Guest Author - Kristi Larson

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays - the food, the family, the food, the sentiment, the food...But being stuck in the kitchen is no way to enjoy the holiday! Let's look at some ways we can make this holiday run smoothly, without spending all day cooking and decorating!

A luscious, mouthwatering turkey is amazingly simple - and will inspire awe in even the pickiest of connoiseurs. Remove the insides, this is the hard part, then take an orange, poke holes in it with a clean nail, and insert into cavity. On the outer layer rub a mixture of orange juice, sweet white wine, and butter. Cover with foil, making sure no foil is touching the bird, and bake.

Sweet potatoes can be prepared the day before and kept refrigerated. Just pop in the oven in time for dinner. Use the canned yams and drain, add butter, brown sugar, and pecans - yoummy! For quick and easy mashed potatoes, you can cheat and use the flakes, if you add enough fattening things no one will notice the difference! Add sour cream, real butter, cream cheese, and half and half ! They are delicious and the good news is you can make them the day before, put them in the fridge, and then just reheat them in the oven (covered with tin foil) before dinner in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes.

Better Homes and Gardens has some great
pumpkin recipes, if you are looking for a variation on the standard pumpkin pie. I myself am not a big pumpkin pie lover, so I found these recipes absolutely wonderful!

To create a show-stopping Thanksgiving centerpiece -- Fill bowl vase or cylinder vase with cranberries. Then add water. Add flowers in colors that accent the cranberries, like deep reds and oranges. You can also do mini-pumpkins with holes cut out of the tops. Remove the stem and use a hole saw - don't try to cut by hand or you will end up very frustrated! Put tea lights in the holes. Or cut the top off of a larger pumpkin and hollow out. Stick a vase inside to hold real or silk flowers.

Pick up the centerpiece ingredients at the store while you are getting your dinner ingredients. By planning ahead, you can most things done the day before so you can enjoy the holiday with everyone else. You owe yourself some relaxation and family time too! That is, of course, unless you have some family members (and we all do) that drive you into the kitchen to get away from them!