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What are some classic holiday foods you love and hate. And classic could mean any country's common holiday menu items.
I'll go first. Things I hate: green bean casserole, pumpkin cheesecake, sweet potato casserole if it has the marshmallow goop. Things I LOVE: Sweet potato casserole with nut topping and not too sweet, sweet potato pie (if I make it), pumpkin anything else but cheesecake, Brussels sprouts with chestnuts, homemade cranberry anything (bread, chutney, sauce, etc.), tamales 🫔!
And 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. GO!

Exactly the same, StillLivin! Pet peeve is cinnamon in every sweet potato recipe. When did that become the norm?

Agree with mostly your list, but will add that I LOVE mashed potatoes, bread stuffing, and any form of cranberry, including the jellied in the can
And I would take an apple pie over anything pumpkin, and a NY style cheesecake any day,

My least favorite thing on the table at Thanksgiving in the US is the turkey…. But the leftover turkey is worth it. Leftover turkey is a different, wonderful thing all together.

I had a boyfriend in college who was from an Italian family. Their traditional table had a rice stuffing for the turkey and I could barely choke it down. There are very few things I dislike that much, but oddly that was one. And his whole family lived for that dressing, they loved it so much.
Tastes are funny. 🤷‍♀️

Superesse, I like cinnamon in my sweet potato, but sometimes I prefer it without it. I hate when it's too much, though. Blehgggg.

Bearly Breathing, I love cheesecake, I just can't stand when pumpkin is in it. Crazy because I love pumpkin everything else. And I make a killer cranberry chutney and cranberry jello mold. LOL, now im making myself hungry. Yummm, stuffing is great a t when made right. Sometimes I want sausage in it, other times the turkey giblets and livers. I also like it with cranberries and mushrooms. I love leftover turkey in turkey pozole verde. We always save the bones and make a bone broth by simmering it all night. I brine my turkeys, so I don't even really need to add seasonings, just vegetables when making the bone broth! You should try it if you like a little bit of spiciness.

I pretty much love everything I'm a weirdo like that :P but I guess the one thing I dislike the most on Thanksgiving is the turkey so I put lots of gravy on it usually.

I love homemade cranberry sauce and stuffing is my favorite. I make a killer cornbread pudding that's been a hit these last few years. Gonna try a pomegranate ambrosia fruit salad this year.

My mom's pumpkin pie is the best too!

I also hate the green bean casserole. I made it once, and I made a lot of it, and it was just awful.

I made a pumpkin cheesecake one year and it wasn't great, but my nephew's ex-wife used to bring a pumpkin cheesecake and it was good.

You know what I love at holiday dinners? Fresh rolls with butter. It's the sort of thing we never have at a regular dinner. And just like at a restaurant they're the worst because you don't want to ruin your dinner eating rolls but they're so good!

My hubby's family has gotten too large and too spread out so we no longer do family holiday meals unless it's at a restaurant. We do have a gathering with them coming up on the 22nd.

My little family has a feud going on with 2 people saying they won't come if the other doesn't so we've just stopped offering/ hosting them. And of course, my mom is in the retirement home now and I don't know if she could make it up the stairs to come to my house. I have gone to her retirement home and eaten in their lounge with her twice now. My hubby and I go to a holiday dinner at a nearby, homey restaurant in the woods that usually offers a turkey dinner special. And we also just do a Butterball turkey roll for us at home.

Commenting on the revulsion some feel for the infamous Green Bean Casserole: Back in the earlier days of the soup company that made that recipe famous, their Cream of Mushroom Soup actually had cream and dairy products in it, and when I did make it we always enjoyed it. Fast-forward a couple decades, the same "cream of _____" soups are filled with artificial thickeners, taste like canned Glop, and have less than no flavor....unreal how bad their product has gotten. So don't blame the original recipe! :)

I'll throw in deviled eggs. Almost any holiday dinner requires them at the Tred dinner spread!

Superesse, I started hating green bean casserole in 1978 when my family made them with all real ingredients. TBF I cant stand mushy vegetables. Now a green been side sautéed with fresh green beans, mushrooms, pancetta, and almonds or roasted chestnuts, yumm. 😉
Crazyblindsided, I love cornbread. I've only tried cornbread pudding once and disnt care for it. I didn't dislike it either, though. But I disliked fried turkey for years. I tried it several times made by different people. Then my best friend's new husband made it one year. OMG. Now, I must have his recipe fried turkey every year. So maybe I just haven't eaten cornbread pudding made by the right person.
SackofSorry, Im completely with you. Who doesn't love fresh dinner rolls, especially iftheyre made from scratch with all that delicious butteriness. And plop some good gravy on top, chef's kiss.
Tried, I'm with you. Deviled eggs are a must at every holiday!

I dont go for most the Thanksgiving classics. I prefer my turkey smoked long and low so its tender and not dry.
I prefery.veggied to be real. I make a brussel sprout dish that is asked for at every gathering and was made long before they came en vogue. I do them with pecans, bacon, honey, and balsamic. My sweet potatoes are cubed and roasted with just bit of olive oil and cinnamon sugar. We have a family spinach souffle that I use fresh spinach, smoked Gouda, and cheddar.
I also usually have a brisket filet for Xmas.

I like it all. While we have to eat GF, there is gf mushroom soup and gf crunchy onions things, so bring on the green bean casserole! Love pumpkin cheesecake! Find turkey delish! Never met a "deviled" egg I didn’t like as long as it’s not me making it. That cranberry stuff in a can. Yumm. And those funky 1960s salads that have nothing salady in them like ambrosia "salad" :) count me in!!!

But I admit to not being a fan of Lutefisk (lye fish) which was traditional when I was growing up. Throw that stuff overboard.

Tushnurse, can I come next Thanksgiving? Pretty please! Message me your brussel sprout recipe. I make mine with chopped roasted chestnuts, lemon juice, Parmesan, and Shallots. Let me know if you want it too.

SheHawk, I just love your energy. Hmmm, lutefisk. I would try it once to see for myself. Yes, I live anything cranberry. Fresh, canned, in a jello mold. Ooh I make a Christmas jello mold with three layers. The first is minced cranberry orange using plain gelatin, cranberry and tangerine juice, and homemade cranberry chutney with nuts. The second is lime with chopped pineapple and lime gelatin. The third is mandarin orange with orange jello, canned mandarins, and cream cheese or whipped cream folded in. Right now im getting ready to make a cranberry orange zest nut bread for dessert.

OK StillLivin I am totally stealing that jello mold treat!!!

When I was growing up, my grandmother made turnip casserole for every Thanksgiving. For those who have never baked a turnip, they have a distinctive smell that grows more pungent if overcooked. It was impossible to appreciate the scent of the turkey or pies under an aggressive miasma of turnip casserole.

The year after my grandmother died, my mom figured she would carry on the tradition and brought an enormous bowl of turnips to Thanksgiving. She was surprised that they went untouched by the rest of the extended family, who missed Grandma but not her signature dish. I haven't eaten a turnip in almost 40 years!

BraveSirRobin, Now THAT is a holiday scent memory to remember LOL!!!

I once read that during World War II shortages and general hard times for the French people, sometimes all they had for food were the turnips from their fields that they'd grown for their livestock. The author said survivors of those times refused to ever eat a turnip again! What a story to have to smell them all through the house at every holiday!!

Superesse, Go for it. It is delicious and easy to make a day or two in advance. Since it's layers, I never stress and just do a layer a day until its done. For the cranberry, I have both raw cranberry relish added to whole cranberry sauce that I make. Make the raw relish first and put in the freezer. I then make the cranberry sauce according to package directions while adding cranberry juice and a knox gelatin package. Cook it. When its done and par cooled, add the cranberry relish and chopped nuts of choice. Dont add nuts while cooking, they get mushy. The cranberry relish is super easy. It's fresh cranberries, one diced orange (peel and all), sugar, clove, and cinnamon. Pulse until its the consistency you want. I usually put half in the fridge to enjoy by itself and the other half goes in the freezer while im making the cranberry gelatin.

PM me if you want more details.

BraveSirRobin, that sounds like a disaster recipe. She must have lived turnips. What did she put in it? I am just morbidly curious!

[This message edited by StillLivin at 4:02 AM, Friday, November 14th]

StillLivin, Thanks for the go-ahead complete with helpful tips! I too love made-from-scratch cranberry relish at holidays; it's so easy, just fresh cranberries, zest of orange, juice of orange(s) and a splash of maple syrup in a large sauce pan, cover, sautee all, smash 'em with a potato masher and allow to cool. It is one of the few rave review side dishes I've ever made...found online somewhere. But never tried it in a jello mold. 😀
The nut pieces will be such a great addition.

Superesse,

I do love a good cranberry sauce, relish, and compote! My favorite sauce for potlucks is cranberries, sweetener of choice (sugar, agave, or maple syrup), orange zest (or lemon or lime or combination of), a hint of ginger, mandarin oranges, fresh (or canned) pineapple, nuts of choice, cinnamon, and clove. I add all but the finely chopped pineapple and mandarin oranges and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to a simmer and allow the cranberries to all pop while mixing with a spoon. Once they are almost all popped, I then add the pineapples and mandarin oranges and allow for about a minute or two on the heat. I remove from heat and allow to slightly cool before adding the chopped nuts. But I also make more basic recipes depending on my mood. I love to have on hand raw relish. I can eat it as is or add to baked goods like cookies, breads, muffins, scones, etc. When I make bread, I love to add both whole and relish for the extra bursts of cranberry goodness. I also make a cranberry apple version if I'm having anything pork. And then there is apple cranberry pie and crisp! Yummm! Sehr lecher! 😋

[This message edited by StillLivin at 12:00 AM, Monday, November 17th]

I honestly have no idea what else was in the turnip casserole. I'll have to ask my mother!

This thread reminds me of a similar Thanksgiving food post, "Stuffing Wars," I started in Fun & Games in 2021. IIRC, Bigger and I were the holdouts for plain bread with onion, celery and butter. There also was a friendly battle over sweet potatoes a year or two before that.