I love turkey at Thanksgiving, but is it just me, or does it start to get a little boring after a while? There are so many delicious recipes out there, and the closet chef in me really wants to try something new for the holidays this year. I came up with some standard differences and mixed in some possible ideas -- plus I intend to milk y’all for ideas in a hot minute, so don’t go anywhere. Here are 7 new ideas for Thanksgiving dinner...
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My mom and I have a tradition: every New Year’s Eve, we go nuts with the seafood. We used to be the only ones who ate seafood, but the Better Half is starting to get a little more adventurous, so it occurred to me that there’s no need to wait for the end of the year. You can do anything here, whether you want to make some really great salmon, or if you want to go all out with lobster, scallops, shrimp, and all the trimmings.
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I’ve wanted to try to make duck for a holiday meal for so long. I know that everyone who would be eating likes it, which is always important, and more importantly I know that I love duck, so it would make me happy. I love duck with wild berries, like a delicious raspberry sauce. Making a side dish of wild rice with dried cranberries is also crazy delicious.
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For some people, this is already a standard -- but it doesn’t have to be boring. There are so many delicious things you can do with ham, even if you take the simple route and make it honey baked. You can even incorporate it into the meal some other way, or stick to pork but try a roast instead.
This one is iffy because I’ve never tried it myself and I can’t say for sure that all the guests would like it. Still, once I’m able to try it and prove that I like it, I can’t wait to make this someday. If anyone can give me a review, I’m all for it. And if you do like goose, it might be just the bird to spice up the holidays.
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Protein comes from many places, after all. I’ve got vegetarian friends who swear by their delicious holiday dinners, and I’ll grant you that there are so many delicious fruits, vegetables, and proteins that could be put together into a scrumptious meal.
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When you have your family home for the holidays, serious love-filled home-cooking is a great way to go. Making a homemade roast can be a yummy alternative, hearty and filling but still festive. I’m talking homemade gravy and the works.
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Now, at first, I thought this was a really boring choice for Thanksgiving, but on second thought … not necessarily. Chicken takes seasoning well, there are so many things you can do with it. Plus, again, I think a simple, delicious Julia Child chicken could make the turkey look like a turkey.
Everybody has different traditions during Thanksgiving. It’s always great to christen new traditions too. What are your holiday traditions? And c’mon, who has some delicious recipes to share?
Top Image Credit: william c hutton jr