Thanksgiving Entree Without the Turkey

These are the top picks if you want something other than turkey for your Thanksgiving table. Stuffed pork loin hit the top of the charts, leg of lamb was a close second and prime rib was a not too distant third.

I had a phone conference with my cousin Heather Ann and we discussed what would make a good entrée if you decided to forgo the turkey this year. We talked about ham but that seems like a pretty usual substitute. Heather thought a savory pot roast with carrots and onions and potatoes would be nice.

I have done a stuffed pork loin with a savory sage and onion stuffing and basted it with garlic and herb butter so the outside was a nice crusty brown and the inside moist and tender. It is done by laying the pork loin out on the cutting board and slicing it horizontally so it unrolls into a sheet of loin about one and a half inches thick. Stack your favorite stuffing on it and spread evenly over it. Roll it up like a jelly roll and tie it with butcher string to keep it from unrolling. If you have a big, big roll you can wrap it in foil and cook it low and slow until done through and tender then open the foil for the last forty five minutes and baste with the garlic and herb butter.

When I talked to my good friend Sue she asked in a shocked voice "What? Thanksgiving without the turkey?". She said if there was no turkey she would opt for roasted chickens. That reminded me of the time I found Cornish Game Hens on sale and got six of them so every person had their own individual little thanksgiving bird. I did dressing and cranberry sauce and all the trimmings just like any other thanksgiving, it was great fun.

Heather liked the idea of leg of lamb but Sue thought that was a spring thing; like an Easter or Passover meal. Pot Roast is a fall staple at my house and would work just as well on Thanksgiving as any other entrée. I have never actually cooked a prime rib....hey, if I want prime rib; I also want to be waited on and made to feel like a princess. When it's prime rib time it is time to go out to eat.

I know some folks like lobster for Thanksgiving but we all decided that was too expensive for our budgets. Lobster might be out but oyster dressing sounded good to a couple of friends who like to make a variety of dressings in little matched baking dishes. They don't actually stuff the turkey with them so they could be served with other main dishes as well.

I like rice cooked and stirred so it is a bit sticky and then peas and carrots stirred into it. Pack it into a buttered angel food cake pan and let it set up, then un-mold it onto a large round platter. Fill the center with Swedish meatballs. Garnish with fresh baby lettuce leaves in a ring around the platter and rings of red, yellow and green bell peppers sliced very thin and placed on the top in overlapping rings. It's not a turkey that's for sure!

We all decided that what ever we do the main thing was to express thankfulness and let love and joy flow forth to all the family and guests.