Just about every common food option for thanksgiving is mediocre. Turkey is dry and flavorless unless you drench it in salt. Cranberry sauce is awful. Not only does dressing (stuffing) look unappealing it also tastes just as bad. And pumpkin pie could be better. Casserole and mash potatoes are alright but nothing to just fond over. The only good meal is mac and cheese and that ONLY depends on who’s cooking it. The 4th of July is the superior holiday in terms of food.
We started doing Fondue for Thanksgiving instead of the traditional dinner. Its special and it tastes good and some years we discover new cheese combinations that work great. For Xmas we do a whole chicken leg with the little chef’s hat cover on the end of the leg bone.
Agree that traditional Thanksgiving meal sucks. No matter what they do to a turkey, brine it, deep fry it, baste it, it still tastes like turkey.
One thing my wife does well though is pumpkin pie. She does this cheese soufflé style pumpkin pie that is light on sugar. Its so good. The only problem is that it is visibly indistinguishable from a supermarket bought crappy sugary pumpkin pie.