If this is your first - I'd keep the menu simple and do as much as you can ahead of time. The turkey and the sides and fixins aren't complicated - the hardest part is getting it all ready to serve at the same time. Give yourself an extra hour over your designated eat time to get everything on the table and ready to eat..

CORN PUDDING

2 15 3/4oz cans cream style corn, NOT drained
1 box Jiffy Cornbread mix
2 eggs (you could use egg beaters)
2/3 C milk (use skim/no fat)
1/2 C cooking oil
1 dash garlic salt

Mix together and pour in to a greased 9X12 baking pan and bake at 350 for 45 minutes (my note: it can take an hour).

My kids love it and it takes all of 3 minutes to throw together.

Stuffing! The bagged Pepperidge Farm kind is good, especially if you add extra veggies.
Also sweet potatoes (mashed w/ orange juice and olive oil at our house), some kind of roll, salad, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, green beans, and two kinds of pie. It is also good to put out a couple appetizers/finger foods, such as dips and chips, cheese and crackers, crudites, etc.

Hot dogs, who says you have to have turkey and everyone will talk about it for years.

I have three suggestions for you:

1. Brine the turkey.

2. Brine the turkey.

3. Brine the turkey.

You will thank me.

I'd add sweet potato casserole, maybe a broccoli casserole. These can be prepped a day or so ahead and thrown in the oven the day of.

Anonymous wrote:See the Ina Garten story in this month's issue Of Good Housekeeping.

Agree-Her recipes are easy and delish! Try to farm out desert. That is usually the one thing everyone likes to bring. If not, I like Costco Apple Pie. It is beautiful, huge and I think tastes good. Serve it with vanilla ice cream and you are set. You don't need that much. Everyone will be too full.

Do you have a sense of how traditional your guests are and what their tastes are? DH and I ditched the traditional roast turkey years ago after determining that no one in our families likes white meat, and none of them care about the tradition of a big whole roast bird. Now we grill or broil chicken legs with a delicious spice paste! Much easier and quicker to prepare and no more wasting half a turkey (or forcing ourselves to use up the white meat).

Most important tip: if you buy a frozen turkey, move it from the freezer to the fridge at least 3 days in advance. Otherwise you'll be like my Dad, who calls me every SINGLE year to complain that a 10-lb turkey is taking 9 hours to cook because it was frozen that morning.

(and don't forget to check the turkey's cavities for giblets, the liver, the neck, etc. sometimes they're wrapped in plastic and you do NOT want to cook a turkey that has plastic in it.)

I also swear by frequent basting with a solution of 50% melted butter and 50% white wine.

Second the suggestion to use Epicurious. I did my first Thanksgiving meal last year. I used Ted Allen's Deconstructed Holiday Turkey with Sage Gravy and it was fantastic.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Deconstructed-Holiday-Turkey-with-Sage-Gravy-236317

There's also a link from the recipe to Ted Allen's planning guide for Thanksgiving, including a full menu, tips on what to make ahead, wine pairings, etc.

Turkey (easiest part, IMO)
Easy salad, like baby spinach, mandarin oranges, walnuts, blue cheese crumbles, and balsamic vinaigrette.
Green veggie. I make roasted brussel sprouts but my family lives them. Sometimes I do a roasted root vegetable mix with pomegranate. Can do this the night before and just reheat.
Gravy, mashed potatoes.
I get that cranberry orange salad from Chicken Out the day before.

Perhaps someone else wants to bring a dessert? If not, pumpkin pie.
Fresh good quality coffee.

Turkey
Gravy
Mashed potatoes
A side green (green beans are popular)
Cranberry relish
Pecan pie
Pumpkin pie

See the Ina Garten story in this month's issue Of Good Housekeeping.

First tip, do as much as you can in advance. Second tip, Epicurious.com: http://www.epicurious.com/recipesmenus/holidays/thanksgiving/menus

Good place to start.

I will have about 11 adults and I have never done this before. I need as much information possible to make it go smoothly and as easy as possible......