We are in the midst of preparing for the two best holidays of the year. It’s the fall season, the leaves are beautifully colored, and Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner. And as we prepare ourselves to journey home for these festivities, what do we most look forward to? THE FOOD (sorry parents, when you’re a broke college student you need all the home cooked meals you can get). Here’s a list of my opinions about the best and worst holiday foods around. Have some napkins close by just in case you start to drool.
Stuffing
https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/sausage-herb-stuffing.html
DELICIOUS. This dish is a staple and the Thanksgiving table is not complete without it. If you dislike stuffing, go see a doctor because something is terribly wrong. How could you not like various flavors of meats and vegetables baked with bread in a giant dish? Add some gravy to that baby and it is on.
Jellied Cranberry Sauce
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/spiked-jellied-c…
REPULSIVE. Have you ever seen someone shake the can of cranberry sauce until it wiggled its way out? You don’t want to I’ll tell you that. This garbage tastes like Jell-O that went extremely sour. The texture is gnarly and nothing should come out of a can and stay in the same position. It is unorthodox.
Green Bean Casserole
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/recipe/frenchs-original-green-bean-casserole-1…
This is HEAVEN on earth. Green bean casserole is my favorite Thanksgiving dish by a longshot. When it comes out of the oven with the fried onion crisps bubbling on top and the amazing smell, it’s something I dream about.
Turkey/ Ham
https://www.smokehouse.com/burgers.nsf/item/our-holiday-feast-combo
I personally don’t eat meat (sorry I’m the worst), but my family and every other non-vegetarian I know seems to really like this stuff. The only complaint I have about these two items is I hate watching people prepare it. Sorry, I don’t want to see a bloody ham hock or a turkey being fisted over the sink.
Pumpkin Pie
https://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/tempting-pumpkin-pie/1b9bd629-730a-…
Nasty. I don’t believe pumpkin should be canned and when it comes out of the can, it looks like a cat barfed up its food. If we’re talking pumpkin bread with an icing drizzle, I’m all ears. It has a weird taste that I can’t describe but I know I’ll keep avoiding my grandma trying to get me to eat this until the end of time.
Sweet Potatoes/ Mashed Potatoes
https://www.theodysseyonline.com/shout-out-to-potatoes-sweet-potatoes-ed…
I adore both of these. I recently hopped back on the sweet potato train after traumatic experiences with this food as a baby. You wouldn’t think marshmallows, brown sugar, and sweet potatoes would be a good mix, but you bet your bottom dollar they are! Mashed potatoes are an automatic win. How could you hate them? Everybody loves this classic.
Pillsbury Pull Apart Cookies
https://www.pillsbury.com/products/cookies
If these don’t get you in the holiday spirit then what does folks?! These cookies are around all year but are most important during the holiday season. Sugar cookies with precious designs in them like Christmas trees, turkeys, or pumpkins, are too good to pass up. I don’t know about y’all but I would still rather eat the dough.
Chex Mix
https://www.pepperscale.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Cayenne-Spiced-Eg…
So ok this one might not be as big in some families but I see various kinds of Chex Mix quite often around the holidays. My dad makes this really good Chex Mix covered in Worcestershire sauce and bakes it halfway in the oven. The smell is AMAZING. I know that puppy chow and other dessert style Chex Mixes are popular. So let’s be real, you need a sweet snack after coming out of your food coma right? Right.
Eggnog
https://www.pepperscale.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Cayenne-Spiced-Eg…
Yes, yes, a hundred times yes. I don’t think anyone understands my excitement when I see it in the store for the first time. It’s basically a holiday milkshake that is acceptable to drink with every meal during the holidays (ok it may not be acceptable but I do what I want). Eggnog is even better spiked, pour some Captain Morgan or Jack Daniels in it and you’ve got yourself a party!