Thanksgiving Prep

According to the Food Network you need to finalize your menu 2 weeks in advance which was officially yesterday. Clearly there is room to fudge with this timeline, however the more planned your are the less rushed and stressed you will be on the actual day. Over the years I have watched tons of shows about cooking your turkey and read magazine articles. I previously loved the Prevention magazine plan which produced a fabulous turkey, but now I love the Good Eats Alton Brown turkey. I've done both ways with cheapo turkeys and had great juicy results, but Prevention mag is a bit labor intensive, while Alton Brown's method is not. The food network also recommends you make your casseroles (green bean, of course) a day or 2 in advance and reheat. Also mash your potatoes at some point in the cooking process and reheat before serving. I have not employed this method previously but I am going to try it this year. If you try to cook everything so it finishes at the same time, first there's not really room on your stove top, but also I always end up forgetting the rolls or something and the kitchen is an absolute pit. So I'm hoping the in advance method will make my itty bitty counter space around the kitchen sink stay a bit cleaner. Here is Alton's recipe: Good Eats Roast Turkey
This year Kyle wants a Butterball, but I don't think he is aware of the price difference, so I'll get back to you with our plan and my finalized menu...I just thought today perhaps I should inquire if any of my guests have food issues. I don't really want a trip to the ER for an allergic reaction to be what makes my Thanksgiving meal memorable!