FEAST FACTS

Does a home cooked meal actually need to be cooked at home? We think not. This Thanksgiving, order up dinner and just enjoy the fruits of your labor (we mean your kids, of course). You’ll thank us later.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Ban the Butterball…savor the juicy, flavor-fest that is an artisanal Heritage Turkey or try a semi-absurd Turducken, a Cajun creation that calls for stuffing a chicken, inside a duck, inside a turkey (all de-boned), and filling the gaps with, well, stuffing. For serving with style and ease, splurge on Dean & Deluca’s gorgeous roasting pan and rack, $115, and pick up a pair of chrome-plated, cast zinc turkey lifters, $17.95—you won’t regret it. Ban the can, as well—spoon out Barefoot Contessa’s luscious apple cranberry sauce instead, $5/8 oz. For sides with style, order up Neiman Marcus’s potato and mushroom gratin, cornbread dressing, and a green bean casserole, rescued from the white-trash heap by Chef Dean Fearing. And, if you prefer a more one-stop-shopping experience, both DineWise and Gourmet Station offer complete mix-and-match and planned menus from soup to sweet potatoes.

SWEET ENDINGS

Top off dinner with Horchow’s pumpkin cognac cheesecake, $60, or award-winning apple pie, $52. Excuse me, you say, it’s mom and apple pie? Fine, if you prefer DIY, then pick up Williams Sonoma’s old-school, enameled, cast-steel apple peeler–corer, $28 (it’ll make the task a breeze). Or, bake up a “from-scratch” s’mores bundt cake—the nostalgic mix (a kiddie favorite) features graham flour, bittersweet chocolate and marshmallow swirls, $18. Thank the hostess with the mostess—sweetly—with Eleni’s buttery, iced Thank You cookies, $58.50/18 cookies.

GOOD CALL

Endless, holiday-related calls (to relatives, to the caterer, to your shrink) require a multitasking, make-life-simpler kind of phone. VTech’s compact and stylish mi6879 expands up to four handsets and features an intercom (dinner’s ready), call transfer (she’s your mother) and speakerphone (mommy’s got her hands full, always). Designed to fit your home. And your life.

DRESS UP

Fess up—we know you trot out your dolled-up little darling for all to ooh and ahh over. (Hey, we do too.) From fancy party dresses to hand-embroidered sweaters, Gymboree sells dressy looks you’ll love (that’ll cause your friends and family to swoon). Get a jump on your holiday shopping, and earn a $25 Gymbucks coupon for every $50 you spend, through 12/24 (redeem those babies from 1/11-1/21, and save $25 off your next $50 purchase).