Right about now, everyone is in the final throes of their Thanksgiving prep. Maybe you've got a pie to bake tonight or you have to hit the grocery store one last time on the way home from work, but basically, you're there. You don't need our help with recipes for tasty side dishes or tips on how wedge all your leftovers into the fridge anymore.

So here's my question for all of you. What's that one food item without which your Thanksgiving is not complete? Your staple food that has to be on the table or the meal just can't go forward. It doesn't have to be traditional or even cohesive with the meal, but somehow brings everything together for you. Me, it doesn't feel like Thanksgiving until I've had a little nibble of crispy turkey skin and a glass of sparkling apple cider. Over at the Epi Log, Esther Sung writes about how there needs to be a dish of kimchi on the table for Thanksgiving to feel rounded and satisfying for her.

Share your favorites, your quirky side dishes and things that make your holiday feel special.

If you are totally flummoxed as to what side dishes to serve at your Thanksgiving meal this year, why not let the stars decide?

The folks over at AOL Horoscopes, with the help of astrologer Sabra Ricci, have put together a collection of side dishes and star sign pairings. For the Leos in your life, why not try Curried Creamed Onions or Spinach Salad with Oranges and Walnuts. Scorpios are partial to Pecan Stuffing and Fig-Walnut Salad and it's Garlic Mashed Potatoes for your Aquarius friends and family.

Whether or not the predictions are right on or they totally miss the mark, many of the recipes sound tasty and worthy of a place on your table. Check out the full article to see what they recommend for you (as a Taurus, the suggested Candied Yams have me drooling and ready for Thanksgiving to arrive now)!

For the last couple of weeks, I've been posting links to good Thanksgiving sides. Some of them have come from the recesses of my brain and some of have been pinched from other sites. I thought it might be helpful to round all those posts up in one place so that you can see some options in one place and narrow down your finalist dishes.

It all started with the Autumnal Casserole I made that combined potatoes, squash and cheese into one creamy, savory dish. Next came the Vanilla Flecked Sweet Potato Puree that Heidi at 101 Cookbooks posted a couple of years ago. Kim O'Donnel's Parsnip-Potato Mash was next, followed by Alanna's recipe for Cauliflower Cream (the recipe she posted today for a Spinach Casserole also looks like a winner). Finally, there was my cousin Jeremy's recipe (if you can call my loose instructions a recipe) for Gingery Squash.

If after all those posts, you still don't think you have enough side dish options, I'd also like to point you in the direction of the oven roasted brussels sprouts I made last month. They are also excellent (and add a nice, green counterpoint to your plate) on the Thanksgiving table.

A large turkey needs to be handled with care to make sure that it is cooked properly. The bird should be completely defrosted before cooking and need to reach a minimum temperature of 165 degrees in the breast before it is considered to be "done" and safe to eat, according to the USDA. But before the big meal isn't the only time that we should give some thought to food safety. Leftovers are often improperly stored, leading to potential hazards in the kitchen, at least as far as your stomach is concerned, and the USDA makes some recommendations for them, too.

First of all, hot food should not be left out and continuously heated and cooled throughout the day. Food, especially hot food, should generally only be left out for an hour or two before storing it in the refrigerator or freezer. Turkey meat should be removed from the bones of the bird and stored separately, well-wrapped in airtight containers. It can be kept for up to 4 days in the refrigerator and up to 4 months in the freezer, which is a good storage option if you intend to use it later for soups or other cooked dishes. Most sides can also be kept, well wrapped, for 3 or 4 days. Stuffing and gravy should be in their own containers and will only keep for a day or two in the fridge, although they can also be frozen for a period of time. Gravy will keep for up to six months when frozen.

One final thing to keep in mind is that food may not look or smell bad even though it has gone past its prime, so when it comes to leftovers - no matter how much you love turkey sandwiches - it is better to be safe than sorry later on.

My brother made Garlic Potatoes similar to this recipe for Thanksgiving a couple of years ago, as an alternative to the regular mashed potatoes we also served, and I think he put a little more garlic in the bowl than he should have. They were still good, if a little strong, so make sure you're accurate with the amount of garlic you put in. And make sure you have some Listerine pocket strips or gum in your pocket. You don't want to be talking to friends and family with garlic breath all afternoon.

The first installment in this series of Thanksgiving ideas from around the blogosphere introduced us to some turkey and stuffing recipes. Now, we're moving on to side dishes, many of which are even more beloved than the turkey itself. There are way too many sides to list here, since there is no limit to what can be served with a turkey dinner, but these are fairly standard (or twists on a standard) recipes that everyone is sure to enjoy.

• If you thought brussel sprouts were boring, you havent tried the deliciously caramelized Garlic Roasted Brussel Sprouts from Bunnyfoot.
• The Bourbon Baked Sweet Potatoes at 101 Cookbooks are easy to make ahead and can be a side or a vegetarian main dish.
• The secret to making the perfect mashed potatoes from Simply Recipes is to use Yukon Gold potatoes.
• Roasted Butternut Squash with Rosemary and Balsamic vinegar from Kalyn's Kitchen is the great choice for squash fans, as well as for anyone who wants a lighter side.
• We've already seen a Veggie Venture's world's best green bean casserole, which updates a traditional recipe to the best it can be. Incidentally, most of Alanna's other veggie recipes will work well as sides, too.
• Chubby Hubby made a comforting, tasty creamless creamed corn that uses frozen, not fresh, corn.
• Berries? Booze? The Cranberry Bourbon Relish from Sorry Fugu sounds like a winner already.
• Cranberry Satsuma Relish, from Brownie Points, unlike the sauce mentioned above, is uncooked and made in seconds in the food processor. The Wednesday Chef has a cooked Cranberry Orange Sauce for a different combination of the flavors.

If your family is anything like mine, you probably have at least one member of the extended family (perhaps a somewhat elderly member) who feels that Thanksgiving is no time to be messing with flavor fusions or untraditional side dishes. Relatives of this type want their turkey with gravy, potatoes, cranberry sauce and green bean casserole. Fortunately, you'll be able to find the very best versions of those sides, and many others, in Cook's Illustrated's Best American Side Dishes. In keeping with their usual style, the more than 500 recipes and the related background information is all exhaustively researched and pretty much guaranteed to turn out well. There are step-by-step diagrams and taste tests along the way to help you put forth the best finished product. And, for those not entirely inclined to stick with tradition, they provide variations and updated takes on many of the included dishes, so there will be things to please every member of the family in here. The recipes include Blanched Kale with Shallots and Cream, deviled eggs, potato salad and Savory Noodle Kugel with Caramelized Onions & Cauliflower.

My favorite thing to do with carrots (well, besides just munch on them raw, of course) is to cook them with this interesting little recipe I picked up off an episode of Good Eats some years back. It's become a staple side dish for Thanksgiving dinners, but it's equally tastey for any occasion or for none at all. Ginger ale is not the first thing I'd think to glaze my carrots with, but try it -- I find it works wonderfully, providing the perfect amount of sweetness without being overbearing. The carrots turn out tasting more essentially carroty than any raw carrot, so of course I love them. It's a pretty simple recipe and certainly worth the trouble if ever you're in the mood for carrots.

Xeni Jardin over at Boing Boing recently dedicated a Web Zen post to barbecue. Biggles over at MeatHenge gets a nod, as does the table of condiments that periodically go bad. I'd never seen Barbecue'n before, and will definitely have to give it a more thorough read. I'm still not sure what to make of the meat hats. Yes, a yarmulke of brisket is impressive, but is it tasty? It would be the perfect thing to wear while eating your meat cake. Boing Boing has plenty of other links, including several about 'cue fixins.

Steak is awesome. There is no arguing that. But I will say that often, I judge a steakhouse by the quality of their side dishes. The quality of the meat is attributable to Mother Nature and the cattle rancher, and of course, the butcher, but it is the side dishes that really determine whether a steakhouse's kitchen has skills. Yes, most of the side dishes revolve around potatoes, but there are some unique vegetbales out there, too.

1. The Wedge - If I get no other side, I must at least have the Iceberg wedge. If the steakhouse does not have an Iceberg wedge, I cannot eat there. In fact, I wouldn't even mind if it were a single Iceberg leaf, filled with Blue cheese.
2. French fries - naturally. I prefer the skinny ones, you know, just as a reminder of what I will no longer be once the meal is over. 
3. Onion rings - I am torn. Sometimes I want French fries. Sometimes I want onions rings. Wouldn't it be grand if we could have Frings?!? But of course, the greater question is, should they be breaded in a beer batter, or in breadcrumbs?
4. Garlic mashed potatoes - I love them smashed, with the pink potato peels mixed in and the potatoes left chunky, not smooth and creamy.
5. Sauteed mushrooms - It doesn't have to be fancy. They can be plain old button mushrooms. It doesn't have to be a fancy sauce either, like balsamic vinegar or a wine reduction. Just mushrooms sauteed in lots and lots of butter.
6. Creamed spinach - Some like the simplicity of spinach lightly sauteed in olive oil with chopped garlic. I'm not saying that's a bad thing. I love that stuff, but who doesn't love creamed spinach?!?
7. Macaroni and cheese - This is a tough one, because though macaroni and cheese is never a bad thing, it's hard to find a macaroni and cheese that knocks your socks off. Big fat curvy noodles oozing with cheese and cream, and topped off with an oven-broiled crust.  
8. This one's for you. Did I miss one of your favorites? Do you think one of the 1-7 deserve to be mentionde twice? (Personally, I'd pick the Wedge seven times.) Do you disagree with any of the choices? Tell us! 

It's not really fair to post a "recipe" for something as ridiculously easy as roasted new potatoes.

Simply scrub tiny new potatoes, and if they're small enough, leave them whole, or cut them in half or quarters. Toss them with olive oil and as much minced garlic as your breath can handle. I also toss in a few tablespoons of dried herbs (rosemary is the most common choice). Roast the potatoes in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes in a single layer on an oiled pan, or until they are soft. You may want to give the pan a shake every 10 minutes so the skins don't stick to the pan.

When they come out of the oven, toss with grated parmesan cheese and serve as a breakfast, brunch, lunch side dish. Or you can eat an entire bowl with a glass of wine like I did and call it dinner.

As a side note, you can make extra roasted potatoes, and instead of tossing them with Parmesan cheese, let them cool completely. Toss the cooled potatoes with mayo and you will have a killer potato salad. Killer.