If you think about a Thanksgiving dinner, it's really like making a large chicken.

I absolutely adore Thanksgiving. It's the only holiday I insist on making myself.

Never let 'em see you sweat. Guests feel guilty if they think you've worked too hard to make dinner for them - which of course you have!

If it's a cocktail party, I generally make five or six different things, and I try to choose recipes that feel like a meal: a chicken thing, a fish or shrimp thing, maybe two vegetable things, and I think it's fun to end the cocktail party with a sweet thing.

I try to greet my friends with a drink in my hand, a warm smile on my face, and great music in the background, because that's what gets a dinner party off to a fun start.

I like almonds as a snack - keeps your energy up but doesn't fill you up.