There’s one meal I cook the same way year after year: Thanksgiving. What can I say? I like the classics, and Thanksgiving gives me a chance to cook familiar recipes while chatting with friends and family.

I also like saving money; it’s one of my favorite things. So this year I decided to head to Aldi, my go-to budget-friendly grocery store to see if I could buy an entire classic Thanksgiving dinner for less than $100.

Could it be done? I wanted to find out!

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Dessert lasagna is the modern take on trifles. Cookies or cake are layered with pudding, mousse, or whipped cream (or in some cases, all three) in a 9×13-inch baking dish, giving it distinct layers like its savory counterpart. But dessert lasagna doesn’t require any cooking and actually gets better the longer it sits in the fridge.

Pumpkin dessert lasagna is an easy make-ahead dessert perfect for Thanksgiving. It has layers of gingersnap cookies, a spiced cream cheese mousse, and pumpkin pudding enrobed in a spiced whipped cream. The whole of it is drizzled with a quick caramel sauce so each bite is a magical mix of all the favorite flavors and textures of the holiday season.

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Let’s be honest here — if you are shopping at Costco for Thanksgiving, chances are you are feeding a crowd. Feeding not just your immediate family, but also your friends, neighbors, and extended family means that beyond buying your turkeys and hams (yes, you’ll need multiples of both), you’re also going to need more plates, more tables, and more wine.

Given that, here are three things your should pick up at Costco for Thanksgiving.

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Turkey is certainly the masterpiece of Thanksgiving table, presented with flourish and praise for the cook. Despite the idyllic image we’ve created of roasted turkey, it is essential the same as roasting your Sunday chicken, albeit on a much larger scale. While there are lots of opinions, and some sound advice, for roasting a turkey, there are just a few key steps to avoid for a terrific Thanksgiving turkey.

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Thanksgiving is nothing without a pie (or three), so you’ll obviously also need a special pie server. Trust us, you don’t want to try using a flimsy plastic fork and knife.

If you don’t have a pie server already, you’re in luck because we’ve rounded up 10 fun options. Dig in.

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So, you bought your pumpkin pie instead of making one this year — that’s totally okay. What’s more important is what you do with it on the big day. Go beyond the standard whipped cream for a fast-and-fancy upgrade that really brings that wow-factor to your pumpkin pie.

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Pumpkin pie is an icon of the Thanksgiving table, a dish of rich pumpkin custard fragrant with warm cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves wrapped in flaky pastry crust. Served with a generous dollop of whipped cream, there aren’t many slices of pie so universally loved. But even pro bakers know that a near-perfect pumpkin pie requires a few special considerations to take it from ordinary to memorable. Here are five mistakes to avoid when baking your holiday pie.

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How to peel and cube butternut squash for soups, stews, pastas, and purees.

Recipes often ask us to peel and cube a butternut squash, but actually doing it can be a little puzzling. How does one coax cubes from this wonderfully curvy vegetable? Do we need to deal with the neck differently than the bulbous seed area? And what about the skins and seeds? Read on for a step-by-step guide to breaking down a butternut squash.

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As a person who doesn’t really love turkey and wishes we’d just trade the ol’ bird for a beef tenderloin or a honey ham, bacon-wrapped turkey was a bit of a surprise to me. Bacon-wrapped turkey is the turkey for turkey haters. Wrapping a turkey in bacon is fun, taking some of the stress off of roasting a Norman Rockwell-worthy turkey and wowing your guests at the same time.

What’s even better? Wrapping a turkey in bacon eliminates any brining, salting, or basting to make a flavorful turkey and creates a stunning, crispy “skin” — a welcome contrast to the tender turkey meat. And it’s much easier than it looks.

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Now that we’ve made it to November, perhaps you’re growing weary of pumpkin spice, well, everything. Not to worry, though, because there are a handful of spice blends out there that just might rival that classic combination of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and clove. They may seem unconventional in your pumpkin pie or muffins, but give one a try and I guarantee that your taste buds will delight in the vast world of flavors beyond pumpkin pie spice.

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