Bending One's Mind

That title is not a reference to LSD or sexual proclivities.

Instead, I'm talking about the Thanksgiving dinner mindset that many of us have and I might add "especially me."  For years and years, I have kept to the same menu.  And to a large degree, so has my sister.  She goes for elegant; I go for comfort food eats.

Case in point:  She buys fresh green beans, steams them and sautés mushrooms; mixes them together and tosses a handful of sliced almonds over the top just before serving it.

I open two cans of French-style green beans, partially drain them and put them in a casserole dish, stirring in a can of undiluted Cream of Mushroom soup and sling the dish in the oven.  I serve them with an open can of French's onion rings on the table.  It doesn't get much more "Under the Bridge" than that.

Let us go mind bending - Food & Wine suggests amping up the gravy with the addition of any one of the following:

Dried sweet or sour cherries - toss them in the gravy and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Stir in raw of fried prosciutto bits

Add a couple of tablespoonsful of chopped, canned chipotles in adobo sauce.

Add chopped dried figs and simmer for 10 minutes before serving.

Sauté mushrooms until crisp (and good luck with "crisping" mushrooms) and add them just before putting the gravy out.

Put your head around those!  And be prepared for more shocks coming your way.  Wooooooooo