The Thanksgiving Issue Part One

 Every home chef needs help, advice and new ideas duringt this time. LUckily - and as always the New York Times Food section comes to the rescue Here, home chefs can get ideas and aid in creating the perfect feast for next week.

Today's Wednesday issue is chock full of great dishes. The Food section;s heavy hitters such as Melissa Clark and Eric Kin have written superb how tos  alongside such new comers as Andy Baraghani  .Novice chefs and first timers will greatly appreciate Ms. Clark's pictorial on assembling the right tools for cooking the bird. she also has a handy explanation of the  differences between organic, heritage and free range pasture raised.There's also a list of the tools needed and surprisingly a turkey baster isn;t one of them. eric Kim has tips on sweet potatoes along with the history  of marshmallow topped sweet potato casserole.(it started in 1917 as a an ad campaign by the Angelus Marshmallow Company in an attempt for more hime chefs to incorporate more marshmallows into everyday recipes His take on this classic dish is  adding heavy cream, freshly ground pepper and bay leaves along with roasted and salted pecans to cut out the sugariness. Yes, there are other sides listed too.Emily Weinstein gives three easy ones. Make one or all three of mashed potato casserole, cranberry cornbread (good the next day warmed and with butter) and creamed kale instead of creamed spinach.

FOr a different take on the holiday there is Andy Baraghani's methodology os keep calm and carry on cooking. He offers a pomegranate glazed turkey with a brown butter sauce along with other recipes that are lighter and brighter int heir take on Thanksgiving foods. His glaze is a mix of pomegranate and orange juices. There is even pomegranate juice in the gravy too.He offers Brussels sprouts but they're drenched in cream as leeks and garlic add to their flavor. Yes he includes cranberries but they're  frozen,cooked with  honey, lemon juice and honey.Tahini is drizzled on top for a unami flavor. For a fun starter Chef Baraghani has a tasty green feta dip, herby with tender shoots of dill, parsley and mint. Greek yogurt and olive oil give it a smoothness , perfect with crackers or pita chips.Every table has to have squash , and his is no different. There is bright orange winter squash with citrus chile crisp.Mashed potatoes get livened up with cheddar and chives.Turmeric gives them a golden hue while a blend of both buttermilk ad heavy cream give the potaotes a creamy mouth feel.He  ends his meal with olive oil pumpkin cake topped with salted maple whipped cream. This is a different take on  pumpkin and a good way to end a feast.

It's Thanksgiving. Its a time to enjoy and not panic. These recipes and the advice with them will help get through this day.