WebProNews

The US Thanksgiving holiday arrives next Thursday, November 24th, and online searchers have been hunting for menu suggestions and recipes on AOL.

Butternut squash may be all the rage with some households, but the top main dish query on AOL Search has been for the longtime traditional turkey.

Turkey can be easily cooked, but can be difficult to cook well. A meat thermometer is the best tool one can have on hand to avoid turning a bird into an overcooked burden. The second best thing to have on hand is a stack of frozen pizzas, because hey, things happen.

Second on the list could be called a strange bird, except for the fact the turducken is three birds in one: a chicken stuffed into a duck stuffed into a turkey. Chef Paul Prudhomme's recipe combines the three-bird specialty with three dressings. Warning: the recipe is not for the novice cook, but beginners who give it a shot are encouraged to record the proceedings and send the videos along to WebProNews.

Deep fried turkey came in third, and as far as care needed makes the turducken look like a TV dinner in comparison. We'd encourage fried turkey newbies to send us videos too, but maybe they should give the local fire department a courtesy warning and leave valuable camera equipment in a fire-resistant location.

Pork Chops (mmm, pork chops), Pot Roast, Ham, Lamb, Prime Rib, Brine Turkey, and Roast Beef round out AOL's top ten main dish searches. Green bean casserole edged out stuffing as the most popular side item, while pumpkin pie edged pumpkin cheesecake for most popular dessert.

David Utter is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business. Email him here.