AP / Larry Crowe

The biggest meal of the year is but eight days away. Expectations run high for a feast.

Some people will want the same dinner they first remember having as a child. But the mavericks will hope for something a little bit different. As big as tradition is for Thanksgiving, most of us can agree it’s nice to at find a new taste at some point in this epic meal. That’s why you’ll find the variety of recipes on these pages today.

Why not perk up that turkey and stuffing with the brightness of citrus flavors? Or save yourself some time with that high heat turkey recipe I’ve been talking about for a few years but you’re still afraid to try. If you have never brined your turkey, a local chef has shared his recipe and you may want to give it go.

Instead of pouring a glasses of Champagne to start the day, why not try a sparkling wine cocktail with a lovely cranberry garnish. Maybe continue the cranberry theme with a crumble top fruit pie. Or does an eggnog pie tickle your fancy? Or will this be the best time to try that new pie crust recipe tenderized with vodka that everyone is talking about.

For those looking to cut back somewhere in the calorie department, we offer lower fat stuffing, potatoes and green bean casserole recipes. Think no canned soup! Perhaps we can add a new vegetable or two side by side with the old favorites. What if we perk up the bread basket with sweet potato rolls?

For the past few weeks I’ve been perusing the newest cookbooks, the seasonal magazines and the Internet for some new ideas. Eating Well Comfort Foods Made Healthy (Countryman Press, $24.95) is the perfect source for all the favorites made with less calories, thanks to replacement ingredients such as low-fat buttermilk. The Williams-Sonoma Cookbook (Free Press, $34.95) lives up to its subtitle as The Essential Recipe Collection for Today’s Home Cook. For a definitive sweets cookbook, there is The Art & Soul of Baking from Sur La Table with Cindy Mushnet (Andrews McMeel, $40).

The folks at Cook’s Illustrated, in their Test Kitchen in Brookline, Mass., are always at the ready with a bright new idea, and you’ll love their pumpkin pie. Sources from the Internet include Fine Cooking (for the fluffiest mashed potatoes, use a ricer), Cabot Cheese and Butterball, who all have new recipes online for those seeking to go beyond their recipe box.

A few kind folks have filled up my email-box with other recipes. These include chef Joe Melanson of Newport’s Forty 1 North restaurant, who offered a brine to prepare the turkey; Sandra Lee, the Semi-Homemade queen of cookbooks and the Food Network; and the Square One publishers of Mrs. Cubbison’s Best Stuffing Cookbook, by Leo Pearlstein and Lisa Messinger, based on recipes by stuffing star Sophie Cubbison; and Wondertime, a Disney Family Web site.

And let’s not forget to have fun out there. It is a celebration after all.

gciampa@projo.com