Thanksgiving is quickly approaching, and with it, millions of people preparing for their Thanksgiving meals. But what Thanksgiving dishes get more hype than they deserve? Which are snubbed every year? Fear not, dear reader, for I will tell you.

OVERRATED

Turkey

I hate to say it, but it is true. While a really good turkey is delicious, it is so easily messed up and takes hours’ worth of effort. How many times have you eaten turkey that was not at least a little bit dry? Probably not many. While I am not saying throw your turkey off your Thanksgiving plate, you should not expect it to be the greatest thing you eat on the big day.

Stuffing

Another dish that is hard to get right, and when done wrong, it is done really wrong. Stuffing is often tedious and not worth the final product in my opinion. It is either horribly dry or disgustingly wet, and if not cooked well enough inside a turkey, it has the possibility of giving you salmonella poisoning. I think I will gladly pass on the stuffing.

Cranberry Sauce

Do people other than old ladies still eat cranberry sauce? I am not sure many other people like to eat weird reddish-purple jello that tastes like cranberries of all things with their Thanksgiving meal. Do not get me wrong, I love cranberries. But in a gelatin form? And on the meat of all things? Pass me the gravy instead, thanks.

Pumpkin Pie

The Thanksgiving season is filled with everything pumpkin. Pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cakes and—of course—pumpkin pie. Pumpkin pie is good, as it is a Thanksgiving staple. However, it does not deserve all the hype it gets. There are much better pies out there: cookies and cream, eggnog, lemon meringue and apple, to name a few. Stretch your horizons broader than just pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving, dear reader, and watch the world of amazing pies unfold before you.

UNDERRATED:

Brussels Sprouts

Okay, hear me out. Everyone always says they hate brussels sprouts, but many people have never even tried one. If you give this disparaged vegetable a chance, you will see that brussels sprouts are a delicious addition to your Thanksgiving plate. There are hundreds of recipes on how to make amazing brussels sprouts with a variety of spices, but they are also incredible when simply boiled and topped with a whole lot of butter and some salt and pepper. Do not leave brussels sprouts out of your vegetables on Thanksgiving; give them a shot!

Glazed Carrots

If you have never had glazed carrots before, you are missing out. Coated in butter, brown sugar and other spices and caramelized until soft, these carrots are a delicious addition to a Thanksgiving meal. This dish is so good that it doubles as dinner and dessert in my family. I never thought carrots would taste so good and sweet, but glazed carrots have forever changed my mind. If you are looking for an extra side for your Thanksgiving dinner, glazed carrots are the way to go.

Mac and Cheese

I hardly hear anyone waxing about their love for mac and cheese on Thanksgiving, which should be remedied. I believe that mac and cheese is one of the best foods ever to grace our world and should be celebrated as much as turkey on Thanksgiving. Whether baked or made classic or customized with a variety of cheeses and added mix-ins, such as bacon and chicken, mac and cheese is a versatile dish that can never do you wrong.

Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

No Thanksgiving meal can be complete without mashed potatoes and gravy. What is Thanksgiving without the buttery, soft goodness of mashed potatoes? Or without the hearty, savory addition of gravy? Everyone always forgets about the mashed potatoes. Sure, they are always on the table, but they are never appreciated to the degree they deserve. Any Thanksgiving dish, from your dry turkey to your corn to even your salmonella stuffing, can be enhanced by simply being on the same plate as mashed potatoes and gravy. Nothing can compare to its greatness, and it should be treated with much more reverence than it currently earns.

Of course, these are just my opinions. If you please, you can eat an entire plate of stuffing topped with a whole can of cranberry sauce this Thanksgiving. I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving season filled with family, friends, joy and mashed potatoes.