Gadling is giving away free tickets to Amsterdam!

Bottom Five - Thanksgiving Off-Sides

we hate candied yamsWith Thanksgiving little more than two weeks away, I have started planning as I always do. Ever since I could physically lift a turkey out of the oven, I have been in charge of Thanksgiving dinner. Sometimes that means I am the General Butterball, providing the turkey, then dictating what sides everyone else brings to a potluck-style dinner at my teensy tiny apartment. Most of the time, though, it means I am cooking up the whole show myself.

The latter is my preference, control freak that I am. I just can't bear the thought of certain dishes that only seem to come out at Thanksgiving time, but really now, they should never come out at all. Oh, who am I kidding? Even when I cook, my family calls, emails, IMs and makes requests for those things I absolutely detest and I have to make them anyway:

1. Green Bean Casserole - Why? Whhhyyyy?!?! It's condensed soup, canned green beans, and onions that look like deep-fried aliens. I tried to make this from "scratch" one year, and my sister asked me suspiciously, "You didn't use Campbell's, huh? Because it doesn't taste right."   

2. Candied Yams - I love sweet potatoes. Roasted, mashed, whipped with cream and butter, sweet potatoes are delicious and of course, extremely healthy. But there is nothing healthy nor natural about squishy orange chunks from a can covered with toasted marshmallows. Marshmallows are for s'mores and rice krispies. I hate those itty bitty marshmallows. Hate hate hate marshmallows on my "yams."

3. Stovetop Stuffing - I can't believe I am admitting that someone in my family prefers Stovetop over stuffing made from scratch. It makes me twitch. How does dry boxed stuffing have chicken in it?! Chicken flavor, I know, which is just...excuse me while I *twitch*

4. Cranberry Gelatin Mold - Cranberry sauce is one of my favorite things on the table. I have in recent years, even made fresh cranberry relish which is incredibly tart and totally awesome. Fresh cranberries bounce, but why does someone want to watch it wiggle, see it jiggle?!?! And the fact that it's called a "mold" should knock it right off the table anyway.

5.  This one is for you to fill in because if I think about it anymore, I might just get so discouraged and screw it all by ordering KFC.

 

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Tip of the Day

When cooking apples, save your apple cores and peels. Boil them for a half hour, simmer them, and save them for the next apple pie!

Slashfood Features


Seasons
Spring (19)
Summer (199)
Fall (52)
Winter (4)
What is it?
Beef (571)
Bread (60)
Candy (470)
Cheese (483)
Chocolate (791)
Comfort Food (665)
Condiments (238)
Dairy (527)
Eggs (276)
Fish (339)
Fruit (977)
Grains (608)
Meat (285)
Nuts/seeds (293)
Pork (345)
Poultry (403)
Rice (36)
Shellfish (155)
Soups/Salads (64)
Spices (300)
Sugar (406)
Vegetables (1254)
Holidays
Christmas (68)
Easter (20)
Halloween (46)
Hanukkah (9)
New Year's (11)
St. Patrick's Day (13)
Thanksgiving (54)
Valentine's Day (32)
Memorial Day (13)
Mother's Day (32)
Passover (7)
News
Artisan Foods (96)
Bakeries (136)
Books (750)
Business (1178)
Celebrities (110)
Coffee shops (183)
Farming (408)
Fast Food (262)
Food News (168)
Health & Medical (781)
How To (1255)
Lists (746)
Local Eating (83)
Magazines (468)
New Products (1421)
Newspapers (1541)
On the Blogs (2312)
Raves & Reviews (1095)
Recipes (2179)
Restaurants (1310)
Science (705)
Site Announcements (177)
Stores & Shopping (947)
Television/Film (585)
Trends (1305)
Vegetarian/Vegan (56)
Features
Cheese Course (16)
Diary of a Distiller (21)
Guilty Pleasures (46)
Raising the Bar (18)
Tip of the Day (135)
Wild Edibles (21)
Alt-SlashFood (42)
Back to School (14)
Brought to you by the letter D (37)
Cocktail Hour (55)
Cookbook of the Day (460)
Cooking Live with Slashfood (80)
Cooking Without a Recipe (4)
Culinary Kids (230)
Did you know? (445)
Fall Flavors (126)
Feast Your Eyes (137)
Food Gadgets (469)
Food Oddities (948)
Food Porn  (879)
Food Quest (170)
Foodie Flicks (13)
Frugal Food (76)
Garden Party (26)
Grilled Cheese Day (34)
Hacking Food (107)
Happy Hour (210)
Head to Tail (38)
in sixty seconds (470)
Ingredient Spotlight (31)
Leftovers  (46)
Light Food (182)
Liquor Cabinet (167)
Lush Life (226)
Our Bloggers (22)
Pizza Day (40)
Pop Food (146)
Pumpkin Day (10)
Real Kitchens (77)
Retro cookery (125)
Sandwich Day (32)
Slashfood Ate (141)
Slashfood Bowl 2008 (17)
Slashfood Challenge (1)
Slashfood Talks (4)
Slow cooking (51)
Spirit of Christmas (174)
Spirit of Summer (178)
Spirited Cooking Day (29)
Spring Cleaning (23)
Steak Day (19)
Super Bowl XLII (73)
Super Size Me (118)
The Best ... in All of New York (14)
The History of... (69)
Wine of the Week (2)
YumSugar (3)
What Time Is It?
Breakfast (715)
Dessert (1264)
Dinner (1328)
Hors D'oeuvres (290)
Lunch (980)
Snacks (1073)
Where Is It?
America (2380)
Europe (467)
France (142)
Italy (156)
Asia (509)
Australia (150)
British Isles (854)
Caribbean (36)
Central Africa (7)
East Coast (564)
Eastern Europe (42)
Islands (53)
Mediterranean (130)
Mexico (17)
Middle East (57)
Midwest Cities (222)
Midwest Rural (69)
New Zealand (63)
North America (78)
Northern Africa (20)
Northern Europe (66)
South Africa (30)
South America (92)
South Asia (123)
Southern States (207)
West Coast (917)
What are you doing?
Baking (748)
Barbecuing (102)
Boiling (128)
Braising (19)
Broiling (34)
Frying (175)
Grilling (179)
Microwaving (34)
Roasting (88)
Slow cooking (25)
Steaming (45)
Choices
 (0)
Fairtrade (10)
Additives
Artificial Sugars (38)
High-fructose corn syrup (15)
MSG (7)
Trans Fats (58)
Libations
Hot chocolate (24)
Soda (157)
Spirits (360)
Beer (350)
Brandy (5)
Champagne (82)
Cocktails (410)
Coffee (363)
Gin (105)
Juice (122)
Liqueurs (56)
Non-alcoholic (20)
Rum (88)
Teas (172)
Tequila (11)
Vodka (151)
Water (85)
Whisky (100)
Wine (612)
Affairs
Celebrations (49)
Closings (9)
Festivals (37)
Holidays (240)
Openings (40)
Parties (206)
Tastings (141)

RESOURCES

RSS NEWSFEEDS

Powered by Blogsmith

Featured Stories

Featured Galleries

I scream, you scream...
Food delivery at its finest
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Diary of a Distiller: Chapter 21 - Hangin' Tight - Gallery B
Diary of a Distiller: Chapter 21 - Hangin' Tight - Gallery A
Chipotle Turbine
Diary of a Distiller: Chapter 20 - Ups N Downs - B
Diary of a Distiller: Chapter 20 - Ups N Downs - A
Scuppernong Cake
La Cense Beef
Diary of a Distiller: Chapter 19 - The Bionic Brewery - B
Diary of a Distiller: Chapter 19 - The Bionic Brewery - A
 

Sponsored Links

Most Commented On (60 days)

Sites We Love

Other Weblogs Inc. Network blogs you might be interested in:

Also on AOL