Another Thanksgiving season brings about a difficult decision: turkey, again? Regardless of where you celebrated Thanksgiving this holiday season, there were definitely a few dishes that you should not have missed, and some that should’ve gone directly to the trash can. 

#1 Best on the Menu: The Dinner Roll

Always good, even better dipped in mashed potatoes. Hasn’t your basic, golden dinner roll gotten you through many difficult Thanksgivings, when your uncle overcooked the turkey and when your aunt forgot the marshmallows in the sweet potatoes? These rolls always had your back, and while they may not be your first thought when it comes to Thanksgiving dishes, they should be—if you are truly grateful as the name of the holiday demands.  

#2 Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows

As soon as the family is seated around the table and you’ve snatched two or three dinner rolls, insist that the sweet potatoes get passed in your direction first. Throw a small spoonful of this on your plate and smile that you’re the first at the table to take from the gooey marshmallows.

#3 Pumpkin Pie

With a winning texture and a perfect sweetness, cooks across America should consider having this delight as an appetizer instead of burying it at the end of the night when everyone feels full and is stuffing antacids in their mouths. Pumpkin pie is a dessert to each throughout the seasons, with few ingredients and many topping options like whipped cream or crumble. Definitely do not skip dessert for this one! 

#4 Turkey

How a bland, boring, colorless bird ever made it to the status of “Thanksgiving Classic,” when people already eat turkey for lunch all year long, I’ll never know. Therefore, turkey had to make this list… but I’m not happy about it.  

#5 “Gravy”

They call it “gravy,” but what exactly is it? To sum it up, it’s a random mixture of different meat juices and fat all in one pan with clashing seasonings and a murky brown color. Why anyone would want to drizzle that all over their plate is beyond me.  Leave your portion right in the gravy boat. 

For your next Thanksgiving dinner 2023, might I suggest you leave the turkey behind and instead go for something much yummier, a chicken cutlet on a … dinner roll.