Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to cook a traditional dinner and have my family over and it’s a shame it is such an overwhelming and daunting event for so many.  I have had a lot of great times teaching my niece and nephew how to cook.  My 16 year old nephew has been making the entire Thanksgiving dinner himself for the past few years (for 12 of us!), and before that, I was his sous chef and he has been helping me since he was 7.  When he was little, I bought a kevlar glove for him to wear when he was chopping (so I wouldn’t have to explain to my brother why he was rushed to the emergency room!) and showed him proper knife techniques so he would be safe.  I also bought him a smaller chef knife that was easier for him to hold and maneuver.  My niece loves to bake and makes a fabulous pumpkin pie for dessert and helps me with the table decorations.  I think it’s great that kids know the basics of cooking and can see how easy it is to put a dinner together and feel proud about their contribution to our family get together.  There are no difficult dishes to this meal. It’s mainly all about organization and time lines and how to get everything cooked so it all gets done at the same time in the end to serve.  Cooking is a life skill that is so important for everyone to know for simple nutrition and health and also for the way it can bring people together. They have also learned how I organize the dinner with a time line which helps keep everything going (fairly!) smoothly.  I use the lists I have created year after year.  Roasting a turkey is as simple as roasting an oversized chicken and I think everyone should know how to roast a chicken.  I have given you a menu, recipes, grocery list, time line, and ideas on how you can plan ahead, plus an entire overview of everything turkey dinner to help you organize, plan and cook a great meal for your family.  Happy Thanksgiving! Click here for the complete guide….