Thanksgiving Day is a wonderful occasion for family, feasting and football.

So, how did dinner evolve into such a big and complicated meal with most menu items requiring last­-minute juggling?

It almost takes a master choreographer to be sure everything is placed on the table at the same time.

Just think about it: Who can reasonably pull together roasting a massive bird, mashing potatoes, preparing gravy and all the fixings without going a bit insane?

Joline Gayton of Poland, who owns more than 600 cookbooks and reads each one like a novel, avoids the madness by making many side dishes ahead.

“I absolutely love to cook, but when it comes to Thanksgiving it should all be about family,” she smiled. “And as much as I enjoy reading and trying new recipes, the kitchen is the last place I want to be when family has gathered around to be together.”

This mom of two and grandmother to “almost” six makes a sweet potato casserole that is to die for, and actually tastes better the next day.

“It’s one of my indulgences for Thanksgiving. It’s not a dish you want to even attempt to count calories, but it’s a holiday treat because it’s sweet and has a yummy crumb topping. I make it a day or two ahead, but when I open the refrigerator door it’s not easy holding back!”

And, it is easy to prepare.

“Take six cups of baked, mashed sweet potatoes (either canned or fresh) and mix with a cup of white sugar, two eggs and a dash of vanilla. Throw it in an oven-­safe casserole dish and top with a mixture of one cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 2/3 cup melted butter and pecans. Then bake between 30 and 40 minutes. All you have to do on Thanksgiving Day is bring it up to room temperature and re-heat for about 30 minutes.”

Stuffing is another side that can be made in advance.

“I’m French Canadian,” Gayton explained. “And pork stuffing was something my mom made every year. When Donnie, my husband, and I started dating, he had never had it, and I’d never had any form of bread stuffing. So it’s always tradition to combine our heritages on Thanksgiving and have both. Pork stuffing is always made before and can even be frozen; the bread stuffing is usually a new recipe I try each year.”

Fluff salad is also a tradition that’s made ahead with Cool Whip and fruit.

“That’s another one of Donnie’s mom’s recipes,” smiled Gayton. “It’s a must-­have on Thanksgiving Day. It can be a side dish or even a dessert. It has mandarin oranges and pineapple with the Cool Whip, cottage cheese and Jell-­O.”

Speaking of dessert, the Gayton family enjoys fresh pies that can be made even weeks in advance. “Raw pie dough can actually be flakier after freezing, either in a disk or molded in the pie plate,” Gayton said. Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil before freezing.

Fruit pies can be totally prepared, frozen and baked in a non-­glass pan the night before. Add 20 to ­25 extra minutes for baking when frozen. Milk-­based pies are not recommended for freezing, but at least the crust can be made beforehand, Gayton said.

Joyce Sarchi of Turner also gathers with her large family on Thanksgiving.

“I do what I can to save my sanity and enjoy the holiday festivities instead of sweating over a stove all day. If prepared correctly, they can be just as flavorful. And instead of being alone in the kitchen, I spend Thanksgiving the way we should be spending it — with family.”

Mashed potatoes can be one of the last-­minute stresses. “Not for me,” laughed Sarchi. “And these mashed potatoes are amazing. They are prepared the day before with loads of sour cream, cream cheese, bacon and chives. Bring them to room temperature in the morning and reheat right in a crock pot. You not only reheat them in the serving dish, but the potatoes stay hot when family goes back for seconds.”

And there is no kneading bread or rising to worry about at Sarchi’s home. “It’s little known that breads and dinner rolls will rise overnight in the refrigerator. A slow rise will even taste better. When it comes to the last rise, put the dough in the pan, be it bread or rolled in balls for rolls. Simply cover and place in the fridge overnight. All you have to do is throw them in the oven after the turkey comes out for warm, yeasty rolls that we usually only indulge in at Thanksgiving,” she said.

Another super-­easy side at the Sarchi feast is roasted Brussels sprouts, wild rice and pecan salad.

“It can be made a day or two before eaten, served hot or cold, and makes great leftovers. Slice Brussels sprouts in half and roast in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20­ to 30 minutes depending on the size, flipping half-way through. While that is baking, make wild rice and set aside. You can even add quinoa, barley or couscous. The amounts don’t really matter? it’s whatever you prefer. When the Brussels sprouts are done throw them in with the rice and add dried cranberries and pecans or sunflower seeds. Make a dressing of half maple syrup and half balsamic or malt vinegar and drizzle to taste. It was actually a stuffing recipe that we just love as a salad. And if you prefer, use asparagus or squash,” Sarchi said.

And for dessert?

“Lemon cheesecake smothered with lemon curd,” Sarchi laughs. “It’s always an ‘Oh my God’ moment. It’s creamier than your normal cheesecake and it’s tart and refreshing, which is what is so good after a heavy feast. Don’t let the word ‘curd’ fool you. It tastes like the center of a lemon doughnut. And best of all, it’s made a day or two before,” she said.

Gayton and Sarchi offer these additional helpful hints:

• Review recipes and gather ingredients.

• Pre-­chop nuts, grate cheese, measure and seal in baggies.

• When re-heating, bring side dishes to room temperature for even heating? also goes for the crock pot, chafing dish or warming tray.

• If you love taking advantage of the turkey prices and don’t want to make gravy at the worst possible time, buy an extra turkey and cook it a week prior. Make the gravy and freeze to use on Thanksgiving Day. Save the Thanksgiving Day drippings to make later and freeze along with the first turkey.

• Items that freeze well: winter vegetable soups, cranberry sauce, compound butters, cornbread for stuffing.

Of course not everything can be made ahead, but there are so many things that can be prepared in advance, from roasting nuts to complete dishes that freeze well and keep their flavor until the big day.

Perhaps this is the year we truly celebrate the meaning of the holiday: holding family in one arm and, maybe, just maybe, a piece of lemon cheesecake in the other.

The only skirmishing will be over the last piece.

Loaded crock pot mashed potatoes

Ingredients:

10­-12 large potatoes, peeled, chopped

1 cup sour cream

8 ounces cream cheese

4 tablespoons butter

Salt and pepper

2-­3 slices crumbled bacon

1/4 cup thinly sliced chives

Instructions:

Boil potatoes and mash. Add sour cream, cream cheese, butter and salt and pepper to taste. Store in a crock pot for up to two days. When ready to reheat, bring to room temperature (about an hour and a half) and cook for 3­-4 hours, checking now and then since crock pots can vary. If too thick, add a bit of milk. Just before serving top with bacon bits and chive. Serves around 10.

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Pork stuffing

Ingredients:

3 pounds lean, ground pork

1 large Spanish onion, diced

4 medium potatoes, diced and boiled

2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons pepper

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon clove

Instructions:

Add ground pork and onion to a stock pot filled with eight cups water. Use a potato masher to break up meat. Bring to boil and turn down to simmer. After one hour add spices. Cook and stir occasionally until water is gone and you can see the bottom when stirring (may take 4­-6 hours).

When done, add potatoes and mash to desired consistency. Put in a casserole dish and bake 30­-40 minutes at 350 degrees.

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Mom’s fluff salad

Ingredients:

16-ounce container cottage cheese

8-ounce container of Cool Whip

3-ounce package Jell­-O, any red flavor

16-ounce can crushed pineapple, drained

15-ounce can mandarin oranges, drained

Instructions:

Combine cottage cheese and Cool Whip, dump in fruit, sprinkle with Jell-­O and mix.

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Lemon cheesecake with lemon curd

Ingredients:

Crust:

5 ounces of animal crackers

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 stick butter, melted

Filling:

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 tablespoon grated zest and 1/4 cup lemon juice

3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature

4 large eggs at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup heavy cream

Lemon curd:

2/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

2/3 cup lemon juice (about 6 lemons)

Zest of 2 lemons

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Crust: In food processor, pulse crackers until fine crumbs, add sugar, then butter in a steady stream. Pulse until mixture comes together. Transfer to a springform pan and press evenly. Bake for 13­-15 minutes. Let cool.

Curd: In a microwave-safe bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs until smooth. Stir in lemon juice, lemon zest and butter. Cook in the microwave for one minute intervals, stirring after each minute until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Let cool and then refrigerate.

Filling:­ In food processor, add 1/4 cup of the sugar and lemon zest and process for 30 seconds.

Add remaining sugar and pulse a few times. Set aside. In stand-up mixer beat cream cheese until smooth. On low, add lemon sugar in steady stream. Beat about two minutes. Scrape bowl, add eggs two at a time and beat. Add lemon juice, vanilla, salt and mix to combine. Add cream and beat about 10 seconds.

Wrap springform pan with two layers of foil and place in a roasting pan. Carefully add enough water to the roasting pan to make it halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake at 325 about one hour and center is slightly giggly. Turn off oven, prop door open and allow to cool in the oven for an hour. Remove and run a knife around the edges, cool another hour.

Top with curd (there will be extra) and refrigerate at least five hours before serving.

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