"relatives" news and stories

Thanksgiving brings with it a whole host of wonderful things. Delicious food, a couple of well-deserved vacation days and visits from far-flung family members. I have always gotten along really well with my family, both the immediate version as well as the extended clan. However, after appetizers, multiple plates of turkey, three wedges of pie and several glasses of wine, conversation can sometimes get, well...a bit honest.

Those situations call for carefully planned comebacks and the girls over at Elastic Waist have got you covered. They've put together a list of Top Ten Comebacks for Well-Meaning but Obnoxious Relatives. They are mostly food-related, including such gems as

• Oooh, do you really think you need another biscuit? "I don't need it. I WANT it."
• Do you know how many calories that has? "Yes, and I'm looking forward to every one of them."

If your family meal is a potluck and someone looks askance at your offering and asks, "Well honey, what is in that, exactly?" Barring food allergy inquiries, you can always just reply, "It's gourmet!"

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The holidays tend to bring up a lot of food traditions and we all have at least one relative that wants to stick to the old standards, point-blank refusing to try any new foods between November and New Year's. But even if you're sticking with tradition, you can still improve on the original recipe. Alanna, from A Veggie Venture, made the World's Best Green Bean Casserole based on a recipe in the most recent issue of Cook's Illustrated. The recipe emphasizes using fresh green beans, not frozen or canned even though it takes a lot more time to prep them, and a fresh mushroom sauce that adds a bright, enticing flavor in lieu of canned mushroom soup. Even CI couldn't do away with the canned french fried onions, but as Alanna points out, the topping can be reduced by half and still be very generous. And you won't feel as guilty for using something canned and fried, but will still keep everyone in the family happy with a perfect holiday side.

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