The biggest meal of the year is not a time to stray from the plan. With a table full of expectant guests and a giant bird to dress, there's too much on the line to go rogue.

That said, there's nothing worse than recipe fatigue. So this year--using the historic spice-trading routes as our inspiration--we've developed a print-and-stain Thanksgiving menu (click here to download) that we hope hits the sweet spot between the traditional and the experimental.

Dress up your turkey tandoori-style with a delicious yogurt-based marinade, then dot your stuffing with tart apricots and merguez sausage to liven up your spread. And go head-to-head against the pie-prejudiced dessert table with our fragrant Mexican chocolate and macadamia tart.

Whether you make the entire menu or just bolster your dog-eared recipes with a few of these innovative twists, we'll wager there will be clean plates all around.