Over-The-Top Ways You Can Make Your Thanksgiving Turkey

Thanksgiving is all about tradition. We look back fondly on Thanksgivings past — gathering around the table, talking about the good times, watching dad carve the turkey — and the nostalgia is sometimes even more fun than the original experience. But in trying to preserve holiday traditions, it is easy to lose sight of the most important part of holiday nostalgia: making new memories.

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If you want your children's children to talk about holidays for years to come, you have to take a risk and make the holiday truly your own. Whether you add a fun Thanksgiving craft activity or change up the menu, there are plenty of ways to make Thanksgiving dinner something unique. One thing most folks do not consider is rethinking the main entrée. Of course, for those hesitant to give up tradition entirely, we don't recommend disregarding the turkey. Instead we want to give you new, outside-the-box ways to consider making your otherwise traditional Thanksgiving turkey.

For instance, if you need a fast and delicious way to feed the family, consider basting the bird in mayonnaise. You'll get that traditional turkey feel, but will have an extra special "secret ingredient" to add to your family's growing cookbook. Or perhaps you want to reinterpret Thanksgiving turkeyaltogether and make hand-held turkey empanadas for a portable and tasty dinner. Whatever you decide, these over-the-top delicious Thanksgiving turkey recipes will have you family talking about this season's feast for years to come!

Turducken

turducken

Eating turkey on Thanksgiving every year can get kind of old. To switch things up in the kitchen, but still keep the tradition of the Thanksgiving turkey, try making a turducken this year. For those of you who may not know, a turducken is a deboned chicken stuffed inside a deboned duck stuffed inside a deboned turkey, with dressing added between the layers. It first took the country by storm in the early years of this millenium, but it retains its dramatic appeal. Why not try it yourself?

Click here for the Turducken Recipe

Barbecue Turkey Wings

wings

If Thanksgiving is second only to the Super Bowl in terms of biggest football days, isn't it only fair that the fare reflect that? Forget those paltry Super-Bowl chicken wings, and instead of roasting a whole turkey for your fellow football fans, make these barbecued turkey legs instead. Combine them with traditional sides (or, to be even more laid-back, casseroles); whatever you decide, these wings will be a fun and flavorful feature on your Thanksgiving table.

Click here for the Barbecue Turkey Wing Recipe