a grudging teaspoonful. Mon Oct 12 18:37:16 -0700 2009 4177874 26054 Jasz 2 5102870 Um...the turkey. It's always dry and flavorless when my MIL makes it so I prefer eating the side dishes. Wed Oct 14 11:56:12 -0700 2009 5098399 99966 theminx 1 5102922 Fucking PRETZEL SALAD. Ok, before you judge, my mother is a wonderful person, but not a very wonderful cook. This is her uhh...signature dessert and everyone in my (weird) family seems to adore it. It's basically crushed pretzels suspended in red jello and topped with whipped cream. Just looking at it makes me testy and it will never go away. I don't mind green bean casserole, but I tried to do something different a few years ago and it was so well-received that I bring my parsnip and asparagus casserole to every holiday dinner instead. Super simple, too - layer thinly sliced parsnips (I quickly saute first to decrease baking time), caramelized onions, and asparagus (cut into about 2" pieces) in a 9" square baking dish. Add a bit of salt and fresh rosemary to top each layer. Pour over a bit of heavy cream and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. I adapted this from a recipe that called for potatoes instead of the parsnips, so that's an option, too. Wed Oct 14 12:13:10 -0700 2009 4177874 172437 foodpoisoned 2 5115543 I think of most tgiving food as an excuse to bring back the 1950s way of eating. Mon Oct 19 16:08:48 -0700 2009 5102922 18011 Jacey 1 5103602 A few years ago I visited an elderly friend in her penthouse in Baltimore. Canned peas, Stove-top stuffing, instant potatoes, I will never forget. But, she is not capable of serving TGiving in any form any more. So, even though I was horrified at the time, I'm not any more. Wed Oct 14 16:17:05 -0700 2009 4177874 109905 laliz 1 5115971 I used to say cranberry sauce was something I could do without, and then I made some whole-berry sauce for a Thanksgiving potluck at work, and my eyes were opened. I don't care for stuffing/dressing, although if it's reasonably dry, and baked separate from the turkey, I can put down a forkful or two of it to be sociable. And I've grown up enough in my tastes that I can eat sweet potatoes (whipped, preferably with the candied pecans on top). But my dear dear Mother continues to make this large bowl of cranberry relish with cranberries, apples and orange peel that no one except her eats. I try to eat it every year, and end up pushing it around on my plate - the peel's just too bitter. Mon Oct 19 19:09:57 -0700 2009 4177874 91302 podunkboy 2 5118606 If the peel's bitter, she's probably not trimming enough of the pith. Why don't you give her a hand this year, trim it closely, and see if that helps? Tue Oct 20 18:17:02 -0700 2009 5115971 1104506 FrankD 1 5149042 My new othwerwise lovely and wonderful SIL's family will only eat the dry packaged turkey gravy made up with water. The horror. The Thanksgiving I went to at her house right after their marriage, it was shocking. I mean...gravy, it's the cornerstone of Thanksgiving. It's the raison d'etre for the dang bird!!! and they insisted that it come out of packages! To be put on the dressing that was made from homemade cornbread!!! Why bother with good dressing if you kill it with crappy gravy. I made gravy. I don't care how rude it was and I acknowledge, it was rude. But, dang people, some folks need to be saved from themselves. Mon Nov 02 09:12:43 -0800 2009 4177874 1092553 aggiecat 2 5149214 The first Thanksgiving my husband and I were dating and he pulled two jars of gravy from the cupboard. I gave him the "WTF?" look and proceeded to make gravy. I think that may be one reason he married me. Mon Nov 02 09:51:50 -0800 2009 5149042 11990 Janet from Richmond 3 5162553 Janet, that's too funny! Same thing with me and my DH of 35 years... I took over gravy at his house when we were dating. His mom didn't do canned, but she also didn't (still doesn't) know how to make gravy. Fri Nov 06 19:25:36 -0800 2009 5149214 14457 onrushpam