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
For me it was pretty much meat cuts like steak or pork chops. My parents erred on the side of making sure it was safe, so the steak was medium well or even well done and the pork chops would have little internal moisture left. I grew up thinking I just didn't like those meats. I'm still not a big fan but I do understand that they can be cooked better now.
Though to balance it out, my mom was Italian and we had enough good pasta that I took pasta being good for granted.
Though to balance the balance, her tortiere was also very dry and she'd get offended if we wanted to add any sauces.
I miss her risotto with turkey giblets. Thanks to that (and maybe a lack of having it in other forms), I grew up liking organ meat.