This cheat sheet will walk you through the whole process of making Thanksgiving dinner following a menu made up the essential holiday dishes, as chosen by you.

• It's time to finalize your menu and gather your ingredients. Betty makes it easy for you with The Essential Thanksgiving Menu, as Picked by You. If you want to bring something new to the table, check out our Modern Classic Thanksgiving Menu, filled with achievable updates on classic dishes.
• Track down all your equipment and dishes, so you can make sure you have everything you need.
• Finally, you can actually knock one dish off your list today! Make your Simple Cranberry Sauce.
• Want to get a professional chef's insider tips on putting together the perfect Thanksgiving meal? Read, "Thanksgiving Simplified: Pro Tips from the Betty Crocker Kitchens."

Before you go shopping, do a quick pantry check!

With your menu at the ready, it's easy to make a master grocery list, or borrow Betty's grocery list for the Essential Thanksgiving Menu, as Picked by You. Before you leave the house, go through your own pantry, so you can check off the ingredients you already have on hand, saving you time and money at the grocery store.

Pull Out Your Equipment

Another benefit of starting with a menu is that you know all the dishes and tools you'll need to cook everything. We've found that it's helpful to pull out your equipment ahead of time. Hunt down the turkey roaster and wash everything, so it's ready when you start cooking. Taking this step also gives you the time to borrow or pick up any dishes you might be missing.

Make Simple Cranberry Sauce

1. Rinse (1 pound) cranberries with cool water and remove any stems or blemished berries.

How to Cook a Turkey

Green Bean Casserole

Classic Candied Sweet Potatoes

Finally, transfer the gravy to a boat and cover with foil to keep warm.

Want More Detail? (Including How to Fix a Gravy in Trouble?)

Betty’s got every Thanksgiving recipe you could ever need – and then some!