Thanksgiving is a feast fit for a queen, but that usually means lots of planning, shopping and cooking so here are some quick and easy-to-follow tips that will make preparing your turkey day a breeze.



We met up with Alex Guarnaschelli, Food Network star and executive chef of Butter Restaurant for her best turkey tips.

Turkey size

The rule of thumb is to buy about a pound to a pound and a half per person, so if you've got a family of 10 to feed and you want some juicy leftovers your best bet is a 15 to 20 pound bird and you'll wind up with some savory leftovers for lunch.

Frozen turkeys are very popular but they can literally take days to thaw. Here is your best and safest bet; thaw it in your refrigerator in its original wrapping on a platter to catch any juices. The key here is to give it about 24 hours of thaw time for about every 4 pounds, that means a 20 pound turkey can take up to 5 days in the fridge. Here is an easy to follow guide from the National turkey

These 5 easy steps will ensure a perfect pie crust every time.

1. Make the dough

First, choose a recipe. We recommend one of these.

In a food processor, pulse dry ingredients and fat just until they're the consistency of course meal (little pea-sized pieces).

To blend by hand, pinch and rub the flour and fat between your thumb and fingertips (this works well if you have cool hands). See our tip on how to rub butter into flour.
Transfer the flour-fat mixture to bowl. When adding water, it should be ice cold. Mix just until dough starts to clump. Minimal mixing helps ensure a tender crust.

2. Roll out the crust

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, flatten to a disk, and chill for at least 30 minutes. Allow the dough to briefly sit at room temperature so that it's easier to roll.

Try our new favorite rolling method: Hands-off Rolling

• Everyone knows that pie crust is most tender when the dough gets minimal handling. But for the pie-challenged among us, it's easier said than done. Get

photo via Flickr user ShimelleWe're closing in on the holiday season where talking about what we're grateful for is part of the drill. And actually, we're really grateful for that. Studies show what most of us already knew to be true: that savoring the delights in your life contributes to feelings of happiness. We're grateful for the big stuff, of course, like our health and a roof over our heads. But we thought we'd kick off the season with an ode to the little joys we're counting our lucky stars for.

Red holiday Starbucks cups. Even if we prefer to drink our coffee at home, there's something about the sight of those cheery cups that's just puts us in a better mood.

YouTube videos that still make us laugh. We've seen that one with the sneezing panda, like, 15 times, and still think it's criminally cute. Charlie biting his brother and Christian the Lion? They just never get old.

Half-price Halloween candy. Fun-sized Snickers and mini-packs of M&M's for cheap? We're all over that.

Read more: 10 recipes to make

Christmas will be here in precisely 45 days, which means despite the fact that we haven't even gotten through Thanksgiving, the holiday shopping bonanza is officially underway. Don't panic: it's not like you need to run out and buy all your presents right this minute, but if you keep this deadline in the back of your head over the next few weeks, and employ some of the following deal-hunting guidelines, you can cross everyone off your list with minimal stress (and cash output).

Comparison Shop. Once you narrow in on what you want, devote a couple minutes to scouting out pricing for said item online, before spending the time, effort, gas, etc. heading to a bricks-and-mortar store to buy it. You may be able to find it at a discount on the internet, with the added convenience of having it delivered to your doorstep.

Sign Up And Save. To get a heads-up on sales and promotions your favorite stores are offering, go to their websites and sign up for their email mailing lists (if

There's a right way to dress for any body change, whether it's newly toned shoulders or a muffin top. Let the pros show you how.

By Leslie Goldman

After all the time and effort you're about to pour into cooking up a delicious Thanksgiving meal, you should also give some consideration into what you're going to use to serve it all up with. Having a well dressed table makes the holiday feel that much more special for both you and your guests, and following all that food shopping, menu planning, slaving over a hot stove, and scrubbing down the house to get it company-ready, etc. etc. etc. there's something so satisfying about seeing all the different components of your dinner beautifully presented. Getting your table to look stylish and polished doesn't have to be a fussy, stressful affair, and nor should it cost a fortune, either-here, I've gathered twelve entertaining staples that are sure to come in handy on T-Day and beyond, and none top $10.

Relate: Thanksgiving tips from moms across the country to help you save money on the year's biggest meal

It's less than three weeks until Thanksgiving, and if you're hosting this year, now would be a prudent time to start surveying the scene at home to make sure it's guest-ready, so when the big day comes, the only thing you really have to think about is the food. There's plenty you can do in advance, and if you start now and dedicate just a few minutes every day, or even every other day, to sprucing up your surroundings, you'll have things spic-and-span in no time.

The key here is to work systematically. Make a list of the rooms that need attention (i.e. dining room, living room, kitchen, bathroom, and a guest room if you'll have company staying with you), and note anything that needs to be replaced or repaired. Now is the time to tackle those chores you might have been lagging on: swap out your burned-out light bulbs, fix leaky faucets, spot-clean the stain that's been lingering on your sofa, and so on.

Prioritize the public, high-traffic areas of your home first. Your guests

With winter fast approaching, our thermostats are about to go into overdrive-and now is the time to start strategizing on what you can do to keep your utility bills to a minimum (without sacrificing your family's comfort or coziness!). "The biggest thing to watch out for is energy loss, which happens when your home isn't insulated well," says Timothy Dahl, founder of home improvement blog Charles & Hudson. Here, a few simple tips to keep your house-and your wallet-sealed up tight.

"You can lose a ton of energy through doors and windows," says Dahl, "and even if you can't feel a draft when standing in front of a window, doesn't mean it's not there." To suss out drafts, the best thing to do is to crouch down low and run your fingers along your baseboards to catch wind of any cool air seeping through, and also feel the areas around the edges of your doors and windows too. "Small leaks can be hard to detect," cautions Dahl, who also suggests using this candle trick: light a candle (making