• Take on only what you can manage.  If you're into a big spread, find someone else to share preparations.  One of you do the turkey, the other the rest.  Or split things three ways.  The third participant hosts (all that housecleaning, plus hors d'oeuvres).  All three clean up.

• Don't expect too much.  There will be other Thanksgivings, so this one doesn't have to be perfect.

• Don't eat too much.  Nothing worse than having to help with the dishes while feeling like Beppo, the Michelin man, even if sober.

• Plan ahead for leftovers.  What to put them in, where to store them.  If there is just not enough storage space, and good food will have to be thrown out, call your local police station (not 911, please).   Someone there will know how you can donate that food to others.
  
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Thanksgiving on the web:
(These pages will open in a new window so just close the window to return here.)

• http://www.holidays.net/thanksgiving/

Turkey Lurkey Play for Kids and Kids at Heart: Games, pages to color, and other ways to amuse the young ones while they wait for dinner.

• http://www.billybear4kids.com/holidays/thanksgiving/thanksgiving.htm

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HOT TO-JU MOCKTAIL
(Thanks to Fred Wix, The Gabby Gourmet, Salt Lake City)

Serves 8, can be doubled.

• 2 cans (46 oz.) V-8 juice, regular or low sodium
• I can condensed fat free beef broth
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. dried onion flakes
• 1 tsp. prepared horseradish
• 1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
• 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
• 2-4 drops Tabasco sauce, to taste
• fresh lemon twist for each serving

In a medium-sized saucepan, combine all of the ingredients except the lemon twists.  Heat to simmering and then pour into serving mugs and garnish with the lemon twists.

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per serving:

• 2 oz. orange juice
• 2 oz. grapefruit juice
• 3 oz 7-Up
• dash cranberry juice.

Layer ingredients in a tall glass with ice by pouring each one slowly down the inside of the glass.  Garnish with an orange slice.

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Either of the above Happy Hour drinks are enough to stave off hunger.  If you must serve a snack before dinner, make it an attractively-arranged plate of chilled finger foods with a selection of fat-free salad dressings in attractive bowls as dips.  Or pile shrimp in a bowl with party toothpicks and red seafood sauce.

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Scorched Corn Pudding

10-12 servings.

This makes a great holiday recipe because it can be made up to a day ahead of time, covered and chilled until time to go into the oven.   For extra flair, buy cornhusks in the Mexican section of your grocery store, select 8 to 12 large husks, remove silks, and cover the husks with boiling water.  After about 30 minutes, drain and pat them dry.

Before the husks get stiff again, use them to line a shallow 2 1/2 quart casserole, with their tips sticking up over the rim to make a decorative fringe.

• 7 C. corn kernels, frozen (3 10 oz. packages
• 1 TBSP. butter or margarine
• 1/4 C. all-purpose flour
• 2 1/4 cups low-fat or reconstituted powdered fat free milk
• 5 tsp. sugar
• About 1/4 tsp. cayenne
• Salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large egg whites

In a 12-14" nonstick frying pan over high heat, stir corn often until about 1/4 of the kernels are tinged with brown, 10 to 12 minutes.   Add butter or margarine.  When melted, add flour and mix well.  Remove from heat and stir in milk and sugar.  Add cayenne and salt to taste.

In a small bowl, beat eggs and egg whites to blend.   Stir into corn mixture.

If you did not line a casserole with corn husks, butter  or spray one now.  Pour in pudding.

Bake at 350 degrees until center feels firm when lightly pressed, about 30 minutes (40 to 45 minutes if it was made up and chilled ahead of time).  High altitude:  may need even longer baking time.  Test frequently.

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The Turkey

No way we play on this one.  Poorly-prepared turkeys can kill.   Click Butterball.com for definitive advice and recipes.  This page will open in a new window, so just click the "X" in the upper right corner of the screen to close the window and return here.

Do you have other favorite barbecue or grilling tips?  Click over to Feedback and send them on.  Or click here:

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Relishes

Go for convenience.  Think crisp and tart, to balance all the rich thanksgiving tastes and textures.  Baby dill and sweet pickles, cucumber (homestyle) pickle slices, kosher spears, sweet and dill pickled onions, a bag of raw veggies from the market, drained black and stuffed green olives, cranberry sauce from the can, fruit salsa.  Arrange all attractively ahead of time in several smallish serving dishes.  Tip:  Don't put all the green things on the same plate.

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For 8 servings:

• 3 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 C. granulated sugar (superfine works OK; powdered sugar does not)
• 1 tsp. all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1.2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
• 2 1/2 C. canned pumpkin (buy the "2-pie' can -- it works for one pie)
• 1 12 oz. can evaporated milk (not condensed)
• 1 unbaked pie 9" pie shell -- if purchased frozen, look for the "extra deep" size.

Combine eggs, sugars, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and allspice.  Blend in pumpkin gradually (whisk works, small beater better).  Add milk.  Mix well.  Pour into unbaked pie shell.  Bake at 450 for 10 minutes, then at 350 for 40 minutes until a knife, inserted about halfway between center and outside crust, comes out clean.

High altitude:  Keep baking and testing.   Could be as long as twice predicted baking time.

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I love making my own soup & so, of course, Thanksgiving is not complete
without Turkey Carcass Soup.  (Carter used to love telling the story of the
year I was very pregnant with my youngest.  He suggested that we just get a
turkey roll, instead of the whole bird.  My eyes opened wide & I said 'but
then how will I make the soup?'

About 10 years ago, I came across this method & have used it ever since.
I've never been disappointed.  It was originally published in "The Ohio
Housewives Companion" & contained instructions to store it "above the well"
for the night.  So, we can assume that it's not a new method.

1) In large stock pot, place turkey carcass, skin, leftover stuffing,
gravy, pan drippings -- basically anything that you can't use otherwise. 

You can also add other leftovers that might go to waste -- even cranberry
sauce, but no strong flavored veggies -- e.g., brussel sprouts or turnip
greens.

2)  Cover with cold water.  Bring to boil and then reduce heat.  Cover &
simmer for 3 - 4 hours.

3)  Place pot in fridge.  Leave it there undisturbed for 12 to 36 hours.

4)  Try to remove as much of the fat off the top as possible.  Heat the
remaining broth just until it's become liquefied.

5)  You need to strain everything from the broth, but then return the meat.
I use the following method, but you might prefer a different way.

Ladle the mess into a strainer which is placed over a large bowl.  As the
bowl fills up with broth, pour it into a large sauce pan.  When you are
left with a mass of stuff in the strainer, you will undoubtedly question
your sanity on doing this -- at least I always do.

Anyway, put the radio on to your favorite station & get started.  Just
separate the stuff between meat & all other.  Return the meat to the broth.

The broth & meat are the base for some of the best soup you'll ever have. 
Finish it off as you desire.  I like to add carrots, peas, noodles &
mushrooms & also thicken it a bit.  A good friend likes it with brown rice
& squash. My daughter likes to ladle it 'as is' over a baked potato.

The broth/meat freezes well for up to 2 months.

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Do you have other favorite Thanksgiving recipes?  Click over to Feedback and send them on.  Or click here: