Thanksgiving upgrade

I like to think I'm not alone in my Thanksgiving anxiety. So many dishes to serve, so much emotional baggage to ignore.

In recent years, my anxiety centered on the inevitably uneven number of guests vs. chairs. This year brings a new wrinkle:

My daughter is bringing home a friend - a special friend who just happens to be a top editor at a well-known magazine for gourmands.

In its Thanksgiving issue, which features a sumptuous cover photograph of Crisp Apple-Scented Roast Turkey with Cider-Calvados Gravy, my Dinner Guest casually mentions her favorite appetizers for the holiday: "armagnac-marinated bacon-wrapped prunes, duck foie gras topped with gewurztraminer jelly, and oyster-aquavit shooters."

I read that as a challenge.

At my house, Thanksgiving dinner is what I like to think of as traditional: free frozen turkey from Acme, served with Stove Top stuffing, canned sweet-potato casserole topped with marshmallows left over from the Fourth of July.

But this year would be different, no short cuts. This year I'd make my family's favorites but in an enhanced fashion.

I'd get an organic, heritage turkey - one with ancestors in the American Revolution. I'd need a turkey that enjoyed a full and happy life roaming the free range until somebody slaughtered it in the spirit of loving-kindness.

I'd serve genuine yams, fresh asparagus, gravy from homemade stock, and a pie with crust I'd kneaded myself.

Of course, the anticipation of an overnight guest is as good an excuse as any to do a few upgrades. I started with some new pot holders and then I went wild: I converted the heating system from oil to gas and bought a Bosch range with gas burners and an electric oven with optional convection cooking. (Not to mention the custom-made window curtains, a plush rug for the living room, antique walnut cane chairs in the dining room, and paint in the powder room. I had to be talked out of adding another bathroom before the holiday.)

I may not be much of a cook, but I have mastered Home Entertaining Rule No. 1: Never try a recipe (or an oven) for the first time when company's coming. I have learned this the hard way.

So if on Nov. 22 I wanted to serve my guests a heritage turkey - one with less white meat but more flavor than the broad-breasted birds sold in 99 percent of markets - along with upgraded fixings, I'd have to buy the stuff early and give the meal a test drive. Of course, I'd need some help.