Q: I am celebrating Thanksgiving with my family in Palm Springs this year. I think we should take advantage of the ready availability of Mexican ingredients to inspire the menu. I'd love to hear some riffs on this idea that will help me satisfy the Thanksgiving purists in my family... More

Q: My boyfriend's sister-in-law is having her first baby soon. I want to send over some sort of food gift, but we live hundreds of miles away. I would love to hear suggestions for meals that travel well via overnight delivery. Any ideas? More

On Thanksgiving, you want to give your guests plenty of good food, good company and good memories to last the year. What you don't want to give them is food poisoning. With that in mind, here are a few friendly reminders for safely cooking and serving a Thanksgiving meal. More

Much of the challenge associated with Thanksgiving has little to do with recipes or actual cooking; culinarily-speaking, it's a pretty straightforward meal. Logistically, however, cooking so many dishes for a large crowd of people can feel overwhelming. Here's one question that invariably comes up: How do I keep the turkey warm while getting the rest of the meal on the table? More

Q: I recently moved into a new place with a convection oven. I've never cooked with this kind of oven before and have no idea when or how to use it. Do you have any tips for using a convection oven and how to adjust recipes?

Sent by Andrea More

I really like the idea of big dinner parties, be it hosting Thanksgiving or inviting friends for Saturday dinner. I imagine everyone gathered together, looking sparkly and fancy, sipping cocktails before sitting down to a table of good food and conversation. But the reality is slightly more chaotic at my house, particularly that last hour before the guests arrive. I've found that the only way to both save my sanity and have a good time is to make a Big Bad Master Prep List. More

Q: I decided to can some apples this fall. After peeling, slicing, stuffing into hot jars, covering with a light syrup and processing, there was a problem: the syrup in the jars no longer covers the apples! I want to try again, but want to preserve the apples correctly. Any idea what I did wrong? More

Oven space is always at a premium in the hours (and even the days) leading up to a big dinner like Thanksgiving. So here's a crazy idea: why not make make your dinner rolls in the slow cooker? More

In the hours before Thanksgiving, most cooks are so focused on getting the meal on the table that appetizers are the last things on their minds. And that's just fine, says Sam Sifton. Appetizers don't belong at Thanksgiving. More

Is it just me or do turkeys seem to get bigger every year? Here's the thing: if you're feeding a crowd at Thanksgiving, it's really better to buy a second turkey rather than one of those mammoth ones. This is why. More