Talking Turkey

This Thursday, The Mister and I are hosting our first ever, big holiday in our new home and yours truly will finally be tackling her first Thanksgiving meal. While I consider myself to be a seasoned cook, there's still been a lot of anticipation built up about roasting the turkey and managing the side dishes so that they all arrive hot and fresh to the dinner table. To quell my nerves, I've been doing a lot of research into turkey preparation and have already begun staging platters, linens and dinnerware so they are ready to table.

While at this stage of the game I'm obviously no master, I have amassed a few resources that I thought you all might find helpful as you plan your own holiday meals as well.

This Thanksgiving guide from Bon Appetit is a must read. I've already scrolled through it numerous times. I love that they chronicled both tips for success and common mistakes for every aspect of the traditional meal- an area I paid particular attention to.

Epicurious is also featuring some great "how to videos".  Not sure how to brine or carve your bird? Watch an expert tackle those tasks step by step.

Drink what you like. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, that's what it all comes down to when pairing wine with your Thanksgiving meal. I've also considered some of the $15 and under picks highlighted by Food and Wine.

Martha is breaking down turkey recipes for every palette. You will have to forego the classic look, but this spatchcocked recipe (pictured above) can help get your turkey to the table in half the time.

Not sure where to start and just want to make it easy? The Food 52 community is delivering several full menu options you can straight up duplicate.

A dry brine for me. After a lot of reading about whether to brine or not to brine, I think I've finally settled on a dry Buttermilk Brine by Williams Sonoma. But there were plenty of turkey experts who gave me lots to think about and educated me in the process- including having a back up plan for gravy when brining.

Questions are bound to come up on the big day. If they do, I just might turn to Real Simple's Thanksgiving 911 for a little coaching.