By Stephanie Davis Goad

Globe columnist

For years our family, like many other families, has relied on tradition as a foundation for each holiday dinner. I'm sure you know the drill. It's usually turkey, stuffing, yams, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry salad, hot rolls, among other side dishes, and there's nothing like pumpkin pie and holiday candy to send you right off into that after-dinner coma!

I'm sure many of you adopt some of the same traditions. For us, every holiday meal seems to be the same.

Well, today's Thanksgiving meal just might be the turning point to my family's traditional, all-turkey-and-trimmings fare. They may not know it yet, but today we'll be serving, along with the aforementioned gobbler, squirrel and salmon as alternatives.

Salmon, mainly because it's something different and several family members like it. Squirrel, because it's not only different, it also happens to be the only type of animal my boys and I shot while out hunting at my parents' farm recently. No wild turkeys, No wild boar, no deer to grace the Thanksgiving table, but the more unusual Thanksgiving squirrel. After we cleaned them my dad made me take them home so I decided to toss them into the freezer where they would wait alongside the turkey for the Thanksgiving dinner.

My parents have an overpopulation of squirrels on their property, so the boys and I while out for a visit took out my dad's .22-caliber rifle and went on a hunt. I shot three red squirrels right off the bat, and one son and I shot a couple more, which we couldn't find in all the leaves. I think we scared off the rest of the squirrels within a four-square-mile area because our attempts to locate others were unsuccessful.

We haven't had squirrel in years, and I thought certainly there has to be several unique ways to fix them other than grilling, so I researched several different recipes and these are the sorts of dishes I found.

Squirrel cacciatore: This one made it sound like we'd literally have to catch our dinner.

Squirrel jambalaya: That sounds more like a song or something. No, that's "Mississippi Squirrel Revival."

Squirrel stew: Sounds good, but probably not that different from regular stew.

Cajun squirrel: Squirrel with some zing! I like it!

Squirrel and stuffing: That doesn't sound bad either, but don't expect me to stuff the squirrel. Taxidermy isn't something for which I'm qualified.

Mesquite squirrel: I would consider this one.

Chicken-fried squirrel: That just sounds wrong! I just can't imagine a Texas-size portion of fried squirrel with a side of mashed potatoes and gravy.