Thanksgiving Dinner. And I hate Turkey :D

[RKayne]

Who here refuses to 'conform to the norm' and makes something decadent but very un-turkey? Last year I did Cornish Hens for a crowd, it was so cool being able to serve up a bird for each person. This year we had a friend who bagged a doe on the edge of her Alfalfa field and is giving us about 10 lbs of meat and we are going to do Venison and Quail for a crowd.

What Ya'll having?

[beckah54]

My daughter always cooks Thanksgiving dinner, so it will probably be turkey and ham. She is a very good cook so her dinners are wonderful. She always sends a plate home with each one of us too.

The last time I cooked, though, we had prime rib.

[mischiefgrrl]

I'm vegetarian and will still do all of the traditional sides and desserts with flair as I always do I always make a pumpkin pie from scratch (fresh pumpkin - not canned) a sweet potato meringue pie, garlic and rosemary mashed potatoes, chardonnay gravy, cornbread sage stuffing, green bean and asparagus casserole, homemade dinner rolls and cranberry orange muffins. I don't think we really need a centerpiece to replace turkey with all of the other food I cook.

[flying low]

not real big on the turkey. the family really does enjoy the cornish game hens instead of the turkey. we've done prime rib too. in fact, i can't think of the last time we roasted a turkey ....

[Allestaria]

Turkey and ham! Gravy, mashed tators, sweet tators, stuffing, cranberries, pumpkin pie, cheese cake, cheese rolls, dinner rolls, green beans apple pie, broccoli rice casserole.

Thats what my mom and I make for the family. For 12 people. Now this is usually dinner.
At mom's.

Then there is lunch at in-laws. She makes turkey, smoked ham, enchalidas, beans, salad, pumpkin spice pie, rolls, green beans.
So my family eats twice. LOL. Its not easy trying to cook and spend time at the in-laws.

[Mary Kay]

RKayne, We also have traditional..with all the fixin's! Mike would die the death of a thousand hiccups with out his cornbread stuffing and turkey gravy! One year we ate with daughters In-laws who made a turkey covered in brown sugar..like a ham! No drippings for gravy. I had to go home and make him ANOTHER thanksgiving the next day!

But for good ideas, why not visit veggie vapers? I am sure Shivadance will fix you up with some alternative ideas!
Veggie Vapers

Here's a special Thanksgiving smilie for you!

[Luv2CUSmile]

We do both Ham & Turkey... a lot of traditional foods- I also do a huge pot of collard's w/ hamhocks, we do all sweet potato pies- no pumpkin- I do pumpkin bread though... Cornbread stuffing is my husband's specialty... My entire family wants us to come to their place just so he will do his cornbread stuffing- I call it stuffing... He does a mixture of stuffing and dressing... he uses cornbread and regular bread crumbs... he puts turkey in it and chicken broth and so much other stuff- It could be a meal by itself! - LOL We usually go to my mom's, ocassionally they have come here- we went to my dad's once, and his mom's once- My mom wants to start this year w/ a new tradition- She wants Thanksgiving- Meaning, she wants Thanksgiving spent w/ her and she is renting a beach cottage for all of us to stay together... We will see how it goes this year... We told her we could do this since Thanksgiving the kids only get out 4 days from school- we can still drive up to Va and make it back and rest, etc- Christmas we stay home sometimes, or go to Florida, or Kentucky, or my mom's, etc- No tradition as far as where we will be- Just what we do...
There are actually some great veg recipes out there- My new sister in law is a vegetarian- so we always make sure we have something "Main course" like for her... I will have to pull some recipes out and post them...

[VA Slim]

Luv.....if you don't mind me asking, where do you live in NC? My reason for asking is that we spend Thanksgiving (and sometimes Christmas) in Morganton every year. I'm from a family of deer hunters and they hear the call of the wild during Thanksgiving week. So, I tag along and stay in town while they stay at their hunt camp which is in the south mountains. They come into town on Thanksgiving day for dinner.

We have all the traditional fare, but the turkey.....I cheat. Sam's Club has a great smoked whole turkey, thaw and eat. It's juicy and the fam loves it. Add gravy w/ mashed pots, stuffing, etc., and it's a party. LOL, after all, I'm on vacation too!

[RKayne]

I grew up in Salisbury I went to UNCC, lol. And all my fam in still in NC (Mom in WLM). Little big world out there, eh? You east or west, luvs?

I love veggie food, and make great stuff. I could not be a vegetarian though, I would DIE without my beef...and pork...and...well, I have to say this...COVER YOUR EYES, MISCHIEF!!

Meat is Murder. Tasty, tasty murder.

[mischiefgrrl]

I'm not bothered by other meat eaters. I loved it myself for many years and then one day, it just smelled disgusting to me. I think there's a big difference from an animal that was obtained from the wild or a farm where they had a pasture; and the factory farms in California. The conditions these animals are kept in is deplorable. It's a health choice for me to not want to put meat in my body from an animal that never stood on it's own legs or stepped outside of it's own feces. I still love fish and when the guys go albacore fishing, I'm more than happy to take some of it off of their hands.