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Thanksgiving is right around the corner and if cooking dinner is on your to do list, planning and innovation are the key to a stress-free day.  Turkey dinner has come a long way since that first feast and cooks today have even more options available to produce a perfectly cooked, marvelously moist turkey with all the fixings.  From different ways to cook the turkey to a vast array of stuffing choices, with a little creativity and some help from the experts, your Thanksgiving table can rival that of any restaurant.

Local chef, Rachelle Boucher, from Westar Kitchen & Bath, has some great ideas on how to improve your turkey cooking experience.  First, she suggests an alternative to the traditional method of cooking turkey called butterflying.  By using a convection oven and removing some of the bones, you can cut your cooking time in half while ensuring you end up with a succulent, evenly cooked turkey. 

Chef Boucher also recommends trying something different to maximize the flavor of your turkey like her orange spice rub.  To make the rub, combine orange zest, fine chopped fresh sage, nutmeg coriander, kosher salt, and pepper and sprinkle inside and all around the outside of the turkey.  Add some orange slices, onion slices and whole rosemary sprigs inside the turkey to get a delicious infused flavor that is sure to please even the pickiest palette.

If you are looking for some great new side dish recipes, look no further than Fill Your Plate’s own recipe section.  With the addition of the new category search, our recipe finder is easier to use than ever and to help you plan the best Thanksgiving yet, one of the categories available with this new search is Thanksgiving Dinner. 

Looking for an alternative to cranberry sauce in a can?  Check out the recipe for Cosmo Cranberry Sauce provided by Sharman Hickman of Hickman Family Farms.  The use of citrus like oranges and limes makes it a perfect compliment for a turkey flavored with orange spice rub.

Tired of turkey?  Make a new family tradition and swap the turkey for a meal that maximizes the best of the West.  For a new twist on Thanksgiving dinner that everyone will be thankful for, make Arizona Rancher’s Prime Rib provided by Kacie Tomerlin of Arizona Legacy Beef.

Sick of sad, dry stuffing?  Try Dru’s Special Holiday Stuffing from Dru Alberti, Senior Ag Field Specialist for AgMax Commercial Ag Insurance. Prepared with herbs that will fill the house with the aroma of homemade Thanksgiving dinner, this succulent stuffing is sure to have everyone reaching for seconds.

Thanksgiving wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without the perfect pumpkin pie and Fill Your Plate has just the right recipe.  Make Grandma Gertie’s Pumpkin Pie to finish off your fabulous Thanksgiving dinner with a traditional flair.

The overall price for a Thanksgiving meal has risen in recent years. Check out Classic Thanksgiving Dinner for 10 to see more about recent prices. Though costs have risen, you can keep the cost to about $5 per person if everyone contributes to the meal.

Whether you are looking to give your traditional meal an overhaul or trying to find ways to stretch your Thanksgiving dinner dollar, Fill Your Plate can help you find the right recipe.