Thanksgiving isn't my favorite, but I like homemade cranberry sauce with whole cranberries still in it. Also, jalapeno cornbread, and mashed potatoes & gravy.

What I'd rather do than follow tradition is to make something Asian I've never made before - one year it was cats' paw dumplings and hot and sour soup and some kind of steamed fish recipe involving lemongrass. This year we are taking all the work out of it and getting a whole roast duck (already roasted) from the oriental food market, and also a whole array of takeout from the same place - Thai and Chinese and Korean and whatever looks interesting that we have the courage to try.

If I have to go the turkey route, I opt for the less labor intensive whole turkey breast and a pan of roasted vegetable - potatoes, onions, garlic cloves, carrots, etc all chopped into bite sized chunks, tossed with olive oil and garlic salt and allowed to slowly roast in the oven for the last 45 mins to an hour of turkey time. I would rather spend my time making pies! Pies, pies, pies! Apple pies with pear and cranberry. Strawberry pies, peanutbutter pies, all kinds of pies!