The pumpkin pie is jiggling like it’s got a life of its own, the turkey is sadly unbrowned and swimming in watery, unappetizing gravy and the mashed potatoes taste like glue. No one wants that scenario, which is why we’re all lucky there are experts out there to boil Thanksgiving down to the basics and tell the rest of us what to do. Thanks to them, we can all pull off an impressive dinner. Or at least give it the old college try. Take it away, experts! [NYTimes.com]

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