Smart Aleck

The question Nov. 23: Sure as fall football, turkey will be in the center of the table on Thanksgiving. Predictable? Delicious? Got a better idea for a holiday staple?

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. That way we’ll make the folks at PETA happy and maybe even put some weight on Fiona Apple.

Emmanuel Rustia, Chino Hills

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I have a recipe for a Thanksgiving and gridiron theme treat called Pigskin Pie.

Marinate one pigskin (football) at room temperature in the beer of your choice the night before your feast. Two hours before mealtime, cut the pigskin lengthwise on one side along one of the seams. Stuff the pigskin with chili, cheese, onions and anything else you have left over in the refrigerator.

Put the pigskin in a casserole and place in a preheated oven set at 450 degrees for two hours. Remove pigskin from oven and cut the lengthwise seam opposite the one already cut.

Serves up to eight people. Serving suggestion: Place each half of the pigskin open end up on a tee and place in the center of a serving dish surrounded by chips.

A great way to “kick off” the holidays.

G.L. Rockmael, Mar Vista

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By using cookbooks, one could expand their culinary horizons. By year’s end, you should have collected a number of tasty main course and side dishes to dazzle your holiday guest. It also might be useful to choose a country in which your meal would be indigenous--France, Germany, Africa, places that are truly foreign to you.

The traditional American way is for the birds!

Antoinette Morrissette, Los Angeles