If the thought of cooking a large bird totally freaks you out, there are plenty of alternative Thanksgiving meals that will give you that holiday feeling without all the fuss.

1. Roasted Pork: Apples and cinnamon will ensure that no one misses the turkey when you serve this dish. It smells and tastes like holiday heaven. Kathy’s photo-tutorial on cooking a Pork Roast is a great guide to cooking “the other white meat”.
   
   
2. Ham: Baking a ham makes for an impressive meal without the crazy level of work. When buying a ham, make sure it says fully-cooked somewhere on the packaging. This means that all you're doing is heating the thing up, people! I suggest you find a ham that comes with a packet of delicious brown sugar glaze to add on top. Depending on the size of ham, you'll probably bake it for about an hour. Just microwave yourself a baked potato following Kathy's instructions, and open a can of cranberry sauce and you've got a terrific seasonal meal in 60 minutes.
3. Herb-roasted Chicken: If you're set on a bird for Thanksgiving, why not try one that is slightly more manageable in size? A marvelous roasted chicken certainly qualifies as a solid turkey replacement. This recipe even has an interesting stuffing, too! Just let this cook nice and slow and all you'll have to do is turn it once. You can also follow Kathy's video instructions for roasted chicken.
4. Turkey Cutlets in 25 Minutes: Here are two recipes that use turkey breast cutlets as the inspiration for the entrée, instead of the full-blown bird. Breaded cutlets can't be easier to make—it's just like cooking chicken!
   
   
5. Veggie Pasta Bake: If you're trying to cut calories and want a healthy alternative to a big meal, ditch convention altogether and go for a tasty pasta bake.
6. Thanksgiving Jambalaya: You can substitute any meat here: turkey breast slices, chicken, shrimp or whatever you've got in the fridge. You can make it spicy or keep it mild. Guests will be impressed that you've bucked tradition and think you've worked for hours on this one.
7. Baked Salmon: Believe it or not, some people actually have an aversion to turkey entirely. Salmon on Thanksgiving still gives that feeling of a special holiday dinner. Try it stuffed, too.
8. Mac & Cheese: Give your ordinary macaroni and cheese some gourmet zip. You can add pretty much anything to M&C, including some thin, cooked strips of turkey.
9. Apple Butter Thanksgiving Sandwich: No, we're not talking about your typical white-bread meal—this is a hot open sandwich that will warm any food lover's heart. You can use sliced turkey, ham or anything you want as a meat. Spoon some cranberry sauce on the side and you're set.
10. Lazy Man's Baked Bird: If you still want to eat turkey, but don't want to do anything more than warm something up, there is a solution. When I lived in Manhattan I worked long hours and had an oven the size of a shoe box. My secret shortcut was to hit the local supermarket and buy one of those already cooked turkey breasts or whole chickens. I would just soup it up to give it a more homemade taste. Try this:
    • Put your already cooked turkey breast in an aluminum pan, and pop open a can of cooked sweet potatoes and spread them around your bird.
    • In a small bowl, mix together 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, a pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper, ½ teaspoon of parsley flakes, ¼ teaspoon of rosemary, 1 teaspoon of paprika and 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil. With a small brush just rub this concoction on and in your bird.
    • Pop in the oven at 300 degrees for just 20 minutes to get it warmed through. Eat.

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