Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I had no idea green bean casserole was so popular (or traditional). I have never tried it and have no desire to eat it. Now, green beans sauteed in butter, with crisp fried shallots? Mmmmm...

When I was a kid, I adored the cranberry jello in a can -- I'd always ask for third helpings of the stuff, and even have it for dessert. My mother seemed to buy it solely out of deference to tradition. I make mine from scratch now, and add orange zest.

I don't understand the disdain for giblets (turkey gizzards), but it wasn't until fairly recently that I realized I grew up eating and enjoying things that would make most Americans flinch: chitlins, head cheese, maws and tripe, tongue, and so on. My mother used to chop up the giblets, boil until tender, and add them to her stuffing.

I can do without the turkey, though. This year, my bf and I are roasting a chicken.

Come on, calorie counters. Stop reducing foods to just their caloric content or their saturated fat content -- healthy eating is so much more. It's about enjoying yourself; it's about eating a variety of foods; it's about eating only until you're satisfied, not until you're about to lapse into a food coma.

And an 8 oz 'portion' of turkey is HALF A POUND. Combined with all the other components of a Thanksgiving meal, who needs to eat that much turkey in a single serving?

Icing with way too much sugar. I'm usually the one scraping icing off of cake at parties.
Banana bread or cooked bananas (plantains don't count). I love bananas though.
Most corporate baked goods; you can taste the lack of love and care in them, and I can't remember ever reaching for carrageenan or sodium benzoate when baking.
Sugar-free anything. Sugar substitutes taste nasty.
Most fruitcakes. I'm bored with them.
Adult-sized slices of chocolate cake. I usually find it too rich to eat in large quantities. I love chocolate, I just prefer it in small doses.
Most donuts, except for cake donuts.
Crunchy cookies. Just not a fan of the texture.

Desserts that make me go meh:
Red velvet cake? I mean, it usually tastes OK (vaguely reminiscent of malted milk, like Wendy's frosties), but I always feel odd eating so much food coloring.
Sock-it-to-me/7-up/insert soda here cake. Common in Southern cooking, and almost always too sweet.

Re: buttercream icing: unless you had it on a homemade cake or cake from a wedding party, it probably wasn't made with real butter. 'Buttercream' icing made from vegetable shortening is pretty disgusting.

I'm surprised so many people here don't like tiramisu, but I've had my share of bad tiramisu. I'll second the cannoli though. Highly overrated and just not that tasty.