battle royale holiday; mom v mom

holidays bring about family time and everything crazy that goes along with it. enduring a split family trek from one side of town to another is something many look forward to multiple times per year. food is the familiar. turkey. ham. barbeque. cordon bleu. deviled eggs. no matter the family shenanigans you have in store for you, there's always the gut filler to look forward to.

today, the battle royale is that of easter dinner. two cooks, two families, mom v mom, one winner. on the left we have in-law mom and the right, mom. it's not always about quantity, rather the love and pain put into the spread. may the best hash slinger win.

in-law mom:

turkey, ham, green bean casserole, corn, rolls, potatoes, 2 kinds of whipped fruit stuff (one with pineapple and coconut [yuck] and one without.

turkey - good, moist, cooked on the grill. top shelf

ham - spiral cut, oven baked

green bean casserole - a little watery this go. 50/50 at best

corn - standard can in a pot, get it hot

rolls - store bought, hawaiian style

potatoes - whole, do it yourself. i'll do without

whipped fruit - coconut & pineapple, no. strawberries, marshmallows and whipped cream, yes.

dessert - cookies, gluten free muffins, tippins french silk pie

thoughts - good selection of dual meats. casserole too watery. corn, meh. rolls, purchased. potatoes, no. whipped fruit, standard ok. nice touch with the french silk, but the cookies were a big let down as someone did not cook them long enough. good work with the gluten free option. stayed away from the sweets anyhow.

mom:

turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, noodles, cranberry, rolls, pistachio whip, peanut salad, candied yams

turkey - oven cooked and drrrrrryyyyyy

stuffing - homemade. great touch and very flavorful

mashed potatoes - homemade. don't eat them so, whatever

noodles - grandmas family recipe. good staple

cranberry - run of the mill can-berry and in the mold of the can. ha

rolls - homemade. top shelf

pistachio whip - all you dad

peanut salad - just seams like an afterthought or whipping boy to the other items

candied yams - all you mom

dessert - cheesecake

thoughts - turkey was dry, no reason for that. the rolls, noodles and stuffing all being homemade family recipes are a great touch. couple of 'no thanks' items; meh, whatever. cheesecake was a no go after two dinners.

as said before, not always about quantity... one cook had more options, one cook had more homemade items.

winner: push. can't destroy the hard work and dedication the parents put forth on fixing these foods for family and extended family over the holidays. anyhow, i did make it clear to mom we need to eighty-six the turkey and go back to cordon bleu. same review next year with two contrasting menus will be much easier to grant a winner and present a crown.

easter combines the best of the present with the traditions of the past – like Cadbury cream eggs with hunting and gathering .