Instead of sitting back and watching everyone else do all the work, this year surprise your family members by offering to prepare part of the Thanksgiving meal. Here are a few tips to get you started.

1. Jazz up your turkey by stuffing it with roughly chopped vegetables such as onions, carrots, celery, radishes, whole garlic cloves and parsnips, as well as other harvest favorites like whole apples. Don’t forget to remove the bag with the giblets inside before stuffing your bird. For added flavor, loosen the skin at the top and stuff in fresh herbs (like parsley, thyme and sage, all of which can be found fresh in the produce department of your grocery store) and other pungent aromatics like garlic. If you’re still yearning for that bready stuffing, you can make it outside the bird and add chicken stock instead of using the fatty drippings from its inside cavity.

2. To make quick pan-gravy, mash 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons flour in a small bowl and heat the leftover pan drippings from the cooked turkey over medium heat. Whisk in the butter/flour mixture and add 1 cup of dry white wine. Bring to a slight boil and cook about 15 minutes until the mixture has reduced by about half and is thickened to desired gravy consistency.

3. Go for simple side dishes like fresh green beans or brussels sprouts cooked in boiled water for about five minutes, then sauted in a little butter for about another three minutes. Make mashed potatoes, yams or sweet potatoes more nutritious by leaving the skins on. Boil in water until tender, then add butter or margarine, milk, salt, pepper and a generous handful of Parmesan cheese. For added flavor, throw in some dry herbs like basil or thyme.

4. Don’t forget dessert. You don’t have to be an expert to make good old-fashioned pumpkin pie. Just follow the recipe on the label of most cans of pumpkin. Buy a store-bought crust to save even more time and effort. Your relatives won’t even know the difference.