Katie Walters, Lorelei Harr, Alyssa Naylor, and Stephen Smith, CFNN Reporters and Podcasters

As Thanksgiving quickly approaches us this week, it’s no surprise our mouths are already beginning to water over our favorite dishes. The Rough Drafts crew discussed some of these in this week’s episode. After recording, we decided it would be fun to rank some popular dishes from least to most favorite. 

We chose turkey, ham, stuffing, cornbread, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, corn, and cranberry sauce for our list. 

For the sweet potatoes and green beans, we classified these as a variety of dishes you can find with them, such as casseroles. 

Each of us ranked them individually, and Lorelei averaged out our choices to produce the official Rough Drafts Thanksgiving Food Rankings List. 

#10 – Cornbread

At the bottom of the list, we have cornbread. Despite Katie’s attempt to give it a chance, the other members ranked it pretty low on their lists. The dry, crumbly texture is a huge no-no for Stephen. He claims that it doesn’t add anything but useless carbs to the menu.

#9 – Turkey

Surprisingly, one of the largest parts of a traditional Thanksgiving meal is not very popular among any of us. While it may seem that we’ve never had a good bird, we’ve concluded that there are much better things on the list. 

#8 – Stuffing

Even though Stephen could eat an entire plate and two more of just stuffing, we girls feel that it’s not really anything great. The small crumbles of bread with just some seasoning taste pretty bland on its own.

#7 – Corn

“It’s fine. It’s tolerable,” Lorelei says. 

#6 – Ham

Most of us like having some ham with our meal, it’s flavorful, with that sweet and salty taste. However, there’s one person here who can’t stand it. Alyssa is not a fan of ham at all. “ew bruh ham b nasty,” she texted the group chat. 

#5 – Cranberry

The debate on whether or not cranberry is a dish on its own is still ongoing between us. Lorelei and Alyssa think that it is, while Katie and Stephen don’t think so. “I’ve always eaten it with my turkey, so eating it by itself out of the small plate doesn’t sit right with me,” Katie said.

#4 – Green Beans

Whether they’re served in a casserole or steamed, green beans are a great addition to a Thanksgiving meal. They’re a much tastier option than vegetable rival collards, which didn’t even make our list. Green bean casserole is a favorite among us!

#3 – Mashed Potatoes

Even though it’s a basic side dish with any meal, something about its simplicity is a nice addition to a hefty Thanksgiving meal. Mashed potatoes taste great with corn, and are loved by kids and adults. You can’t go wrong with these!

#2 – Sweet Potatoes 

Baked, mashed, or in a casserole, sweet potatoes are great. They’re like dessert before real dessert (unless you cook them into a sweet potato pie). They taste best with some cinnamon and marshmallows! Sweet potatoes were rated quite low on Stephen’s list, but the girls know what’s right.

#1 – Macaroni and Cheese

At the top of our list is macaroni and cheese. Whether it’s baked to perfection in the oven, or straight out of the box from Kraft. Mac and Cheese is a classic, and shouldn’t be forgotten about this season! 

For the ones that didn’t make the list, here are some of our honorable mentions. Stephen’s go-to is dinner rolls. “You always have to have a good roll at Thanksgiving,” he said. Katie chose her Grandma’s Broccoli Casserole, Lorelei went with the classic Pumpkin Pie, and Alyssa picked Chicken and Pastry.

So, after eating your big meal, you can wind down for a nap and listen to our podcast on YouTube, Spotify, or Anchor. Have a happy Thanksgiving!