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There may well come a time -- it could even be now -- when Thanksgiving no longer means hordes of people at your table, but just the two of you. Some of us never think it'll happen, but all of a sudden we wake up one Thanksgiving morning and there's nobody home but you two.

This is not a tragedy -- assuming all is well with your loved ones -- but it might require some re-thinking of your traditional Turkey Day cooking, um, pleasures.

So, let's talk turkey: whole turkey, that is. Face it, even the smallest ones can become gargantuan when there are only two of you to eat all those leftovers. And especially when one of you isn't all that fond of leftovers.

There's another reason not to stuff the oven with the country's favorite fall bird. As un-American as it may sound, maybe you don't even like turkey.

Here's a suggestion, either way: Find the smallest whole birds and use them as the lynchpin for your Thanksgiving feast a deux.

Cornish game hens fit that bill just fine. So, as we give thanks for whatever blessings have come our way over the last 12 months, the designated mini-family cook has something else to be grateful for: a lot less time in the kitchen.

We begin

As to your menu, there's plenty here to keep you busy, if you like a little culinary challenge on Thanksgiving. But you won't have to baby-sit the oven the entire day. You could even sleep in, if you like.

Start with a little round of brie topped with butter-toasted walnuts and accompanied by French bread croustades. Stick with your own tradition by fixing a small portion of whatever you used to make for the gang. At our house, we used to like a little relish tray, starring celery stuffed with cream cheese and olives. Sometimes, we even do some oysters Rockefeller, but only when we were really trying to impress somebody's boyfriend or girlfriend.

Sip a Cape Codder. Try one with cran-pomegranate juice or cran-raspberry juice instead of the traditional plain cranberry juice. Don't forget the splash of vodka.

For the main course, roast up a pair of Cornish game hens, seasoned with thyme and lemon and bedded down with oven-roasted "rainbow" potatoes (try BJ's). On the side, add maple-glazed squash. Plus some green beans amandine (either homemade or store-bought/frozen. And use whole cranberries, plus pears, to create a homemade sauce for the little birds.

A crisp and spicy Gewurztraminer will wash it all down very nicely.

Try a warm and comforting apple crisp for dessert. With ice cream or frozen yogurt, naturally.

Herby hens

This main course takes a bit of prep time, but not nearly as much as for a turkey. And it takes only an hour or so to roast.

If you want stuffing, simply buy a quick-cooking stuffing mix and follow package directions, using half chicken broth for half the water called for on the package. Add some finely diced, sauteed mushrooms to the cooking liquid, if you wish. Serve warm from the stove top or cover with foil and bake for the last half hour that the hens are in the oven.

2 tablespoons finely minced fresh thyme

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (not garlic salt)

1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 (1 1/2 to 1 1/2 pounds) Cornish game hands, defrosted if frozen

Cooking spray

1 small lemon, halved, seeded

2 1/2 cups cubed multi-colored potatoes, rinsed, unpeeled

1 tablespoon olive oil

Pepper, for sprinkling

Salt, if desired

Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, combine thyme, salt, garlic powder, black pepper and melted butter.

Remove and discard giblets from hens. Rinse thoroughly and pat dry (inside and out). Place 1 lemon half inside the cavity of each hen. Tie legs of each hen together with kitchen twine. Rub herb/butter mixture over each hen. Place hens, breast sides up, on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray.

Toss potatoes with olive oil, pepper, and salt, if using. Arrange potatoes around hens. If using a meat thermometer, insert into the meaty part of one of the hen's thighs. Cover loosely with aluminum foil. Roast on the bottom shelf of oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and roast 30 minutes longer, until thermometer registers 180 degrees and/or until hens are nicely browned and juices run clear when a thigh is pierced with a fork. Make sure potatoes are done, too. Serves 2, with minimum leftovers (probably).

Maple-butternut squash

You could use acorn squash for this, but we prefer the smoother texture and deeper color of the butternut. You're going to use only the bottom part of the squash for this dish. And you're going to roast the squash at the same time as the hens, using the bottom oven shelf to do the deed.

While everything's in the oven, prepare your green beans.

And make the pear-cranberry sauce, by combining 1/3 cup fresh cranberries, 3 tablespoons cranberry juice and 2 Bartlett pears (peeled, coarsely chopped) in a medium saucepan and simmering over medium-low for about 25 minutes, until cranberries pop. Now stir in 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/2 teaspoon coarsely grated orange peel. Cool to room temperature.

1 butternut squash (about 1 3/4 pounds)

Cooking spray

About 1/4 cup pure maple syrup

About 2 teaspoons unsalted butter

Heat oven to 375 degrees (if not already heated for the hens). Cut squash about 1 inch above the "bulb" (meaty bottom part). Discard the top or save for another use.

Cut squash in half lengthwise. Remove seeds and pith and discard. Place squash halves, cut side up, on small a spray-coated cookie sheet (with sides). Place 2 tablespoons maple syrup and 1 teaspoon butter into the cavity of each squash half. Cover loosely with foil and place on bottom rack of oven. Roast for 30 minutes. Remove foil and use a spoon to baste the squash all over with the syrup/butter mixture. Keep foil off, and roast another 30 minutes, until squash is tender, basting after 15 minutes.

Apple crumble

Waaay easier than apple pie. You can put this in the oven to cook after the hens come out. Or make ahead, and reheat later.

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

1 tablespoon raisins

1 tablespoon dried cranberries

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

1 tablespoon chilled, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 cup diced, peeled Granny Smith apples

1/2 cup diced, peeled gala apples

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon each, ground cinnamon and nutmeg

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Use a microwave-proof measuring cup to heat orange juice to just steaming. Add raisins and dried cranberries and plump for 5 minutes.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, 1 tablespoon of the granulated sugar and light brown sugar. Cut butter bits into flour mixture with a pastry blender, or use 2 table knives. Work with mixture until it resembles coarse meal.

In another bowl, combine apples and the remaining granulated sugar. Add orange juice/raisin mixture. Stir in lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg. Divide apple mixture into 2 (6-ounce) ramekins. Sprinkle evenly with the flour, granulated sugar and brown sugar mixture. Bake for 30 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm. Pass the ice cream.

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