It’s been decades, but the alien mashed potatoes still haunt Tess Banning.

She was cooking Thanksgiving dinner for her husband’s family and accidentally used baking powder in the mashed potatoes. The recipe called for baking soda.

The change, for some reason, turned the potatoes green.

“My husband’s uncle was very nice,” says Banning, who lives in Lawrence. “He said, ‘I’ve never had green mashed potatoes before, but I’m sure they’ll be delicious.'”

Preparing Thanksgiving dinner – especially for the first time – can be a daunting task, with potential pitfalls around each culinary curve. And, as if the kitchen duties weren’t enough, there’s playing host or hostess – making sure glasses are filled, that newly arriving guests have their coats taken, and so on.

“This is one of those things that’s a big, complex project, and that scares a lot of people,” says Joe Kissell, author of “Take Control of Thanksgiving Dinner.” “There are so many variables for it to be done correctly, and to have everything hot on the table at the same time, all the while juggling a dozen guests.”

Kissell’s No. 1 tip for first-time Thanksgiving hosts: Plan ahead.

“My biggest suggestion is prior to Thanksgiving, preferably several days before Thanksgiving, you sit down with a blank piece of paper and write yourself out a plan,” says Kissell, who lives in San Francisco.

First, he says, that list should include items you need at the grocery store. And don’t limit that to just food – not every home chef has a gravy boat or a platter for carving a turkey.

He also suggests writing out a game plan for what time certain tasks must be done on Turkey Day to make sure everything is done around the same time.

“It’s so easy to forget things,” Kissell says. “I recommend you tape this piece of paper up someplace in your kitchen.”

First-time tips

One thing first-time cooks might not realize is it can take almost a week in the refrigerator to thaw a fully frozen turkey, depending on the size. Thawing in cold water also is an option, but many food safety experts now discourage that, because of risk of bacteria.

Here are some of Kissell’s other tips for first-time Thanksgiving hosts and hostesses:

¢ Get a good grasp of how you’ll make gravy, including which giblets are which inside the bird.

“If you make gravy once a year or once every couple of years, it’s scary,” he says.

¢ Don’t be afraid to buy pie crusts, instead of making them yourself.

¢ Brine the turkey before you cook it. That makes the cooking times more forgiving.

¢ Cover the turkey breast with foil for a while when you first start cooking it. There will be less of a chance that the white meat will dry out that way.

¢ Don’t overwhip mashed potatoes with an electric mixer. They’ll end up with a gluelike consistency.

Affordable feasting

All this may sound stressful and pricey. But Sandy Procter, a registered dietitian with K-State Research and Extension in Manhattan, says it doesn’t have to be.

“If we are to believe the cooking magazines and TV shows, Thanksgiving dinner is unparalleled in its beauty and unparalleled in its gourmet,” Procter says. “What you can’t tell from those pages is it can be within a budget.”

Procter says most foods traditionally served at Thanksgiving go on sale shortly after Halloween and remain on sale until Thanksgiving Day.

And she says the idea of the Thanksgiving potluck is catching on. There’s no shame in asking guests to bring items for the meal, Procter says.

“I think sometimes people have this Norman Rockwell idea of doing this whole thing themselves – they want to prove it to the in-laws, or whatever it is,” she says.

And, she says, don’t be afraid to ask more experienced cooks for help.

Procter’s main message: Thanksgiving doesn’t have to fit in the mold that’s been established for generations.

For example, you don’t have to cook an entire turkey. For smaller gatherings, cooking one or more turkey breasts will work. Or try a completely different food.

If the idea of doing the entire meal yourself sounds daunting, convince friends and family to do a progressive meal, with a different course at each house.

Or, Procter suggests, start a new tradition among family and friends by volunteering at a local community Thanksgiving meal.

Any of those options, Procter says, will help the big Thanksgiving meal seem a little more practical.

“The main thing is to keep it within the scale of what your abilities are,” Procter says. “You might want to try one or two recipes that are new. But for the rest of it, keep it manageable.”