Anyone hosting Thanksgiving dinner for their family wants to make sure they impress everyone with not only great cooking skills, but impressive and distinct additions to the overall menu-and that definitely includes the turkey.  

Cooking the perfect bird not only happens to be the best way to show everyone that you're the expert on Thanksgiving dinner (because dinner is pretty much always about the bird), but that you're also capable of taking something traditional and giving it your own bold flavors, which could impress everyone, from your overbearing parents, to Great-Aunt Ida, and even the pickiest little eater at the kid's table.  

Here are five great recipes to try to give your Thanksgiving turkey a much-needed update:  

Mayonnaise Roasted Turkey 

Don't knock this recipe until you've tried it. This recipe, from She Wears Many Hats, actually allows the turkey to still taste like Turkey-but it also makes the turkey even more moist than before. Mix some herbs in the mayo, as well as some celery, onion, salt, pepper and a stick of butter, then rub the mixture all over the turkey, both inside and out. When the bird is done, it will have plenty of flavor thanks to the extra additions, but it will also be incredibly moist and juicy.  

Ranch-Seasoned Roast Turkey 

This recipe, from Delish, is another surefire way to guarantee a moist bird (the ingredients consist or ranch seasoning mix and butter), but on that adds a slightly different taste to the star of Thanksgiving dinner. If everyone loves ranch dressing on their salads, they'll love this twist being added to their bird.  

Classic Turkey with Giblet-Mushroom Gravy 

This one is a classic turkey all the way through, with thyme, onions, carrots, celery, sage, thyme, salt and pepper, and a gravy which consists of butter, mushrooms, butter, sherry, flour, pears, orange halves, thyme, sage, and pan drippings.  But with all those ingredients, the flavor will be sure to impress.  

Sage-Orange Turkey and White Wine Gravy 

Try this recipe for a citrus inspired bird, which is complimented perfectly with a gravy that has some white wine in it, which will surely make the wine enthusiasts at the table swoon  

Bacon Maple-Orange Turkey 

It's rare these days to find someone who doesn't love bacon, so why not find a way to include the amazing taste of it in the Thanksgiving Turkey? With actual bacon strips cooked into the bird there will be plenty of that salty flavor, but the maple and orange will also off-set it with sweet and tangy notes as well.  

Tags: thanksgiving