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I learned, after hosting 30-40 for dinner when I had little kids, that you cook most of it the day before. We had the best turkey and sides that year. So now I make my turkeys the day before , slice them and put them in a pan and pour in chicken broth to keep it moist. The sides are made and in serving casseroles the day before and just hit the oven when the appetizers come out. I use to spend the day in the kitchen while everyone else enjoyed themselve now I can relax and enjoy myself with everyone else and dinner is still great. Another benefit, my inlaws and mother want a good deal of leftovers to take home with them. I can make extra and have it already packaged for them without trying to get that done after dinner.

We have one of those countertop convection/rotisserie ovens that we use to keep the side dishes warm until serving - one of the best $80 investments I ever spent. Caveat: I am usually only making holiday dinners for two, so I use smaller casserole dishes. a standard 9 x 13 dish won't fit in this oven, unfortunately.

Not only do I have "just one" oven. My kitchen actually has less counter space than my work cubicle. Yet we still host a 12-15 person dinner. I find that for Thanksgiving the roaster is key and a crock pot or two help. We cook 2 - 12 pound birds. One in the oven timed to come out about a 45 minutes before dinner and one in the roaster. The oven bird is the "show bird" and the roaster bird is carved and served right away. Everything else (except the two veggie dishes) is cooked fully or partially the day before or the morning of and heated or finished dinner (even the mashed potatoes) and is put in oven dishes as soon as the turkey comes out and served right in the dish. I find this arrangement makes it a more social event.

Also our guests bring snacks, drinks, wine, bread, and desert.

unless you are feeding the 7th army, cut the number of sides down and use crockpots for keeping things warm. Lets face it the protein is usually the star of the show, and for most, three or four sides is more than enough. who wants to feel like doing nothing but hibernating after dinner? concentrate on being with people you love, it's called THANKSgiving, not gorge to bursting. yes its nice to have options, but everyone deserves to enjoy the day, including the cook and dishwasher.

my mom uses a standalone roaster, and after heating up most of her large sides (mashed potatoes, green beens) puts them in chafing dishes and puts the smaller sides in the oven. Her chafing dishes use hot water, not sterno, so i think they work a lot longer (plus you dont get hot spots and burned undersides). She's amazing!Totally blind and makes the whole meal every year, turkey and 12 sides!

Do sides the day before, with the exception of mashed potatoes or rice and rolls which we do right before serving. Put the bird in EARLY so when it is done, it can rest and this is when you put in whatever sides you have for reheating. This is our strategy and it always works!

You aren't spending half the day slaving over a hot oven and stove and this can free you up for other things like setting the table or just relaxing! Dessert is easy too because you can heat this while you are eating.

I know you were looking for the best cheesecake in NY, but to find the best cheesecake in the world take the GW across to Clifton, NJ for Marc's Cheesecake! It is much more than worth the trip!

Also the BBQ Chicken Pattie at Little Miss Muffin...best pattie in the area IMO. Christie's does better beef fillings, but LMM does better chicken.

I want a Poutine Donut!!

This looks a lot like the curry pan buns I used to buy from Japanese bakeries, except with kimchi filling. I love curry pan and kimchi, so I'm pretty sure I would love these too :)

I'd love to see a set of Ricotta cheesecakes done - they are very hard to find compared to NY Style, but I grew up with my dad (Cuban) making a bunch of these as Christmas gifts for friends from a recipe a very generous Italian neighbor gave him.

The friends always raved, and when I made one myself about a year ago for a family gathering of my wife's relatives, by the time I got around to trying a slice... I actually never got a slice - it was all gone! :)

The French have a dish hey call cassoulet. Every time I'm in the region, I see places that swear they have le vrai - the true cassoulet, . As I learned, there is no such thing as the real cassoulet, or the real cheesecake. The roots go way back into history, and depend on who's doing the cooking.
Do we really need this bickering?

If you love whatever you have on your fork, then that's the one.