(Some of) your Thanksgiving questions, answered

sure, let your brother have Taco Bell for Thanksgiving

Hello and welcome to A Newsletter! If you’ve found your way over by some miracle but are not yet subscribed, here, let me help you with that:

Hello and welcome to Solicited Advice: Holiday Edition (!). For the next few weeks, I’ll be answering all of your most pressing holiday-related questions, dilemmas and queries.

Here to help us navigate this delightful, joyous and often complex season, I’m joined by my friend and cookbook author, Andy Baraghani. We’re discussing Thanksgiving-related drama, cooking queries and family dynamics. Perfect mashed potatoes, letting your brother order Taco Bell if that is his will and teaching you how to graciously uninvite guests if this year, you simply “can not”.

Hear us give advice to those seeking:

• I'm hosting and very pregnant. How do I guide people bringing food to my Thanksgiving to bring exactly what I want and what should I assign?

• Last year my brother was really rude at Thanksgiving. If you were in my shoes, would you allow them back this year?

• There's a big mix of food restrictions. What is the proper hosting etiquette to cater to everyone and make everyone feel included?

• I always had a more the merrier attitude but now I have people coming I don’t even know. How do I pare down my invite list? 

• My wife and I’s families are very dramatic, so we’ve decided to pare down and have Thanksgiving just the two of us and our kid. Is this okay? If so, what should I cook for just the two of us?

• Foolproof mashed potato method?

Maybe some of these questions resonate, or maybe they stress you out so much you decide to skip the holiday altogether and escape to Paris like Andy. Either way, a perfect episode for listening to while you’re prepping your first of many Thanksgivings this weekend (this years recipes here!)— tune in wherever you get your podcasts (or below):

Or, if you prefer to watch us chat:

Have a question? Call me!

We have a few more episodes left for this season and we’d love to hear from you. For any burning questions relating to cooking, entertaining, hosting, turkey, ham, families, call 856-502-4816. If you’re voice shy, feel free to write in here. No question too big or small, too personal or specific - I love it all!

And, for all paid subscribers, you can join this chat— a live-feed of any cooking and hosting-related questions that need tending to in the immediate.