The pre-Thanksgiving blowout on Your Table

If this was a 1980s sitcom, the Wednesday edition of The Star's food section would be billed as A Very Special Your Table.

To put it mildly, we're bringin' it for the Super Bowl of Cooking next week, Thanksgiving.

Our theme is The Simple Feast. We've got a wide selection of recipes -- from bird to bread and all ports in between -- that will make Wednesday's food section the only thing you'll need to get an easy repast. (Really. Some of y'all have hassled me when I've called stuff "easy" and apparently it wasn't; this time I mean it.) We've got a budget party for folks who don't want a big spread, but we've also got a checklist for people who are having all manner of kith and kin to the table and need to organize entertainment, seating .... and whatnot.

How simple is some of this stuff? Our own staff members brought some of their favorites to the office Friday for a taste test, and, as the columnists would say, "A good time was had by all." Prudence Hilburn kicks in a few of her classics, and Pat Kettles and Ben Cunningham tell you what to drink to make all of these flavors of fall come alive.

Enjoy. Life's too short to eat bad food.