For years I was in a bi-monthly cooking group. We usually met at a friends house and would make dinner there. One night all those terrible things your mom and your aunt Sally forced on you came up.
Number 1 was Green Bean Casserole, for the uninitiated this is 1 can green beans, 1 can Campbell's cream of mushroom soup, topped with Durkee fried onions then baked. It is terrible, canned green beans are mushy and flavorless, cream of mushroom soup is also mushy and terrible with the added bonus of tasting like a salt lick. Durkee fried onions I will eat as a snack (I will hear no bad words about them, though they are also terrible in their own way. Don't start). The original recipe unsurprisingly came from Campbell's Test Kitchen as a way for working housewives to get dinner on the table with a minimum of fuss.
We talked about it (argued) and half the group thought it could be a great dish, the other half speed dialed their therapists.
The next time we met Green Bean Casserole was the main. Blanched fresh green beans were layered with crimini mushrooms simmered in cream and herbs, then topped with Asian fried shallots. It was a hit, and ended up in rotation. It is actually fantastic when made fresh.
No.2 was Fish in Aspic. No one could do anything with this, the dish just sucks.
No.3 was Fondue, which I hated as a kid then had good versions of. Porcini (Cepes) with Beaufort and sourdough, Beef loin with carmelized onions and red wine reduction, etc.
What are yours? Have you recreated any horrible dishes and made them delicious?
p.s. great aunt Beth you almost put me off Turkey for life...
ETA: I know we're supposed to tag posts, I don't see a way to do that in Voyager. Anyway, Discussion
Thanks for the trauma, my mom did Tuna Casserole. Canned tuna, some kind of creamed condensed soup, topped with potato sticks. I had actually suppressed this memory.
I can't really see a way forward with those ingredients.
I actually grew up on a good version of tuna casserole. We never used the condensed soup or potato sticks, we made a bechamel and topped the dish with parmesan and breadcrumbs. My parents did some weird things when trying to use up leftovers, but I will give them credit for refusing to use the canned/premade versions of a lot of things.