Alternatives besides that big azz turkey for thanksgiving

I grew up eating mainly ham and chicken for Thanksgiving. Since moving to Texas, deep fried turkey, smoked turkey and tenderloin have been sporadically added to the equation.

Baked turkey is the most overrated food in history. Chicken is 10x better.

Pumpkin pie is also overrated. The first time I ate sweet potato pie (which was also after I moved to Texas) was the last time I ever thought about having pumpkin pie. Pecan pie and Sock-It-To-Me cake usually round out the dessert menu. On rare occasions, Italian Cream cake and Red Velvet cake are served.

Pro tip: To avoid carb overload, skip out on creamed corn, sweet potato casserole, mac and cheese and other side dishes that are the nutritional equivalent of desserts. (Or just limit yourself to one). Then you can pig out on desserts without any conscience .

 

We are doing Tofurky this year.

 

Where in the US are you all eating Chicken and Ham on the most sacred of American Holidays?

 

I have done Whole Foods catering for the last few years because it tastes good and we have no time to actually cook.

 

My wife is vegetarian and my kids are assholes when it comes to food. So I am stuck compromise with a tofurky so at least two people would eat.

I miss being a kid during thanksgiving when my mom aunts and uncles would get way too drunk and fight into the night. My kids will never get to experience that. That and I miss my grandmas potatoes.

 

I grew up in Indy and moved to Houston 37 years ago after college.

There are more people than you think who avoid turkey on Thanksgiving. If it was so great, people would eat large amounts of it year round. I was pleasantly surprised my wife's family down here was open-minded and quickly adopted my line of thinking.

 

You have my condolences...

 

Turkey, maybe.... smoked ham, perhaps... But there is always a gumbo at family functions. That and rolls with the bottom burnt to **** are an unbreakable tradition.

 

We always do a Peruvian rotisserie chicken with fries, rice and the green sauce goodness. There are only 4 of us so it makes sense, and quite frankly is way tastier than almost any turkey. When I go to my family's place, my brother makes a sensational smoked turkey, and these spicy baked pretzels that I love.

 

I love traditional Thanksgiving, it's the one time of the year I eat all of these things.

I guess it sucks if you can't cook anything correctly.

 

On Thanksgiving, if you had to chose only turkey, or only sides which would you chose?

For me, I generally get excited more excited for the carbohydrate coma from stuffing, and mashed/scalloped potatoes, gravy, rolls and all the other side dishes. The meat is almost incidental.

 

I can't remember the name of the yellow Peruvian HOT pepper blend...it's delicious on a bird

 

I'd take the a fully cooked turkey with the dirty rice, potato salad, cabbage, greens, and rolls. Then use the leftovers to make a gumbo so the former it is.

 

Aji Amarillo?

With green sauce?

 

There are a quite a lot of Peruvian places around here. Some are really fantastic. The hole in the wall place we frequent most is my favorite for most dishes. But there's a different hole in the wall place with best Lomo Saltado I've ever had. Ají Amarillo is Awesome, probably even better, but less available.