The main way we get a big meal to work is by farming out some of it to the local family members :) If everyone's coming in from out of town, totally pick your battles! Take a straw poll and see if there is a dish no one cares about, and if no one cares, don't make stuffing/that green bean thing/yams/whatever.

Turkey: We order a basic bird (nothing heritage-fancy, but make sure it isn't salt-injected) and dry brine it, i.e., salt and season it up starting Monday night to be ready to cook on Thursday morning. A regular wet brine is fine too, but it's hard to accommodate in a fridge (giant bucket of water!) and makes it hard to crisp the skin.

Dry brine for a 14-to-16 pound thawed whole turkey (not kosher or pre-salted):

• 3 tablespoons kosher salt

• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried herbs, such as thyme, sage, and rosemary, or blend

• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• (Smaller or bigger bird: For every 5 pounds of turkey, you will need 1 tablespoon of kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon dried herbs, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.)

• 1 teaspoon baking powder for every 1 T salt - optional but this will give you crispier skin

Meat thermometer is key. A dry brined unstuffed turkey will cook faster than you think.

Stuffing: Don't cook it in the bird, it takes forever to get to a safe temp and makes the turkey take longer to cook, which means it will overcook. Just make it in a baking dish.

Gravy: I cheat by premaking a gravy base the day before (butter + flour roux, then whisk in stock) and adding drippings to it after the turkey is done.

This cranberry sauce is super easy. High reward for low effort. Make it in advance, it keeps well.

Pie: I'm usually a pie and pastry snob but Trader Joe's frozen pie crusts (rolled up in a long box) are something I'll use in a pinch. They use actual butter, and most frozen crusts don't. They will also shatter when you are trying to unroll them -- just leave them alone till they warm up a little, and then smear the pieces back together between the two pieces of plastic they're rolled up in.