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My daughter hates sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie, and has since childhood. I buy pumpkins, cook them, and make the pie from scratch. Maybe she doesn't like "orange" food? lol
It's probably a consistency thing. Those are both sort of soft, some people do not like that mouth feel. Same with green bean casserole in its traditional form with cream of mushroom soup it gets fairly soft and soupy.
I like pumpkin pie if the filling to crust ratio is right. Less filling is better.
I make a sweet potato casserole that's been passed down for about 25 years now. I enjoy green bean & corn casserole as it's a once a year thing. I also like a good cranberry relish.
I like sweet potato casserole too. It's a perfect blend of soft and crunchy, with the topping being pecans mixed with butter, flour and brown sugar. I would probably use Agave nectar now, maybe mixed with some chia seeds.
News to me! I always have cranberry sauce on the side, and put gravy over the turkey on my plate.
Doesn't mean that I am right and you are wrong, of course. Again, different people -- different customs, different tastes.
Absolutely. To me the cranberry is kind of like a palate cleanser before I dive into another round of turkey, gravy, and carbs. On the other hand, I have a relative who ladles the cranberry sauce over everything like it was gravy. Even makes sandwiches with it. When he comes over for Thanksgiving, I have to make a double batch just for him.
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Originally Posted by Riley.
When I started making green bean casserole with fresh green beans and cutting back a bit on the cream of mushroom, I liked it a whole lot better - so I do eat and make that.
I also now make my own cranberry sauce. It's so easy and delicious. Hubs doesn't eat it though, so this year I'm not making any.
And finally, no candied yams here.
I always make my father's stuffing recipe but now like it as 'stuffin' muffins.' They get a nice crisp on the top and with gravy are really good.
When I can get them, I like to use fresh green beans as well, and about half the cream of mushroom. I did make my own mushroom cream sauce from scratch a couple of time and it was so much better than canned, but with everything else going on, it kind of became one step too many in the kitchen.
I also make my own cranberry sauce. My son was the connoisseur of that and helped me each year, but now he's married and living on his own.
We must think a lot alike because I also do the stuffin' muffins' as you said.
They are very salty - I like them in moderation for the one or two times a year I use them but only the brand name. My grocery brand is just gross. I tried doing the fried shallots and they were amazing but so much work!
I've got to try the fried shallots idea. Sounds great.
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Originally Posted by gentlearts
It wouldn’t be thanksgiving without “the dreaded green bean casseroleâ€. I was about to eliminate it until my son married a girl from Puerto Rico who had never had it. She loved it, so it gets to stay. It’s just hubby and I this year, so we will skip it.
I’m fine with candied sweet potatoes, but never marshmallows. Got no problem with canned cranberry sauce either.
Things I would never make for Thanksgiving, although I don’t hate them in general are Hashbrown casserole, macaroni and cheese, or pasta dishes……anything the pilgrims couldn’t have had, I don’t want.
MY thought is it's the "candied" part that turns folks off. Sweet potatoes are already plenty sweet and then folks add a ton of brown sugar. I leave the sugar out and just add butter and some nutmeg, sometimes a touch of ginger and cinnamon.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gentlearts
One thing I learned the hard way is that it needs the original cream of mushroom soup. Don’t buy low fat, or low salt or gluten free or whatever kind of varieties they sell now.
The Campbells used to make soups specifically for recipes that had a different consistency and seasoning blend than the regular soups. Don't see those anymore. Also as someone has mentioned, the canned cream of soups are different than they used to be. They lack the depth of flavor they used to have.
I never liked sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce or pumpkin pie because of the taste & texture of the dishes involved. When I was involved in making the meal, I made these changes:
Sweet potatoes: no canned, slimy sweet potatoes, marshmallows, gag. Bake whole sweet potatoes, mash with butter, serve.
Cranberry sauce: no canned slime. Buy fresh, raw cranberries, cook per package directions, using less sugar than recommended
Pumpkin pie. just no. Apple crisp with fresh, not canned apples.
Green bean casserole was never part of the equation, fresh baby green peas are better.
Turkey is cooked outdoors in Weber kettle, yielding smoky drippings to enhance homemade giblet gravy.
A crudite dish is a necessity, carrot & celery sticks, radish roses, black olives, sweet gherkins, all on cut glass serving dishes. That's just nostalgia for me.
I think a lot of these "traditional" sides got started in the 1950's by the canned food companies promoting their unhealthy "convenience foods" that many people grew up with, that we know now are so bad for you.
In reality, I don't do any of this anymore.
Our oven went out on Christmas day one time. No panic. Turkey went to the Weber and everything else went to the Dutch ovens. Can't beat the taste of smoked turkey.
It's interesting on the "traditional" side. I think much depends on where you come from. Mom was from up north; dad picked cotton down south (met during the war). So our big meals kind of mixed both traditions. Though the only "canned" goods mom used were the ones "canned" in glass jars we put up over the summer. No canned sweet potatos or cream of mushroom in her kitchen. I was probably the first one in the family to start using store bought prepared products when I moved out. Funny part is, now that I'm retired and have the time, I'm doing a lot more from scratch like mom did.
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Originally Posted by pathrunner
Ha! I agree. I love having Thanksgiving dinner with white meat eaters. All the more dark meat for me! It's interesting how the preferences are really strong on both sides. There were one or two times when I had wonderful, juicy, tender white meat. The rest of the times, no.
We'd get along great. I love the white meat and you can have the dark. Nothing wasted.
Absolutely. To me the cranberry is kind of like a palate cleanser before I dive into another round of turkey, gravy, and carbs. On the other hand, I have a relative who ladles the cranberry sauce over everything like it was gravy. Even makes sandwiches with it. When he comes over for Thanksgiving, I have to make a double batch just for him.
That reminds me, when I lived in San Francisco and worked for years in the Financial District, there was a popular sandwich: The Turkey-Cranberry. Yum. I must make that one soon! Thanks for the fond reminder.
That reminds me, when I lived in San Francisco and worked for years in the Financial District, there was a popular sandwich: The Turkey-Cranberry. Yum. I must make that one soon! Thanks for the fond reminder.
My turkey sandwiches always have turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce, with Mayo.
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