I promised that I would help those poor chefs who were unable to scrounge up a turkey for Thanksgiving. Help is on the way!

Let's start from least extravagant to most:

1) Prepare some short ribs. Don't laugh. Short ribs are comfort food, smothered in rich gravy and root vegetables. Serve this with some mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie, and no one will complain. After browning the ribs on all sides, place them in a slow cooker, together with one chopped onion, 2 chopped carrots, 2 minced cloves of garlic, a pinch of parsely, sage, rosemary and thyme, one bay leaf, 2 cups of beef broth, 1/2 cup of red wine, one teaspoon of tomato paste, 1/2 teaspoon of liquid smoke (more on this super flavor ingredient later), and 1 Tablespoon of brown sugar. Your guests will be saying, "Turkey? What turkey"?!

2) Buy some cornish hens, and serve a whole one to each of your guests. Decorate the little legs with decorative foil. These birds are so easy to make, and the meat just falls off of the bone. Buy the fresh hens if you can, so you don't have to defrost them. Season the hens inside and out with salt and pepper, and add some chopped onion and garlic into the cavity. Then just baste them every 20 minutes or so with melted butter, and cook for one hour to one hour and 10 minutes. Serve this up with your mashed potatoes and dressing, and maybe a side of green beans. Classy and delicious!

3) This is my favorite substitute for a turkey - filet mignon. My sister prepared this for one family gathering, and topped it off with a burgundy reduction and blue cheese crumbles. You don't need to do anything to the meat except add salt and pepper. This just melts in your mouth. Purchase an entire cut of filet (enough for 6-8 people). Cut the filet into 6-8 even portions, but the portions should be between 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick. Tie each filet with cooking twine, so that it retains its shape.

Now prepare the wine reduction. This must be done with a good bottle of wine. Pour 2 cups of the wine into a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes, or until the wine has reduced to almost 1/3. Season as required with a pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a small bowl, crumble some blue cheese and set aside.

Brown each side of the filets in a frying pan on high heat in 1 tsp. butter and vegetable oil. Set them on a foiled baking sheet, and place them in the oven at 350 degrees, for 7-12 minutes, depending on how you prefer your meat cooked.

Once the meat is at the preferred doneness, take the sheet out of the oven, drizzle each filet with the wine reduction and sprinkle the blue cheese on top. Serve this with some scalloped potatoes and a green salad. To die for!