Thanksgiving is the only time when it’s acceptable to unbutton your pants and go back for thirds — it’s the holiday of feasting.
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. The idea of waking up, spending time with family and eating all day is unbeatable. The best part of Thanksgiving is eating leftovers while Black Friday shopping from the comfort of my bed.
There are a lot of great Thanksgiving foods, but some don’t deserve the hype they get. Gravy, pies and Brussels sprouts are on my no-go list. I don’t want any of them near my plate.
You might be thinking, “What do you eat?” As a picky eater, these are my top five Thanksgiving foods.
5. Ham
As basic as it is, I love ham, especially brown-sugar ham. The sweetness is unmatched, and unlike turkey, ham is never dry. It pairs perfectly with a bite of mashed potatoes. The sugar and salt together are so good. Swap the traditional turkey for this Thanksgiving staple.
4. Potatoes
Mashed potatoes or roasted potatoes are another Thanksgiving staple. As a picky eater, texture makes it hard to enjoy certain dishes, but potatoes are always a safe option as long as they’re mashed or roasted.
If they’re scalloped or in any other form, keep them off my plate. I love buttery mashed potatoes with garlic salt, but don’t add gravy. If you need gravy, you didn’t use enough butter or garlic salt.
Gravy is a glorified dipping sauce; if you need gravy to make an item taste better, then you didn’t cook it correctly.
3. Macaroni and cheese
Macaroni and cheese is my go-to. As long as it isn’t overloaded with cheese and it isn’t homemade, it’s on my plate. I have never had a good homemade macaroni and cheese. It sounds strange to rank it third with all these constraints, but when it’s good, it’s really good.
I love the Bob Evans Macaroni Cheese. It’s the closest to homemade without actually being homemade. I am not sure what it is, but the Bob Evans macaroni and cheese tastes better than any homemade dish I’ve had. I hope to eventually try the famous TikTok macaroni and cheese from Cooking with Tini. This dish would be higher if it weren’t for my hatred of homemade macaroni and cheese.
My family makes both homemade and the Bob Evans — just for me.
2. Stuffing
Stuffing used to be my favorite food until one day, I woke up and decided there was one food that was better. I love boxed stuffing, but I also enjoy homemade stuffing with fresh celery in it. The mix of the broth with the vegetables and bread cubes makes it so delicious. It is one of those foods you constantly go back for and can’t get sick of.
I love a traditional plain stuffing with the bread, vegetables, broth and herbs. That’s how stuffing should be. If I see anything else in my stuffing, I don’t want it. It has to be plain stuffing with no nuts, no chips, no cranberries. The people who say stuffing is just soggy bread need to try a homemade version with less broth in it.
1. Dinner rolls
Dinner rolls are THE best Thanksgiving food. Every year, my family guesses how many rolls I’ll eat and counts along as I go. My record is 12, and I think I could definitely beat it this year. I take home a bag of rolls from anywhere, and they’re gone within a day.
The soft, fluffy inside with the melted butter on top makes them addictive. I love homemade rolls, but extra brownie points if they are similar to Texas Roadhouse rolls. The best part is the roll can be warm or cold and still be delicious. You can’t mess up a roll unless you truly don’t know how to make them. I will be a dinner rolls No. 1 fan forever. Truly, a roll is a staple piece of a Thanksgiving dinner. You can use them to make sandwiches or eat them alone.
