Thanksgiving break is around the corner, and daydreams filled with food linger in my mind constantly. Whether you belong to a family that wakes up excruciatingly early for a Thanksgiving 5k (unfortunately me) or one that lounges around watching the Macy's Day Parade, most can agree that Thanksgiving serves up some of the best food of the year. Here is a ranking of some of the best side dishes you'll might see on the table this year:
1. Mashed Potatoes
Oh, mashed potatoes. If I could be a bowl of mashed potatoes, I probably would be. They take up the majority of my plate, and I'm already thinking about a second serving before I've even finished with my first. Mashed potatoes made specifically by my mother are undoubtedly my favorite food, thus earning themselves the highest of rankings on this list.
2. Rolls
Warm, buttery rolls are a Thanksgiving staple. Being a vegetarian, my plate tends to be 1/3 rolls, so I regard them with serious admiration. Even better, rolls can play a crucial part in assisting with eating the other Thanksgiving foods. Drag the roll through some cranberry sauce or eat it simultaneously with some green beans, and you've created a flavor powerhouse.
3. Green Bean Casserole
Not many would consider green beans a crucial part of a Thanksgiving spread. However, I think the satisfying crunch of the green bean mixed with some French fried onions helps to distract from the fact that you're consuming a vegetable. Plus, when you dig in for some pumpkin pie later, you possess the good consciousness of knowing you've eaten something partially healthy beforehand.
4. Cranberry Sauce
I won't lie: a lot of times I only add a dab of cranberry sauce to my plate, because my mother's hawk eyes bore into the back of my head if my hand dares to hover past the serving spoon. Cranberry sauce brings a sweetness to the table that a lot of other side dishes do not, and it serves as an easy way to upgrade the taste of the turkey (or tofurkey!).
5. Stuffing
Literally never in my past nineteen Thanksgivings have I looked forward to stuffing. In recent years, I've learned from my mistakes and skipped it all together. Pieces of soggy bread with small, chopped vegetables mixed in do not appeal to me in the slightest. Sorry stuffing lovers, this is a side dish I could completely do without.
6. Salad
Salad makes the bottom of this list, because somehow it was decided that fruit holds a key place in the Thanksgiving salad mix. Let me tell you right now that that is wrong; every Thanksgiving, I spend painstaking time separating the leafy greens from the fruity goodness. Donald Trump probably eats fruit in his salad and thoroughly enjoys it, and I think that says it all.
