The Not-So-Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner

  Tis the season of holiday after holiday….I won’t lie, I love this time of year!  Now that Halloween has past, it is time to put my focus on preparing for Thanksgiving.  This holiday is meant for the whole family to come together, be thankful for all of our blessings and share a delicious meal around the dinner table as we talk about the past, present and future.  The typical Thanksgiving meal consists of turkey, ham, stuffing, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce and various other ‘fixins’.  If you are like me, those things are ok, for one meal, but they usual last throughout the rest of the weekend and I end up begging for someone to PLEASE FINISH THIS TURKEY…or end up feeding it to my dogs.  A few years ago, while talking to my mom about the daunting task of preparing the Thanksgiving dinner, we decided to start a new tradition, and this was the birth of our Not-So-Traditional Thanksgiving dinner.  Depending on the size of your family, there are many ways to make this a great meal without having to attach yourself to the kitchen for a week of preparation.  Here is a compilation of delicious meals to share with your family, some require cooking, others will not:

Smorgasbord of Mexican Greatness:

This selection requires NO cooking.  A few years back I had the privilege of accompanying a friend to the Dallas Tortilla and Tamale Factory.  If this ends up on your list for Thanksgiving, make sure you go in a few weeks before and place your order, they are very busy people.  We suggest a spread of everything they offer:

Traditional Tamales

Pork
Beef
Chicken
Pork Jalapeno
Beef Jalapeno

New Tamales

Pinto Bean & Cheddar Cheese
Spinach & Feta Cheese
Poblano Chile & Monterrey Jack Cheese
Black Bean & Monterrey Jack Cheese

Specialty Meats

Beef Barbacoa
Beef Lengua
Pork Chicharrones

Additionals

Nacho Chips
Tostada Shells

Stone Ground Corn Tortillas
Flour Tortillas

Red Chili Pepper Salsa
Green Cilantro Salsa

The Italian Feast:

Warning, this menu requires cooking, but it is so delicious we doubt there will be leftovers you have to eat for the next month (no I do not actually eat month old leftovers…that would be gross!)

Italian Stuffed Shells, my favorite recipe I have for this is from Taste of Home

Spinach & Artichoke Dip

Caesar Salad (we love the Texas Toast croutons and dressing made by Marie’s, typically in the cold area of the produce section)

Garlic French Bread

The Backyard BBQ: (Don’t worry, this can be eaten inside too)

This menu also requires cooking, but nothing difficult and who doesn’t love a good BBQ?  This option is easy to turn into a potluck as well so that you can pass off some of that work to the others.  (This can always be outsourced to your favorite BBQ joint too, just make sure you call them with enough time to fill you order)

Pulled Pork BBQ Sammies, I love to this recipe from Chow, I can just throw it all in the crock pot and hang out with family

Oven Cooked Ribs with Dry Rub

Loaded baked potato dip from Closet Cooking (make double or triple of this….it is SOOOOO good!  Also I replace the cayenne with Frank’s RedHot)

Mac N Cheese

Baked Beans

Cole Slaw

A Meal Fit for a Royal Family:

This is one of my favorite Thanksgiving meals to make….heck this is one of my favorite meals EVER!!!  Who doesn’t love steak and crab?!?!  This meal option can get pricey, so I keep this menu for when I am entertaining a smaller crowd.

Steak (pick the cut of meat you love the most and slap a good spice rub on it)

Crab (depending on what might be on sale, I go with either Snow Crab Legs or King Crab Legs, I lay them flat on a baking sheet and sprinkle Creole seasoning all over, then serve with melted butter that has some garlic powder in it…..WARNING, these are delicious)

Whole artichoke hearts (cut the top off and trim the tips, steam for about 20 min…then you just peel the leaves off, dip in that melted butter and scrape the artichoke part off with your teeth…do not eat the whole leaf, you will not enjoy it)

Loaded baked potatoes

Salad

I hope you get to enjoy some of these NON Turkey menus!  I will put one thing out there; NONE of these options are healthy, AT ALL!  Thanksgiving isn’t about counting calories and watching what you eat, definitely do not forget to add a dessert to this menu!  Just remember whatever you choose to make, the holidays are about enjoying those around you.  Make sure you share stories, give thanks and laugh…LAUGH A LOT!  From our family to yours, Happy Holidays!  We hope this is the best year yet!