Thanksgiving Day timeline

Timeline based on 3 p.m. serving time; adjust it to fit your serving time.

Cook sausage, onions and celery for Cornbread and Sausage Dressing. Assemble, cover and refrigerate. Put dressing in a separate container if you're stuffing the turkey.

Unwrap turkey, remove neck and giblets. Cover turkey with plastic wrap; return to refrigerator. Put neck and giblets, but not liver, in a saucepan; cover with water. Add two bay leaves, 8 to 10 peppercorns and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer, loosely covered.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Make fillings and assemble Thanksgiving Twofer Pie. Place in oven for 10 minutes, reduce heat to 300 and continue baking until 11:50.

Assemble Holiday Waldorf Salad and make dressing. Refrigerate separately.

Remove turkey from refrigerator; unwrap. Sprinkle inside and outside cavity with salt and pepper. Stuff if desired. Fold wing tips under back and tie legs together. Place on a rack in a large roasting pan.

Remove broth from stove. Drain, discard solids and chill.

Remove pie from oven and place on a rack to cool. If turkey is 16 pounds, increase oven temperature to 450 degrees.

If the turkey is 16 pounds, put in the oven. Set table.

If the turkey is 12 to 14 pounds, place in the oven. Start onions for Butternut Squash With Onions and Pecans.

Cook and assemble Lighter Green Bean Casserole; cool and refrigerate. Make onion topping and set aside at room temperature. Add butternut squash to onions.

Remove butternut squash and onions from heat, stir in half the pecans and parsley, place in a serving bowl and cover with foil. Set aside at room temperature.

Turn roasting pan with turkey 180 degrees. If it is browning too fast, tent breast and leg tips with foil.

Put Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes in oven, uncovered. Wrap fresh bread or rolls in foil; set aside. Take broth out of refrigerator, skim fat from top; set aside. Get dressing out of the refrigerator; let stand to remove chill.

Place dressing in the oven. Remove Green Bean Casserole from refrigerator and add onion topping. Let stand at room temperature to remove chill.

Remove turkey from oven. Lift using a turkey lifter and tilt to drain juices from cavity. Place on a platter and tent loosely with foil. Drain drippings from roasting pan into a glass measuring cup or gravy separator and let stand. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Put the bread in the oven. Put the Green Bean Casserole in the oven.

Make gravy. Fill water glasses, pour tea, open wine.

If you stuffed the turkey, remove the stuffing to a serving bowl. Carve the turkey. Remove mashed potatoes, dressing, green beans and bread from oven; send to the table. Microwave butternut squash, if needed. Add remaining pecans and parsley and send it to the table. Add dressing to salad, toss and send to the table.

Brew coffee.. Cover pie with foil, put in oven to rewarm.

Sit down, relax and enjoy dinner.

4 p.m.

Don't let turkey sit out longer than this. Trim off leftover meat, wrap and refrigerate up to three days, or freeze. Refrigerate carcass to use for soup later.