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Rachel Green is the Queen of Thanksgiving. Her eccentric trifle has become quite possibly the most iconic holiday food in television history. However, there are rivals who are trying to dethrone her. When Maya Kosoff asked Twitter users to share the strangest Thanksgiving dishes they came across, many have stepped up to the challenge.
The thread has received over 7.4K likes and 1.1K comments, many of which are showcasing recipes that are so terrible, they're hilarious. Like, the "magic" tomato soup cake with a creamy chocolate frosting. Or frog eye salad. Yes, I know, the title alone sounds like this abomination tastes like feet.
More info: Twitter
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Thanksgiving Day is one of the most important national holidays in the United States. While there were many events that contributed to the tradition, it is believed that it began in 1621.
When the Mayflower (the English ship that transported the first English Puritans to the New World) left England in September 1620, it landed in Cape Cod where colonists began to settle. After the pilgrims’ first harvest succeeded, they planned a feast with the Native Americans. This get together went down in history as the "First Thanksgiving."
In 1817, New York became the first state to officially organize an annual Thanksgiving. However, it wasn’t until 1863 that President Abraham Lincoln declared it a national holiday.
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Samantha Lomb 6 years ago
that actually sounds like a good way to make regular corn bread moist. Sounds yummy and contains no jello or pimentos
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Samantha Lomb 6 years ago
I've had similar and its actually pretty decent if way to sweet to have much of. Add some rum and it might be awesome
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Samantha Lomb 6 years ago
Doesn't sound that bad or much different from an Ambrosia or Waldorf salad
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Jane Doe 6 years ago
There are some retro-looking spoof recipes from a Photoshop contest. Apparently this abomination is real. God help us all.
LOttawa 6 years ago
I can confirm THIS is real... my mom still make's it (silently sobbing)
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Jeffrey Teston 6 years ago
Googled it and there are a couple variations (Black Magic Chocolate Cake / Tomato Soup Spice Cake) They all have positive reviews and look kinda tasty.
Andrew Batmann 6 years ago
Seriously it’s delicious... it’s like zucchini cake, just the tomato soup makes it moist. You can’t taste the soup. Omg so tasty
Kelly Horrigan 6 years ago
I....I....um...think....I want to make this. That kinda frightens me
Andres Tejeda 6 years ago
Why ? I kind of wonder what people were thinking when they came up with these recipes.
Ashley Galyen 6 years ago
Sales. Most of these came from recipe booklets to sell new processed foods people weren't sure how to use.
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Avocado And Friends 6 years ago
In the 1940s, people would use whatever ingredients they had. This dish is bizarre by today's standards, but this was as normal for them as chips and dip are for us.
Just saying 6 years ago
I know a lady who used to make tomato soup cake every week for the students after the 6pm church service. She had no sense of smell. It actually tasted ok tho.
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Victoria Swift 6 years ago
That's stuff from my nightmares right there. It sounds like something a cat would barf up.
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Adele Maestranzi 6 years ago
Honey, The Joy of Cooking is a classic, and that copy looks like a first edition!
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CrunChewy McSandybutt 6 years ago
The thing is... you should really try the recipes out way before the T-day holiday.
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Samantha Lomb 6 years ago
This sounds like something you make when snowed in or when you are hungry but too lazy to go get groceries
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Linda James 6 years ago (edited)
It does have a particular odour that should be enough to warn people that it is not edible.
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Samantha Lomb 6 years ago
It feels like the recipe cards for a 1970s style sweet fruit and jello salad and a queso recipe got stuck together and someone didn't notice
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CrunChewy McSandybutt 6 years ago
Serious question: what is the purpose of tomato aspic? Like, do you spread it on toast, or just eat it like jello?
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Jo Johannsen 6 years ago
Now, if you used fresh pears, some nice double or triple cream Brie (and dumped all the other ingredients), that would work for me. 😋
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Adele Maestranzi 6 years ago
This is probably the only dish on this list that I have made and eaten. I use chili sauce with a jar of jam or jelly; apricot is good too. The meatballs are sweet and spicy.
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Valerie Hughes 6 years ago
I've made bumblebee succotash which is blackbeans and corn. It's amazing.
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Marci King-Shelton 6 years ago
My mom makes this and it's one of the favorites. The strawberry version is good too.
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Zelda Blue 6 years ago
Another family favorite with a different name "24 hour salad" had to make it the day before to make sure the coconut softened and the marshmallows lost some of their consistency.
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Brenda Alvira Alvarez 6 years ago
That doesn't sound bad. i would make my deviled eggs with the yolk, bell peppers celery and bacon
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Ben Pritchard 6 years ago
This is why kids will only eat Chicken fingers and fries. I wish I had chicken fingers and fries growing up : ( Thank God there was also turkey, mashed potatoes and real desserts.
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Mary Tonningsen 6 years ago
This is really good! I used to bring that to parties and people scarfed it up. :)
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Kelly Horrigan 6 years ago
wrong on so many levels but at least she used cream cheese and not miracle whip
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Bobby's Girl 6 years ago
Instant gelatin was a fad when it was still a new thing. Was a huge step up from boiling bones to get gelatin, it was impressive, and cooks searched for ways to use it. Anyway, in another few years, people will look upon kale, and matcha, and green smoothies with the same incredulous disdain - as I do now.
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Heather Post 2 months ago
Oh P*o.... If you're so healthy conscious/offended about what's in cool whip, just hand whip some cream yourself.....
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What do you think ?
SirPatTheCat 6 years ago (edited)
I just looked it up and apparently Jell-O was very popular in the 1950’s-60’s, so it makes sense that a lot of grandparents and great aunts and uncles would be making stuff with it. Jell-O needs to be refrigerated, and back then not many people had refrigerators, so it was a status symbol to have Jell-O foods. Also, it was in a lot of cookbooks at the time, so many people just assumed that it was something you were supposed to make. The last thing was that it was a fairly fun process to do, and also it was a good way to make lots of canned foods into one thing that looked more appealing to eat. Anyways, fun thing I learned, hope it was helpful!
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Just saying 6 years ago
Why on earth do people combine jello with cream cheese so much and THEN if that wasn't weird enough, call it a salad?
Andres Tejeda 6 years ago
I miss my big family thanksgivings, We usually made Tamales, turkey, pies, ham, Birria, and Menudo. Loved it and maybe the oddest thing there was flan or Cabeza (tacos made of beef cheeks and other parts of the head), or Chivo (goat).
Lemon Garnished Potato 6 years ago
why are there so much jelly, salad, cream cheese and cool whip? Every time I try to understand this thanks-giving thing I just get more confused. Can someone please explain?
kurisutofu 6 years ago
What's with all the jello? I think I've eaten jello twice in my life. And isn't that usually a dessert?
Bunzilla 6 years ago
Jello and aspic (which is basically meat jello), were extremely popular in the 50's and 60's. So a lot of those recipes are still kicking around from then. Most often they would be savoury dishes, with just about anything thrown in. I guess it was seen as being 'new' and 'exciting'.
Load More Replies... 
Carol Emory 6 years ago
My mother was obsessed with Jello molds during the holidays. They wouldn't have been so bad, but she insisted on putting either walnuts or pecans in them..and I'm not a big fan of crunchy things in Jello.
Jacqueline Arana 6 years ago
I don't know if it's weird but definitely not a normal Thanksgiving side. My. Mom makes stir fry noodles with ramen. She boils noodles and sets them aside, cooks a bunch of bacon sets aside cut up, cooks jalapeño slices in some bacon grease adds noodles and bacon.
Carol Emory 6 years ago
After most of the kids moved away to different areas of the country, my father stopped having the traditional huge turkey with all the trimmings kind of Thanksgiving. Christmas was hardly ever the traditional big ham or turkey meal. We usually did things like Lasagna or Stir-fry. I remember one year setting an electric wok up on my Grandmother's table. My sister and I did a Chicken Chow Mien Stir Fry. My Grandmother was a little skeptical at first, but made all sorts of yummy noises as she ate it. She invited me to make it again when I visited during the summer.
Load More Replies...
Nicole Holt 6 years ago
Yes, I copied a bunch of those recipes. Yes, I will serve some at upcoming family gatherings :)
Olli Westphal 6 years ago
Can I say that I honestly feel unhappy and uncomfortable looking at these recipes? I'm not even exaggerating.
Cristina S. 6 years ago
Our family has its traditional jello salad: orange jello, shredded carrots, mandarin oranges and crushed pineapple all combined and put in a jello ring mold. But we also have strict rules of jello: red jello has mixed canned fruit, green jello has canned pears and the orange is only for holidays. Lol.
Joyce Blodgett 2 years ago
I remember maw-in-law making some of these abominations, but she's been dead for 20+ years, and I haven't bothered with Thanksgiving since my son was killed 16 years ago just a few days before that holiday. It has zero meaning to me since then, and I just eat an ordinary dinner here at home, alone, as I have done since his death. Doesn't bother me, it's just another day, and it's just another meal, no abominal food involved, just good stuff I like.
Nora Chavez 4 years ago
My mom found a recipe on that Sunday insert with stories. It was Berry Mallow Bake, a sweet potato concoction. Somehow, it became Barry Manilow Bake. Years, decades later someone always says don't forget to make the Barry Manilow Bake! We also made Martin Luther King Jr. Jello. That was red, white and blue Jello that someone made at a church function that MLJ attended and commented on the jellow dish. OMG! It was copied and distributed to all the church ladies. We didn't even belong to that church, but my mom had to make MLK Jello!
misteriosa 5 years ago
I am seriously baffled by all the mayo combinations with fruit and sweet things, or such sweet-savoury combos, they are really not part of my country's cuisine and I can't say I've ever tried something similar, but thought of the combinations makes me want to barf. Some of the recipes actually don't seem too bad, the biggest problem I'd have with it is that it looks like a blob (oh, and the colors), but mere description sounds ok.
Isog Sargent 6 years ago
Someone in my wife's family always bring over yams cooked to the consistency of pudding topped with melted marshmallows.
JD Cassavaugh 6 years ago
I've seen many of these at pot lucks, but they were usually avoided.
GenXandEarnedItAll 6 years ago
Looks like all of the dishes from pot-luck dinners at the Methodist church growing up.
proof that tony stark has a ❤️ 6 years ago
Honestly I'd prob try all these (except maybe the aspics) lmao Also anyone see the This Is Us episode last week with the 5 lbs of shrimp as a tradition lol
Jaybird3939 6 years ago
Our family tradition was Tom & Jerry's. Probably best comparison is egg nog, but with hot water. Of course, lots of bourbon. Loved 'em even w/no booze
Phil Boswell 6 years ago
Who remembers the "Green Bean Jello" from the "Lizzie Bennet Diaries"?
Liam Walsh 6 years ago
Which isn't weird at all, it's delicious. Though I can't drink too much cider... sadly.
Load More Replies...
Lillukka79 6 years ago
Canned foods I can somehow understand, but the jello in everything is just baffling.
Load More Replies... SirPatTheCat 6 years ago (edited)
I just looked it up and apparently Jell-O was very popular in the 1950’s-60’s, so it makes sense that a lot of grandparents and great aunts and uncles would be making stuff with it. Jell-O needs to be refrigerated, and back then not many people had refrigerators, so it was a status symbol to have Jell-O foods. Also, it was in a lot of cookbooks at the time, so many people just assumed that it was something you were supposed to make. The last thing was that it was a fairly fun process to do, and also it was a good way to make lots of canned foods into one thing that looked more appealing to eat. Anyways, fun thing I learned, hope it was helpful!
Load More Replies... Just saying 6 years ago
Why on earth do people combine jello with cream cheese so much and THEN if that wasn't weird enough, call it a salad?
Andres Tejeda 6 years ago
I miss my big family thanksgivings, We usually made Tamales, turkey, pies, ham, Birria, and Menudo. Loved it and maybe the oddest thing there was flan or Cabeza (tacos made of beef cheeks and other parts of the head), or Chivo (goat).
Lemon Garnished Potato 6 years ago
why are there so much jelly, salad, cream cheese and cool whip? Every time I try to understand this thanks-giving thing I just get more confused. Can someone please explain?
kurisutofu 6 years ago
What's with all the jello? I think I've eaten jello twice in my life. And isn't that usually a dessert?
Bunzilla 6 years ago
Jello and aspic (which is basically meat jello), were extremely popular in the 50's and 60's. So a lot of those recipes are still kicking around from then. Most often they would be savoury dishes, with just about anything thrown in. I guess it was seen as being 'new' and 'exciting'.
Load More Replies... Carol Emory 6 years ago
My mother was obsessed with Jello molds during the holidays. They wouldn't have been so bad, but she insisted on putting either walnuts or pecans in them..and I'm not a big fan of crunchy things in Jello.
Jacqueline Arana 6 years ago
I don't know if it's weird but definitely not a normal Thanksgiving side. My. Mom makes stir fry noodles with ramen. She boils noodles and sets them aside, cooks a bunch of bacon sets aside cut up, cooks jalapeño slices in some bacon grease adds noodles and bacon.
Carol Emory 6 years ago
After most of the kids moved away to different areas of the country, my father stopped having the traditional huge turkey with all the trimmings kind of Thanksgiving. Christmas was hardly ever the traditional big ham or turkey meal. We usually did things like Lasagna or Stir-fry. I remember one year setting an electric wok up on my Grandmother's table. My sister and I did a Chicken Chow Mien Stir Fry. My Grandmother was a little skeptical at first, but made all sorts of yummy noises as she ate it. She invited me to make it again when I visited during the summer.
Load More Replies... Nicole Holt 6 years ago
Yes, I copied a bunch of those recipes. Yes, I will serve some at upcoming family gatherings :)
Olli Westphal 6 years ago
Can I say that I honestly feel unhappy and uncomfortable looking at these recipes? I'm not even exaggerating.
Cristina S. 6 years ago
Our family has its traditional jello salad: orange jello, shredded carrots, mandarin oranges and crushed pineapple all combined and put in a jello ring mold. But we also have strict rules of jello: red jello has mixed canned fruit, green jello has canned pears and the orange is only for holidays. Lol.
Joyce Blodgett 2 years ago
I remember maw-in-law making some of these abominations, but she's been dead for 20+ years, and I haven't bothered with Thanksgiving since my son was killed 16 years ago just a few days before that holiday. It has zero meaning to me since then, and I just eat an ordinary dinner here at home, alone, as I have done since his death. Doesn't bother me, it's just another day, and it's just another meal, no abominal food involved, just good stuff I like.
Nora Chavez 4 years ago
My mom found a recipe on that Sunday insert with stories. It was Berry Mallow Bake, a sweet potato concoction. Somehow, it became Barry Manilow Bake. Years, decades later someone always says don't forget to make the Barry Manilow Bake! We also made Martin Luther King Jr. Jello. That was red, white and blue Jello that someone made at a church function that MLJ attended and commented on the jellow dish. OMG! It was copied and distributed to all the church ladies. We didn't even belong to that church, but my mom had to make MLK Jello!
misteriosa 5 years ago
I am seriously baffled by all the mayo combinations with fruit and sweet things, or such sweet-savoury combos, they are really not part of my country's cuisine and I can't say I've ever tried something similar, but thought of the combinations makes me want to barf. Some of the recipes actually don't seem too bad, the biggest problem I'd have with it is that it looks like a blob (oh, and the colors), but mere description sounds ok.
Isog Sargent 6 years ago
Someone in my wife's family always bring over yams cooked to the consistency of pudding topped with melted marshmallows.
JD Cassavaugh 6 years ago
I've seen many of these at pot lucks, but they were usually avoided.
GenXandEarnedItAll 6 years ago
Looks like all of the dishes from pot-luck dinners at the Methodist church growing up.
proof that tony stark has a ❤️ 6 years ago
Honestly I'd prob try all these (except maybe the aspics) lmao Also anyone see the This Is Us episode last week with the 5 lbs of shrimp as a tradition lol
Jaybird3939 6 years ago
Our family tradition was Tom & Jerry's. Probably best comparison is egg nog, but with hot water. Of course, lots of bourbon. Loved 'em even w/no booze
Phil Boswell 6 years ago
Who remembers the "Green Bean Jello" from the "Lizzie Bennet Diaries"?
Liam Walsh 6 years ago
Which isn't weird at all, it's delicious. Though I can't drink too much cider... sadly.
Load More Replies... Lillukka79 6 years ago
Canned foods I can somehow understand, but the jello in everything is just baffling.
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