Rachael shares her plan of attack for turkey day starting with preparations you can do the night before so you spend less time in the kitchen and more quality time with loved ones.

"It doesn't get any easier then this," she says. "Get all of your chopping and slicing and dicing done on Thanksgiving eve. This way, when the big day comes, all you have to do is throw together your ingredients and you save all of that time."

The night before:

• Turkeys - Clean your turkeys and dry them off. Rub them with softened butter and fill the cavities with the chopped vegetables. Place them in roasting pans, cover with foil and put in the fridge.

• Stuffing - Chop the vegetables (not the apples, they'll turn brown). Place them in a resealable bag and refrigerate.

• Squash - Halve the squash and scoop out the seeds. Cover with plastic wrap.
  

• Brussels sprouts - Halve the brussel sprouts and place in a resealable plastic bag.

• Potatoes - Peel and cut the potatoes. Place them in a container and cover with water, so they do not turn brown.

• Cranberry sauce - Make the cranberry sauce in its entirety. Use the recipe on the back of a bag of berries and add a little orange juice for extra depth of flavor.

Thanksgiving day cooking schedule:

4 HOURS BEFORE DINNER:

• Bring turkeys to room temperature, about 1 hour before popping them in a preheated oven.

1 1/2 HOURS BEFORE DINNER:

• The squash takes an hour to an hour and a half depending on the size of your squash. (Acorn squash usually takes about an hour.)

• If you like your cranberry sauce at room temperature, take it out now. Or, if you like it warmed up, heat it while you're making the gravy.

• Forget to put the bird in the oven? Have no fear; a 20-pound turkey can be ready in 90 minutes. Find out how.

• Set and decorate the table.

30 MINUTES BEFORE DINNER:

• The stuffing takes 25-30 minutes in the oven to get nice and crusty on top.
  

20 MINUTES BEFORE DINNER:

• If you don't have a large enough pan to cook all of the Brussels sprouts at once, use two pans side-by-side, cook them separately and combine them in one big serving dish.

• Place the potatoes in a pot of fresh, cold water and bring to a boil. Cook until fork tender.

10 MINUTES BEFORE DINNER:

• Start the gravy while the bird is resting out of the oven.

5 MINUTES BEFORE DINNER:

• Peas should be done at the last minute.

Happy Thanksgiving!