Should you cook a brined turkey?  Should you baste the turkey or cover it with butter-drenched cheesecloth? What about a ham, maybe prime ribs as well as a turkey to offer holiday variety and make your Thanksgiving or Christmas table a lavish spread? 

Holidays need coordination and the choice of meat for the holiday table determines many of the other dishes.  Mull the recipes carefully.  Scroll down or click here for articles that will improve your skills or to give you menu suggestions.

click for more stuffing and dressing recipes

The great bird - Turkey Recipes, Turkey Gravy, Recipes:

Thanksgiving Special: Cook Your "Best Roast Turkey" With Jamie Oliver from Cook With Jamie
click for recipe  
click for "cook with jamie" book review

(scroll down for leftover turkey recipes)

• Brined Turkey recipe - The best. Read about the old-fashioned way. Click here
• roast turkey with Cornbread/Chorizo Stuffing and Chipotle Glaze
• southern roasted turkey
• Carl Baggett's spiced turkey - a recipe and a how-to
• turkey giblet stock and gravy
• turkey gravy recipe
• marinated, grilled turkey breast recipe
• turkey - turkey breast rolled with prosciutto with sherry cream vinegar slow cooker recipe
• rolled stuffed turkey breast with prosciutto & provolone - for a buffet Thanksgiving
• turkey with chipotle/grand marnier stuffing
• turkey breast with italian stuffing recipe
• turkey breast with indian spices recipe
• roasted turkey with cranberry & sausage stuffing recipe
• roast turkey with dried cherry & pecan stuffing recipe
• roasted turkey with chestnut stuffing recipe
• roast turkey with orange marmalade glaze and pear-infused gravy
• roasted turkey, roasted, with pecan and cornbread dressing (stuffing)
• turkey, roasted, with southwest dressing (stuffing) recipe
• turkey, roasted, with picadillo dressing (stuffing) recipe

 

Thanksgiving & Christmas Recipes for Ham, Ham Glazes and Leftover Ham Recipes

• baked ham with raisin sauce
• baked ham
• baked ham with cherry sauce
• George Stella's maple-glazed baked ham
• honey glaze for ham
• ham loaf (leftovers)
• sawmill gravy
• ham with redeye gravy
• ham hash
• ham omelet
• fried rice with ham
• gourmet paella with ham
• breakfast casserole
• potato Gratin with Ham and Cheese

Lest we forget - the great prime ribs or other meats:

• roast beef and yorkshire pudding
• prime ribs with red currant glaze and red currant sauce
• capon, basted in champagne
• capon - Basque stuffed Christmas capon recipe (capon relleno de Navidad)
• goose - roast goose with wild rice and hazelnut stuffing recipe
• goose - roast goose with fig and cornbread stuffing recipe
• roast goose with wild rice stuffing
• roast goose with tangerines

Special:  tourtiere the French Canadian meat pie

Beyond Ham Sandwiches - Great Soups for Leftover Ham

Soups require little attendance, other than watching the flame.  After Thanksgiving or Christmas, the cook is tired, and soup t's like having a day off after the holiday fuss.  And the ham bone is waiting to flavor and enrich a soup. 

• ham - broccoli, ham and cheddar soup
• ham - catalan country stew
• ham - ham and corn chowder
• ham  -  ham and navy bean soup
• ham - ham and lima soup
• ham - pasta fagioli with ham
• ham - white bean, rosemary and ham soup

 

Holiday articles- get tips and ideas for cooking at Thanksgiving or Christmas:

• main thanksgiving page      get a listing of all recipes with a few words about the holidays
• pro talks turkey        how to cook a turkey - advice from a pro
• thawing and cooking times for roast turkey       an indispensable guide for the season   
• an ozarks thanksgiving     memory of a special holiday  
• Spice-rubbed turkey - step by step to a perfect turkey   her father knew the way, this includes a recipe
• main Christmas page some great menus    ideas for assembling a holiday meal based on German, Italian, English holidays
• German Christmas     facts, history of the originators of Christmas as we know it today
• southern Christmas   how to celebrate Christmas with a southern flair  
• swedish christmas   The Swedish way of Christmas
• christmas in koblenz a memory
• australian christmas history  down under Christmas
• italian christmas eve  the classic Italian Christmas eve
• holiday memories   the best things happen during the holidays.  Add your own memories to this page

 

We wish you all a peaceful holiday season.  Thanksgiving is a classic American holiday, and Christmas a Christian one.  But the season is the season and rings with good thoughts and well wishes for everyone.  We wish you peace, love and joy in this holiday season. And may those thoughts travel with you into the New Year.