Oddly, my food-obsessed family, who do a gourmet potluck every year, have fixated on GBC in recent years. Why is this odd? Because my mother loathed it so she usually managed to "forget" to include it. And my sister, whose kids (and their kids) that now make up our "family dinners", NEVER made it for her family at all.

I love green beans, but my DH hates them, so it's not on our home table either. I'm just not sure where this fixation on GBC came from, but every year somebody includes it in our round-robin of emails as we discuss the menu and Who Does What.

So my niece or nephew will do an upscale version of GBC. We usually do a reasonably traditional T-day - well, salt-rubbed raw kale salad is pretty "Berkeley traditional", LOL - and go a little more wild for fun at Xmas.

I'm with Writersblock. Never heard of it until just after college. I used to adore the Durkee canned fried onions before they got bought and ruined (though they were pure salt and grease). I was a bit shocked when a friend of mine made it for Christmas Eve, frozen beans, canned soup and all. She's a very good cook, though, and it tasted okay, but it seemed weird to me because you couldn't taste the beans. It was like they were there as a substrate for carrying goop, crunch and salt.

Thanksgiving is always at Auntie/Cousin's house and there are always three types of sweet potatoes--chunked, savory pie and sweet. I suppose that way, everybody gets what they want. I take a small blob of the savory sweet potato pie. It' s not bad with cranberries. :)

>I used to adore the Durkee canned fried onions before they got bought and ruined (though they were pure salt and grease)

Yes, they were great, and so was Durkee's Famous Sauce (for you mustard thread followers).

We do have the GBC for T'giving, but changed recipes some years back. Our current version uses cooked frozen green beans and diced onions in the casserole, no onion rings used. I like this one much better, and it still satisfies the GBC lovers. Add me to the list of haters of marshmallow sweet potatoes; I do love the baked or roasted ones.

P. Kramer would you share the pumpkin bread pudding recipe? I have several kids and grands who simply love anything pumpkin!

We don't like Turkey! I usually make a pork loin roast because it goes well with all the usual Thanksgiving fare.

My girls love the goopy, salty mess. I do not. I may make a homemade version, Ashley now has a "heart healthy" diet since her stroke at age 27, so no more Cream of Mushroom right out of the can for her. I'd just shudder when I saw her do that, ugh.

I also don't care for the sweet and marshmallow topped sweet potato casserole, I'd rather have a plain baked potato with butter, salt and pepper, but Amanda and Bud can eat their weight in the stuff.

I do love turkey, but I'm not wild about stuffing either. My family likes it very moist, but now that Amanda has been diagnosed as celiac, we usually have two bowls of stuffing, one of the traditional onion/sage/celery version and one cornbread version. Elery is from the south and so he loves the cornbread stuff. I like it better than the white bread type, but it's all pretty much greasy bread to me.

Annie

Mom has an aversion to casseroles, so we do not have GBC. However, we would have to shut the kitchen and leave the house if we failed to fix sweet potatoes with marshmallows! I tried a nice sweet potato souffle with brown sugar pecan topping one year. Oh, the hue and cry over that! We don't have mashed potatoes AND sweet potatoes. Mom nixed two potato dishes on the same table.

We do not have stuffing. We have dressing, and it must be cornbread. And the gravy goes on the dressing instead of potatoes.

annie1992, this is Robert St. John's recipe from Deep South Staples, Or How To Survive In a Southern Kitchen Without A Can of Cream of Mushroom Soup. I have successfully made this before substituting potato starch for the flour. It is so good, you'll want to eat it as soup! I froze it. It separated a bit when frozen but went right back together with a little stirring when thawed.

Mushroom Bechamel Sauce

1 Tbl olive oil or other vegetable oil
1/2 cup minced onion
1/4 cup minced shallot
1/4 cup minced celery
2 tsp salt
1 tsp granulated garlic
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
10 oz Mushrooms, cleaned, sliced (4 cups)
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup flour
1 cup heavy cream

Heat oil in 3 quart saucepan over low heat. Add onions, shallots, celery, and salt. Cook vegetables until tender. Add mushrooms and increase heat to medium. Cook 10 minutes, stirring often. Add chicken broth, garlic, and thyme. Bring back to a simmer and cook 10 more minutes.

In a separate skillet, make a light-blond roux by melting butter and stirring in flour. Add to the simmering broth mixture. Cook 3-4 minutes and add cream. Freezes well.

Yield: 2 quarts.

Hi, I'm sorry for posting on a different thread but I couldn't find the one re: the GE Cafe Range. did they resolve your uneven baking/roasting issue? I've got a tech here now that is testing it AGAIN! 6th one out here...

"----what don't you like to have at Thanksgiving dinner?"

I don't get cranberry sauce with turkey. They don't pair well, IMHO.

dcarch

Josie, if you are asking about my GE range, the answer is no. They never got the uneven issue fixed. And although they adjusted the temperature, I think it has reverted to being inaccurate again. Things seem to cook way too fast!

My neighbor 2 doors down has the same range. Hers is even worse than mine. Hers has melted all of the knobs on the front of the range. The service guy changed out the knobs and installed a new fan. Then in the middle of a weekend with a house full of guests, hers started making the most awful racket. She videoed it so she would have a record of the sound. It sounded like the fan was hitting metal - not a little whir but an hideous clanging. She had to cook everything that weekend at another neighbor's house. (I would have gladly helped her out, but she didn't ask, knowing I, too, had a houseful of guests. We live in a frequently visited town!) They have now given her a new range, but the knobs still get so hot she has to use a pot-holder to adjust the flame on the burners.

I am pleased with the top of mine. I'm considering selling it very cheaply to a friend of a friend who really only needs the top. He does lots of stove top cooking. All he bakes is the occasional pan of biscuits or a skillet of cornbread. I need something where I can bake a cake or cookies!

Good luck on getting yours right. I think GE has hideous customer service and poorly designed products. They sort of remind me of a Lily Tomlin sketch

DC: I think it depends on how you season your turkey, and which version of cranberry sauce you're using. I don't like the sweet ones, but the tart whole cranberry one my cousin makes is excellent on the same fork as the turkey -- something I'd never do with the tinned kind. The pairing probably originated way way back in time when the choices were fewer and the turkey was drier. :)

Annie, LingOL about the greasy bread! I know someone who makes that kind of stuffing--positively sticky with fat. My mother uses clear stock to moisten the stuffing, as well as eggs, so it's more like wet bread or thin bread pudding. :) (I've tried to make it but mine is too dry. :( )

mmmm sticky, greasy bread. Love it!

I have to take something back --- I don't care for that canned jelly cranberry sauce. We always made ours from scratch so when I attended holiday dinners where they served that, I was taken aback. I think a light smear of homemade cranberry sauce, maybe with cream cheese, is fine on a turkey sandwich. Perhaps its because they are all cold by that time.

What?? You mean you don't like it when that jelled blob comes out of the can with a bloop! And sits in the dish with the marks of the can still on it? LOL!

Lizbeth, here you go! Note that I tend to skip the caramel sauce, but do add a dollop (or 2) of sweetened whipped cream.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding….Wildfire Restaurant

Serves 6

Bread pudding

• 2
  cups half and half
• 1
  15-ounce can pure pumpkin
• 1
  cup (packed) plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 2
  large eggs
• 1
  1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1
  1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1
  1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 10
  cups 1/2-inch cubes egg bread (about 10-ounces) Challah type is good here.
• 1/2
  cup golden raisins

Caramel
sauce

• 1
  1/4 cups (packed) dark brown sugar
• 1/2
  cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/2
  cup whipping cream
• Powdered
  sugar

Preparation

For bread pudding:

Preheat oven
to 350°F. Whisk half and half, pumpkin, dark brown sugar, eggs, pumpkin pie
spice, cinnamon and vanilla extract in large bowl to blend. Fold in bread
cubes. Stir in golden raisins. Transfer mixture to 11x7-inch glass baking dish.
Let stand 15 minutes. Bake pumpkin bread pudding until tester inserted into
center comes out clean, about 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare
caramel sauce:

Whisk brown
sugar and butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until butter melts.
Whisk in cream and stir until sugar dissolves and sauce is smooth, about 3
minutes.

Sift powdered
sugar over bread pudding. Serve warm with caramel sauce.

Note: if anyone is a diabetic, the sugars can be substituted with Splenda is no effect on taste.

Although we often make a nice cranberry sauce from scratch, DH must have the jellied blob "blooped" (such onomatopoeia, Lindac!). And how do you know how thick to slice it if you don't have the can marks? ;-)

Peppi, that sounds delicious and decadent. I'd make it when Amanda wasn't here, LOL, that's just too much temptation for a celiac, but not too much for me!

LindaC, my girls both want the jellied blob, and not the whole berry stuff either. I prefer your cranberry Jezebel, but my mother likes a homemade sauce with cranberries and raspberries, which is good with me too.

LOL, bbstx, that's how I always cut the slices. (grin) Thanks for the recipe, I think I might eat it like soup too. I'm glad to know it freezes OK as well.

plllog, I make it drier, and then no one likes it. My mother wants the crunchy corners, the girls want the gloppy stuff inside the bird and Elery wants the cornbread! I just don't want any of it.

I also make a big pan of the marshmallow stuff for those who like it, and another pan of plain sweet potatoes, or a savory type, for those like me who like that. We still have mashed white potatoes, for those who won't eat sweet potatoes.

So what I really want is some dark meat turkey, savory sweet potatoes, homemade cranberry sauce and whatever vegetable I make as a side in addition to the dreaded GBC. That vegetable side dish is the only thing that changes annually, it's whatever I decide I want and no one else has to eat it. That leaves me plenty of room for pumpkin pie and whatever else we have for dessert!

Annie

P. Kramer: Thanks for the recipe-can't wait to try it!

Yes, PKramer, no pumpkin pie for me this year. I am making your shared recipe for pumpkin bread pudding instead!

I couldn't bear the pouting if the GBC wasn't made, or the sweet potato casserole. I guess we're all just members of the unwashed masses!

I have 2 panettone in the pantry that I'm going to finally get around to using and make bread pudding involving some sort of booooooooze ;-)

I guess we're all just members of the unwashed masses!

Rita, hardly. Not everyone likes the same thing. I can eat GBC, but can't handle the overly sweet SP casserole. Have a similar reaction to pecan pie and fudge. Just too much sugar for me.

Never liked the glop bean concoction. I'm surprised some don't just bury it in ketchup. Don't like it, never made it, don't eat it so there'll be plenty more for those who love the stuff. I prefer more simple, basic things. Meat, potatoes, gravy, veg, and some good dinner rolls or bread. They really don't have to be covered up. They stand on their own when cooked right AFAIC. I don't need sugar, mustard and syrup on ham or turkey. Properly prepared meat stands on its own for me. Don't need cheese in mashed potatoes. I like potato flavor and do not like drippy mashed potatoes so for me, just potato to make a well to hold the gravy. Do not like sugar coated meats or vegetables. (People wonder why they have barrel shapes and Fred Flintstone feet!) Corn, green beans, cauliflower, broccoli, etc all stand on their own and don't need to be covered up. Don't need sugar and cheese all over the veggies either. I prefer to save the sugar for dessert and then go ahead and go wild with it if you want. Pies? Pecan, Cashew, Key Lime, Apple, Cherry, Rhubarb... I like them all. Never developed a pumpkin pie attraction either. I can eat pumpkin in a sweet bread but it's not a favorite so I don't make it. I also agree about not putting fruit in stuffing/dressing. My preference is dressing/stuffing to be a touch on the crusty outside/moist inside and topped with a little gravy. Sort of a Scandinavian/northerner variation of biscuits and gravy. For a big "holiday" meal, I prefer dessert later. Enjoy a big feast. I actually like the jellied cranberry plop. To me, it's more like a Jell-O with some flavor. Marshmallows are fine on s'mores but hiding sweet potatoes under it turns my stomach. That's another one the lovers can have my portion. The older I get the more of a fan of rice dressings I become. Dirty rice and Mexican/Spanish rice (with lots of meat) are favorites but not frequently seen on holiday tables around here.

Everyone has different tastes, these are some of mine.

I don't mind the gbc, I have made it quite a few times by request but most goes to the dog, tastes lousy reheated. This year I'm not making it. Can't stand the spc, way to sweet for me, I also hate giblets, putting them in gravy just ruins it for me. I like cranberry sauce but made homade, not out of the can.

DH's family has a tradition of hosting T-day dinner for the extended family. GPC is always on the menu and is consumed. After some years of bring my homemade Cranberry Schnapps Sauce, the canned cranberry sauce has disappeared.

Thanks Pep, I'll have to give the Pumpkin Bread Pudding a try.

Ritaweeda, Please don't give it a thought. I may turn up my nose at GBC, but I like American cheese. And I like ketchup. Those are vilified by others here. I don't care. I'm washed, but I'll be part of the masses with you.

To me, it's more about what food I like and dislike; stuffing, greasy or not is always a yes, sweet potatoes in all forms is always a no. As mushrooms are number one on my dislike list, no to gbc, always. And it's gloppy, that is always a no.

I don't know anyone except my bff, who likes the same foodie food I do, so at all communal gatherings, I cook for, and expect, the lowest common denominator.

And eat what I want when alone.

I have a gluten free GBC recipe if you would like to try. It's actually very good complete with gf onion crisps, It has fresh green beans and mushrooms so it doesn't feel like mush. This year I am bringing that and a gf pumpkin cheesecake.

Annie, love how you just roll with it!

I'm in the just say no to pie crust and gravy camp.

I've never made it, and I have never eaten it, and don't intend to start.

I've seen it, and it was not very appealing.

Not I. Never have, never will.

"It's all fine by me, I'm far more concerned with the company at my table than what's on it, and there's enough that everyone can eat what they like"

Well stated.

meyerk, I'd love to see that recipe. I'm still working on the gluten free thing, it's coming along more easily, but sometimes I still hit a snag. I finally figured out the cheesecake thing, with gluten free graham cracker crust, I've even made a couple of edible gluten free regular pie crusts. GF fried onions, though? Haven't gotten there yet, I was just thinking of taking the last of the leeks from the garden and frying those without breading.....

Rob, you've spent a day with me, you know I'm kind of relaxed. Well, maybe not relaxed, exactly.....(grin)

Cindy, I just want to spend time with the people I love and who matter to me. We'll eat and talk and I'll just be darned thankful that I still have them!

Annie

Ann is right , GBC is not something that is popular in Canada, nor is the sweet potato marshmallow dish. First time I even heard of it was the first T-Day my American SIL celebrated Thanksgiving in Canada. She was truly suprised it wasn't a must have dish !

I could make my Thanksgiving dinner in my sleep. I usually try to sneak in one new dish but there would be an uprising if things changed much.

Katiec's Sweet potatoes with Carmelized Onions has become a regular. Stuffing is always in the bird..... that's why it is called stuffing!

Every family has their traditions ...it's all good.

Peppi, thanks for the recipe it sounds wonderful. .......our Thanksgiving has passed but will definitely make for Christmas dinner which is basically a T-Day do over.

Go get your Smart Source coupons folks! There are coupons for everything you need to make GBC.

Campbell's Mushroom Soup, French's Onions and Del Monte canned green beans.

You'll save $2.40!

Rice chex are glutin free....couldn't you crush some up and use them for breading on your onions? Dip very thin onion rings in rice flour, then in egg, then in seasoned rice chex, fry then bake in a slow oven until very crisp....wouldn't that work?

Annie, if you google "gluten free fried onion topping" you'll get a huge number of recipes to choose from.

Well, I have my own home canned green beans, so those are ready. Canned soup just tastes like metal and salt to me, so I'll have to make my own sauce, which isn't an issue. The onions, though, that's issue. I tried a couple of gluten free recipes for the onions a few months ago and they were awful, but you never know until you try. You know, LindaC, that rice chex thing might work, and it might work for onion rings too, that would make her very, very happy, although I find that rice flour is kind of "grainy" and gives an odd texture sometimes.

I just saw a can of gluten free French fried onions at Aldi too, but I just couldn't believe they would be very good...

Annie

Hi Annie, Here is the link for the GF casserole and the onion rings (another link inside the recipe). I have made many of the authors recipes as well as bought her bread book. http://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/gluten-free-green-bean-casserole/

Thanks leenyfl and meyerk, this learning to cook gluten free is an adventure!

Annie

Cindymac, care to share your recipe for the sweet potatoes? Your
scalloped version with chipotles and cream. I like sweet potatoes, but not recipes with
a lot of sugar added; prefer savory. I love scalloped regular potatoes, I’d really like to try
sweet potatoes that way.

Linnea, here you go.

Scalloped Chipotle Sweet Potatoes

1 or 2 canned chipotle peppers pureed with some of the adobo sauce

2 cups heavy cream

3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced thin

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Puree the chipotles in a food processor until smooth. Stir in cream.

In a large casserole dish arrange a fourth of the sweet potatoes and pour a fourth of the cream over all. Repeat with the remaining potatoes and cream, forming 4 layers. May be prepared up to this point one half hour ahead, covered, and refrigerated.

Bake covered for 30 minutes, remove cover and continue baking for 30-45 minutes or until the cream has been absorbed and the potatoes are browned.

~variation of a Bobby Flay recipe

I lurk over here a bit but don't often post. Another Canadian here that never heard of GBC nor the sweet potato marshmallow dish growing up. I think I may have tried the beans, but definitely have never tried the sweet potato marshmallow pie, so I don't know what I am missing! I will recommend the brussels sprouts recipe that writersblock used. Made it a couple of weeks ago and my DH (doesn't like veggies) had 3 helpings, and asked for it again the next night. Our guests asked for the recipe. Really tasty and super easy to make.

We all like the candied sweet potatoes but we do not put marshmallows on them. My Mother in law did years ago. They don't care for savory ones. I do also like the baked with just butter on them. We like dressing but not the oyster kind.

Sue

Thanks, Cindymac! I look forward to trying this! It looks really simple to
do, too. I infer that the chipotle peppers come packed in adobo sauce? I have
never bought them myself. The natural sweetness of the potatoes contrasted with
something spicy with sounds like a good combination.

Cindy, thanks for the reminder. Elery loves that recipe and I haven't made it in a while. If I make it with just one chipotle pepper even I can eat it. Two is too hot for me!

Yeah, I know. I'm a wuss.

Annie

Good to know...I was wonderinghow hot it might be!

I have eaten it at potlucks but have never made one! It's never had a place on our thanksgiving table -- fresh or home canned green beans do, though!f