Sourdough

Tofu.

Pressing the water out, marinating for hours, then cooking properly so it's delicious and not a rubbery mess is just too much hassle.

I once made borscht. That is a labour of love I'll never go through again. I also made a hot chocolate layer cake, including making the marshmallows, and that was a lot of work.

I'd love go make chana masala, my favorite indian dish. but it just takes too long to make...

protip : you can cook anything. maybe you don't cook it well the first time. but if you're not completely freeballin it, and are following an established well reviewed recipe, once you cook it poorly or not to your taste, you can always make notes, and adjust the next time. be fearless in your experiments, there's a lot of freedom (and cost savings) in learning how to cook what you like to eat, the way you like to eat it, at home.

Cake. Orange cake.

I like to do a bunch of baking for the holidays, and usually do a mix of easy/familiar recipes, plus some new/challenging recipes. I made caramels, and while I was pretty happy with them, I never heard one person comment on them, and they were a lot of effort compared to things like chocolate chip cookies, so I've never made them again.

Edit: Another is pumpkin pie from fresh pumpkins. I've done it, it's not that difficult, but it's also not any cheaper or better tasting than just buying good canned pumpkin.

Demiglace. Way too much work.