What's your unusual Thanksgiving dinner?

[braumeister]

For those who plan a special dinner this Thanksgiving (US version, 25 Nov), but don't want to have the traditional roast turkey, what are you planning this year?

We ordered a Costco special sale item and it's sitting in the freezer waiting for its big day. A sausage-stuffed, bacon-wrapped, turducken roast. Only about 7 pounds so not the big deal a real whole turducken is, and we're really looking forward to it.

I'm sure there are some other unusual meals being planned here, so let's hear about them.

 

[RunningBum]

I used to have chicken since I like that a lot more than turkey, and it's close. But a few years ago we decided to go with either grilling nice steaks, or crab legs.

 

[MC Rider]

We have roasted a 20+ pound turkey the last few years. This time there will be only 4 people, so it's a 9 pound turkey breast. Should be a lot less work after the cooking is done.

 

[ivinsfan]

We have roasted a 20+ pound turkey the last few years. This time there will be only 4 people, so it's a 9 pound turkey breast. Should be a lot less work after the cooking is done.

Not unusual though!!!!

 

[Dtail]

Not cooking and going out.......

 

[MC Rider]

Not unusual though!!!!

Marginal, I admit.

 

[jollystomper]

We will always have turkey (still consider it a treat the way we grew up), but DW said she might add curried goat as well (this normally is present during large thanksgiving family gatherings but we have never had it when it has been just us and our children).

 

[Aerides]

We do the usual turkey, but I do add a UK side: Bread Sauce

Now, almost anything remotely liquid in england is referred to as sauce, ie, Ketchup is red sauce. Bread sauce is basically bread bits soaked in milk then stove heated/simmered, preferably with onions in my family.

18 thanksgivings later, DH has never tried it, and he will eat almost anything... (same goes for british christmas pudding next month, but I think he might have tried that once).

 

[MichaelB]

For us it depends on who will be joining us for dinner. One daughter likes turkey stuffing. Not turkey, just the stuffing.

Our favorite is a surf and turf - a whole beef tenderloin on the grill with some steamed Alaskan king crab legs. This is a favorite with the grandkids. Sides would be green beans or broccoli. DW will want a Japanese sweet potato, the grandkids prefer mashed potatoes.

 

[Silver]

We always go to a local up-scale tourist hotel with a very high-end Thanksgiving buffet. It's wonderful! We also go there for Christmas day supper. Lobster stuffed with crab, prime rib, and lots of champagne. An entire room with just desserts. Yum.... I love this time of year.

 

[ocean view]

Baby back ribs!

 

[Souschef]

We always go to a local up-scale tourist hotel with a very high-end Thanksgiving buffet. It's wonderful! We also go there for Christmas day supper. Lobster stuffed with crab, prime rib, and lots of champagne. An entire room with just desserts. Yum.... I love this time of year.

Thanks for reminding me. One year we went to the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego. They had a fantastic Thanksgiving buffet. While people were loading up on turkey, I was at the seafood table stuffing myself on crab, shrimp, clams and oysters.
Another great Thanksgiving dinner was on the Silver Lariat private rail car. The oven was too small to take a whole turkey, so they had to debone it.

 

[RobbieB]

My brother in law decided on sushi a couple of years ago.

Worked well except for step daughter who doesn't like raw fish.

But she had some teriyaki instead.

 

[silvor]

Turkey isn’t all that popular in my family so I usually do up a beef roast or ham. Still traditional I guess.

 

[ElizabethT]

Well, this year, since we'll be a small group, the SIL is prepping and making sashimi, sushi and poke. I'm down for that!

 

[TrvlBug]

I don't do turkey and usually cook a prime rib, steak, or the occasional ham. This year for the first time ever, I'm ordering in due to the difficulty I'm having with cooking and other chores due to a recent vitrectomy...that gas bubble is more than annoying. Whole Foods is cooking our prime rib this year as well as some nice sides.

 

[ivinsfan]

I don't do turkey and usually cook a prime rib, steak, or the occasional ham. This year for the first time ever, I'm ordering in due to the difficulty I'm having with cooking and other chores due to a recent vitrectomy. Whole Foods is cooking our prime rib this year as well as some nice sides.

Sounds good but considering the circumstances I bet you wish you were doing the cooking

 

[donheff]

My daughter and her family will be coming this year. They are pescatarians so I will watch to see if anyone has some good ideas for classy fish dinners. I love sushi but don't make it.

 

[CardsFan]

My daughter and her family will be coming this year. They are pescatarians so I will watch to see if anyone has some good ideas for classy fish dinners. I love sushi but don't make it.

When I was a kid outside of Boston, one of my favorite Sunday dinner dishes was baked stuffed haddock. A large whole haddock stuffed with the same stuffing you would use for a turkey (home made using Bell's seasoning).

Just an idea.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

In recent years when there are just three or four of us for dinner, sometimes we'll get a whole cooked turkey breast, and one smoked turkey drumstick (for me, I'm the only one who prefers dark meat) instead of a whole turkey like we used to.

 

[Z3Dreamer]

Family will get together and have the traditional turkey, et al. But a day or two before, we will have a warm up dinner of Swedish things. I have a write up on the items and their history. Gravlax (cured salmon), Raggmunk (potato pancakes), smoked salmon, Glogg (hot spiced red wine), some kind of Swedish sausage, cheese, and a few other Swedish things. DW's family has a huge chunk of Swedish background but has never pulled it all together to explain. I forgot to add the Lingonberry jam and Hovmastarsas (mustard dill) and chocolate balls. There are many Swedish vegetable recipes, but DW's family is not into any of them, especially beets.

A purpose is to allow the grandfather (90's) to explain Swedish food and traditions to the grandkids (30's).

We will NOT be donning our viking attire and pillaging the local town. But our longships will be ready, in case we are challenged.

 

[Montecfo]

We will probably do turkey, but some years we do a rib roast or grill steaks. That may be mildly unusual.

If they have a good sale on turkeys that makes it easier. Plus like the leftovers and making soup. Use everything but the gobble.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

Z3Dreamer, my DMIL does a smörgåsbord for Yule, with a lot of the same things, although a little more Americanized. The first year my spouse brought me home for it, I was the only one who ate the herring in cream sauce...even though they had always put it out! Good thing that Jews and Swedes both like their preserved fish!

 

[Z3Dreamer]

Z3Dreamer, my DMIL does a smörgåsbord for Yule, with a lot of the same things, although a little more Americanized. The first year my spouse brought me home for it, I was the only one who ate the herring in cream sauce...even though they had always put it out! Good thing that Jews and Swedes both like their preserved fish!

I found that many of the Swedish foods had an Ashkenazi/ Norwegian/ Finish/ Polish equivalent.

 

[pacergal]

This year we are reverting back to traditional turkey and adding ham for those who don't like turkey. Frequently we have beef tenderloin.
Additional sides this year, besides the usual potatoes, stuffing and gravy, will be maple glazed carrots, a beet/apple/goat cheese salad, and mac and cheese for DGS who asks for it all the time!
I am doing a spiced apple bread pudding instead of pies this year