Yes I do start it with a layer of cookies, first. I actually use these little Dutch windmill spice cookies:

Today I learned there are only 3 kinds of Thanksgiving salad. Read more

I always thought Ambrosia was a weird Tim Burton creation due to the scene in Edward Scissorhands. I intrigued when I found out it was real, then horrified to find out what is was...
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My Mom still makes Ambrosia every year exclusively for my Dad bc nobody else would even consider eating that mess. Read more

We always have “green stuff” at Thanksgiving.  Mom always called it Watergate salad because the original recipe was a chef at Watergate Hotel...yes the famous one. Read more

As much as I cringe at these, we always make a Jell-o mold every Thanksgiving. Macerated strawberries, walnuts and bananas are mixed into strawberry Jell-o which is then layered with sour cream. It sounds awful but it’s delicious and I hate sour cream. Read more

Last year, because my grocery delivery was ill thought out on my end in terms of timing (and therefore, cancelled by the service the day before T-day), I pulled a Snake River Farms picanha roast out of the freezer and all was well.  This year, it’s just 2 of us, so I did have the foresight to buy a boneless turkey… Read more

Cereal and dip are food. Throw some gravy on either of those (or both) and you’ve got yourself as full blown meal of food. Read more

We did lobster tails last year. Due to a blood-sugar-crash related brain fart, we ended up over-buying by a rather large margin. Ultimately resulting in 26 or so tails between 5 people. Read more

If you really want to avoid cooking one of those wobbly-throated birds (shudder), I’ll make a suggestion from Across The Pond with something my family normally turn out twice a year (once at Christmas and the other on Hogmanay) - steak pie. This is my OG recipe - but you can easily add more if you think 2 pounds of… Read more

Volume > Variety

Now is not the time to be offering mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes, potatoes au gratin, French fries, hasselbacks and pommes anna. Just make one kind of potatoes, make sure they are excellent, and make a lot. Read more

For sure, don’t set up your buffet table like the lede picture.  Slice-it-yourself turkey, reach over one food to get another, etc.  Give people a little room and they won’t make such a mess.  Also get that dessert out of the way until after the meal. Read more

Everyone’s situation is different and I appreciate the spirit of the first tip, but I think I respectfully disagree.

Three years ago my mom passed the Thanksgiving baton to me, saying she never wants to do another Thanksgiving again. I finally live in a home that can accommodate a crowd, and I love to cook.

Every year… Read more

I saw that picture of Play-Doh and I thought you were going to suggest that as a playtime activity and I was going to lecture on it's terribleness.  Read more

When having a large group for Thanksgiving my key tip is to utilize that gas grill! I have broken down and cooked an entire turkey on it, used it as an additional oven and/or warming tray, cooked veggies like asparagus or corn on the cob...it is a great way to expand your kitchen cooking area. Also the side-burner can… Read more

When people ask what I’m making for Thanksgiving, I almost always tell them “Reservations”. Even though we both love to cook, we have a favorite go-to place (not a chain) for Thanksgiving dinner, and always make our reservation (required) the day the book opens. This year my husband really wanted to cook, so I… Read more

Where I live, non-chain restaurants open on the holiday are almost all serving a buffet.  I’ve never had a bad one, with choices of turkey, roast beef, and ham, a wide variety of sides, and an equal variety of desserts available.  The drawback is not having leftovers, so I’ve usually done a turkey the next day, too. Read more

We no longer have sufficient leftovers to do this, but I used to make a Thanksgiving shepards pie the next day, and it was fab.
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Green Bean Casserole Tart(lettes). I made this a cupcake tin. Read more

Not all that impressed with Ohio’s Cookie Dough Bites. I finally tried them when I saw Godzilla in 2014. I liked them more than the movie though. I never was all that impressed with movie theater popcorn, the popcorn I make is 100X better, and a lot cheaper, so I usually went to Rasinettes, plain M&M’s, I don’t even… Read more