Think it's too early to start planning Thanksgiving dinner? Think again! Nov. 26 may seem like a long way off, but for the holiday host, it's right around the corner. That's why each Tuesday until Turkey Day, we'll bring you preparation tips to ensure your Thanksgiving is as smooth as your gravy (should be).

1. Get a head count.
Now's the time to start inviting people to Thanksgiving dinner. If you're thinking about it, chances are good your friends and family are, too. So if your cousin is bringing her new boyfriend, and both sets of grandparents are coming to town, as well as your parents and siblings, you're going to need to figure out how to seat everyone at your small table with three mismatched chairs.

Getting a head count this early ensures you'll have enough time to borrow tables, chairs and whatever other furniture items you need to so that everyone can eat comfortably, and then have a place to lounge when the tryptophan-wine combo sets in. And don't forget to find out who's a vegetarian, who's allergic to nuts, and any other dietary restrictions you'll be dealing with. The last thing you want to hear as you put your orange-scented green beans with toasted almonds on the table is that your cousin's new boyfriend has a severe nut allergy.

When I first began to dabble in green tea, I absolutely hated it. It was bitter, drying to the mouth, wretched taste, and I was left for a long time feeling that green tea just wasn't for me. Many people I knew who drank black tea felt the same way, so I concluded that green tea was for the few who had the palette for it.

Of course, this was during a time when the only other tea drinkers I knew were buying Bigelow or Lipton bags and, like myself, just throwing them in some boiling hot water and coming back whenever we remembered to take the bag out, squeezing the bag thoroughly to get the last drops into the cup.

I shudder these days when I think about how badly I was scalding my first attempts at green tea, and I marvel that I enjoyed any tea at all, considering the way in which I was preparing it. This is a predicament many novice tea drinkers find themselves when it comes to anything other than black tea: you're scalding (and probably over-steeping it).

Artichokes can be scary at first, but here's how to prepare them.

Over the years cooking and baking my tiny apartment kitchen, I've learned what to prep before I actually get started with a recipe and what I'll be able to do on the fly. Because my kitchen is so small, much of the storage is above my head which means that if I need flour, sugar or an extra large colander, I'm going to need a step ladder in order to reach it, which isn't convenient if the pan is at the ideal temperature or the butter is perfectly softened. So I plan ahead before I start anything (or at least I try. I'm not perfect).

Over at Real Baking, Rose Levy Beranbaum has written a really helpful post about the five things that are most essential to do before you start any baking project. She mentions getting your butter softened, which is something I always try to do (if worse comes to worse, I use the microwave on the defrost setting). She has some good tips on how to get it softened up if you don't want to resort to technology. She also suggests that you preheat your oven, get your eggs warmed up to room temperature, prepare your cake pans and combine cocoa powder and boiling water if your recipe calls for that. She has tricks and tips on how to expedite all these steps, so make sure to go over and visit her post!

Easy meal prep is hot right now. By this, I am referring to the make-and-freeze dinner businesses that are thriving all across the US. With names like Dream Dinners, Super Suppers, My Girlfriend's Kitchen, Supper Thyme USA, What's for Dinner and Dinner by Design, all appeal to the "busy family demographic, where people want to have home cooked meals but don't necessarily feel that they have the time to do it themselves. These businesses offer kitchens with lots of partially assembled meals and ingredients that you can put together in combinations that your family will like. Typically, meals are prepared for a week or two in advance and everything can be frozen. Heating instructions (and any other cooking suggestions, if needed, are included.

The trend is so popular that it is starting to spread out of the US. In London, a chain called Dinners Made is springing up and gaining popularity with those who are looking for food to make in advance and freeze, and also with those who want to entertain and don't have time (or perhaps the ability) to cook everything from scratch without some assistance. Using Dinners Made means that the recipes are included, prep is done and cleanup is taken care of, as they are at every similar easy meal prep shop. Combining the convenience of working in the store with below-restaurant prices, a flexible menu and fresh ingredients, it's not hard to see why the idea is spreading so rapidly.

Once the Halloween candy hits the shelves, you know that the holiday season is starting up and won't be over until after New Year's. In addition to candy, there are cakes, pies and huge family dinners to contend with. There are ways to prepare for a meal, but how can you prepare for a season of not-so-healthy eating without worrying about your health or weight?

Some people wait to see how much damage has been done before cutting back in January. One friend told me that she tries to have a salad with low-fat/low cal dressing, or a low-fat soup for lunch as the holidays approach and throughout the season - as opposed to sandwiches, burgers and even leftovers - which gives her a sense of flexibility when it comes to her aunt's pecan pie and potatoes with gravy. That's quite a long time to prepare for a few big meals, though.

Do you try to change your diet to offset seasonal indulgences?

If you've already decided that foie gras isn't for you, then Michael Ruhlman's recent post on megnut probably isn't going to change your mind. If, however, you're undecided about the stuff, or (gasp) a fan, then by all means this is worth reading. Even with phrases like "pluck out any large dark veins," or "spread out the lobes," Ruhlman makes the fatted liver sound damn tasty, especially with scrambled eggs or soaked in milk and then poached. He also makes the point that, unlike most other high-end products, the foie gras available to the average consumer is likely of the same grade as the stuff available to most chefs because there are only a few suppliers in the U.S. Note that Tony Bourdain gives Ruhlman the atta-boy in the lengthy and worth-reading series of comments that follow the post.

Actually, according to The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, nutria is a red meat, but it supposedly tastes like rabbit or dark meat turkey. More than a little confusing, I know. What is clear is that Louisiana has a surplus of these 20 pound South American swamp rodents, which the LDWF kindly dubs "fur bearing herbivores." As some of you may know, Louisiana has, for several years, had a campaign going to try to cut down on the population (the nutria population, that is) by convincing people to eat to eat these critters, which were originally brought in for their fur, but then escaped and wreaked havoc on the local greenery. Also known as coypu, the nutria is apparently also a host for a type of nematode that can infect human skin and cause 'nutria itch,' according to Wikipedia. Nevertheless, the LDWF has plenty of recipes for the little guys, the names of which are too good not to mention: there's Heart Healthy 'Crock-Pot' Nutria, nutria sausage, nutria chili, "Stuffed Nutria Hindquarters," and "Enola's Smothered Nutria." The site also has over 20 photos of how to butcher a nutria, but we don't need to get into that right now.

I'm sure there are plenty of you out there who already have your shopping lists made up for that romantic meal at home with that special someone. This post is not for you. This is for the novice cook, the one who knows deep down that making a special meal for their sweetheart is the most romantic thing they could possibly do. They also know that it'll be worlds cheaper than going out to eat. So, here are a few suggestions:

• First of all, keep it simple. Sure, I know that the tendency is to go for something extravagant, but really, it's the act and effort of cooking that's important. Without getting too sentimental, let me just say that making a meal for someone else is one of the most basic acts of affection. Ten courses or two, it doesn't matter.

[Photo: Nick Vagnoni]