Thanksgiving guests are arriving, and there’s not much time to spare. Your rollaway bed is ready, the guest towels and pillows are fluffed, your table is set and the candles are lit. In anticipation, some local restaurant chefs share their favorite holiday dishes.

These chefs’ cooking talents complement Thanksgiving get-togethers in their homes, but they’ve dished up some scrumptious recipes for those who dare to think outside the traditional turkey this year.

Talking turkey and stuffing with Tom Miller, chef at Snook Inn

“Every Thanksgiving is different for me and my family. The stuffing this year will be cranberry-pecan,” says Miller. He has dedicated more than 23 years to the Snook Inn, and is known for his seafood buffets and delicious grouper lunch and dinner specials.

“The restaurant will be closed for Thanksgiving, so I’ll be cooking for me and my wife. Half of being a chef is being creative,” Miller adds, as he’ll be soaking his personal turkey in a five-gallon bucket of citrus brine in his garage refrigerator to serve up on Thanksgiving Day. “You can find this brine at Williams Sonoma, but I made my own,” he adds. Below is

his stuffing recipe.

Ditch the bird for a goose, with Master Chef Konrad Mayerhofer

Master Chef Konrad Mayerhofer, owner of Konrad’s Restaurant has spent most of his life cooking. With traditional German roots, his chosen bird this year will be a goose, rather than a turkey, for his family dinner. “You can specially order these from Publix,” Mayerhofer explains.

He’ll be greeting his guests and hosting Thanksgiving at Konrad’s Restaurant this year, so his family gathering will be placed on hold, maybe until Christmas dinner.

“I’m thankful to my wife Sharon for understanding my hours here, and to my family,” adds Mayerhofer. Below, he shares a family recipe and wine recommendation for a sensational goose that’s a tasteful alternative to traditional turkey.

Mom’s homemade sweet potatoes, from Chef Tara Trevethan, of Tara Steak and Lobster House

“We make these mashed sweet potatoes each year as part of our family feast. We are of Italian descent, so it is a tradition to have a homemade, sit-down dinner with our family,” explains Trevethan.

“Because our restaurant is open on all of the holidays, and because we honor this Thanksgiving tradition, we have adjusted our dinner time to the mid-afternoon, so we can then go into the restaurant and work. You can imagine how hard it is to eat that giant meal and then have the energy to run around the restaurant, but we manage,” she adds.

“We also make sure we cook enough for not just our family, but our extended family: our staff. We take this wonderful meal “to go” to feed our staff a memorable meal,” Trevethan adds. Below is her mom’s sweet potato recipe.

Broccoli Raub, from Chef Arturo Perez and his family at Arturo’s

Although Arturo’s will be closed for Thanksgiving this year, Chef Arturo, his partner Judy and family will get together to cook and prepare a sumptuous family dinner.

Arturo’s recipes often include fresh garlic, gently sautéed in extra virgin olive oil. This bold, garlic flavor is found in many of Perez’s signature dishes. Perez develops new creations for his customers, along with his two sons, Edgar and Arturo, Jr. and his son-in law, Juan Cortazar. Cooking is a family passion for them, and it shows in the past 14 years they’ve served up a delicious menu on Marco Island.

Their kitchen is filled with energy as they begin another night of cooking as a family. “We speak Spanish, Italian and English,” says Perez, as he tastefully directs his kitchen team in Spanish one minute and Italian the next.

Below, he shares his broccoli raub recipe, which he’ll cook at home at Thanksgiving. It’s a recipe that’s quick and easy for a side dish to any Thanksgiving turkey.

Pumpkin Pie from Pelican Bend Restaurant and Marina owner Annie Cooper

Like many families, the Coopers, owners of Pelican Bend Restaurant and Marina, prepare a traditional turkey with all the fixings and complements. They spend time together working long hours serving up delicious seafood recipes. They’ve dished up their Southern hospitality to guests since the early 1980s in this waterfront location on Isles of Capri.

“This is my husband Mickey’s grandmother’s recipe. She made it with fresh pumpkin, and it’s my son Mike’s favorite,” says Cooper, who has made the dish as far back as when she lived in Tennessee. “There’s no comparison in taste from fresh pumpkin. My kids love it and my grandkids love it. It’s just like custard,” says Cooper. Below is her recipe that creates three fresh pies to serve guests.

Tom Miller’s Cranberry Pecan Stuffing

1/2 bag herb stuffing from Pepperidge Farm

1/2 bag of corn bread stuffing from Pepperidge Farm

1 cup olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

4 stalks celery, sliced thin

1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1/4 cup fresh sage, chopped

3/4 cup fresh thyme, chopped

1 1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 cup toasted whole pecans (can also use sliced almonds)

2 large eggs

1 qt. chicken stock or turkey stock

Directions:

In a large skillet, heat olive oil and add onion, celery. Cook and stir occasionally on medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until onion and celery are translucent.

Remove skillet from heat. In a large bowl or pot, combine all stuffing mixes. Add parsley, thyme, sage, pecans and cranberries, boiling cranberries first to plump them up.

Add eggs and stock, and continue heating.

Spoon the stuffing-to-be into a buttered 3-quart casserole dish and bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

“I’m cooking my turkey upside-down, with the breast up to keep it tenderized,” adds Miller, who’s ready to celebrate another restful Thanksgiving with his family.

Master Chef Konrad Mayerhofer’s Goose or “Gebratne Gans” in German

1 goose, can be seven to 10 lbs., depending on number of guests

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Sprigs of fresh rosemary (chopped) to taste

2 apples (chopped)

1 handful chestnuts (chopped)

3 stalks celery (chopped)

2 fresh carrots (chopped)

Directions:

Mix together salt, pepper and rosemary to form a rub for the outside of the goose. Apply rub to prepare for oven, preheated to 375 degrees.

Make the stuffing, using apples, chestnuts, celery and fresh carrots, mixed together with your favorite spices and bread. (Chef Konrad only uses white Chicago rolls for the bread in the stuffing.) Place stuffing into goose.

Place goose into oven, heated to 375 degrees, for first 20 minutes. Then, reduce heat for another hour-and-a-half. Cook until the juices run clear. Baste the goose with juices from bottom of pan as it cooks.

“This makes it delicious and crispy on the outside,” says Mayerhofer, who also cooks his stuffed goose upside-down in the pan to keep it tender.

Tara Trevethan’s mom’s sweet potatoes

2 1/2 to 3 lbs peeled sweet potatoes

1 stick butter

3 tbsp. light brown sugar

3 tbsp. orange marmalade

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. allspice

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup half-and-half

Directions:

Cube potatoes. Boil, until they are very, very soft. While potatoes are cooking, place all other ingredients in a separate bowl. Strain potatoes.

Place hot potatoes in the bowl that contains the other ingredients.

Mix and mash until everything is incorporated.

Taste and adjust for salt.

Arturo’s Broccoli Raub

1 1/2 lbs. broccoli de raub

4 oz. extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves fresh garlic, chopped

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Splash of white wine

4 oz. chicken broth

Directions:

Place all ingredients into a steamer pot and cook for 10 minutes. Remove broccoli

raub and serve.

Annie Cooper’s Fresh Homemade Southern Pumpkin Pie

Makes enough for 3 pies

1 1/4 cup whole milk (can be skim)

4 cups fresh pumpkin, chopped into blendable pieces

2 cups sugar

6 tbsp. cornstarch

4 eggs

1/4 tsp. allspice

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Couple of dashes ground cloves

Dash of salt

Using your microwave, cut up pumpkin into small cubes and cook in microwave safe bowl for 15 minutes, or until pumpkin is tender. Don’t drain the pumpkin’s water.

Mix all dry ingredients in a separate bowl until cornstarch is thoroughly mixed into sugar.

Once all ingredients are ready, it’s time to dump them together into your blender. It usually takes four times blending to mix properly. Pour into a pie crust and bake for 10 minutes in a 450-degree preheated oven.

Then turn oven temperature down to 325 degrees for 45 minutes. You’ll need to check to see if it is done by placing a knife in the center of the pie; when the knife comes out clean, it’s done.

“The things that we are most thankful for and are the most important to us, are family, tradition and sharing,” says Trevethan, as she and other local chefs embark upon another holiday season of cooking.