Thanksgiving is literally some hours away. For those of you who have graduated from playing with your siblings and cousins to helping your mom and grandma cook in the kitchen (aka you’ve reached that age when you have to help hold down the fort, or run your own)…this post is for you.

Seasoned chef Carla Hall of ABC’s daytime cooking show “The Chew” believes Thanksgiving is the perfect time to show your loved ones you care. The Nashville native turned D.C. transplant whips up tasty dishes daily with show co-hosts Mario Batali, Michael Symon, Clinton Kelly, and Daphne Oz, and promotes her “Cook with Love” philosophy.

Here she shares her tips on making Thanksgiving a memorable experience.

Her Favorite Thanksgiving Dish:
The dressing. “I make a flourless cornbread, which everyone loves,” says Hall. “I incorporate it into our traditional dressing mix — onions, celery, fresh herbs, dried cranberries, turkey sausage and homemade turkey stock. Some of the turkey stock is reserved for the gravy. I love dressing and gravy more than the turkey.”  
 
Best Thanksgiving Dish to Bring to a Potluck:
“Definitely something that doesn’t have to be reheated. I assume that there is no room in the oven or on the stove top. Assume the traditional dishes are already there, so why not bring a twist on an old favorite. Perhaps a cranberry onion relish or a dessert sauce that’s versatile such as salted caramel hot fudge.”
 
What Thanksgiving Was Like When She Was Growing Up in Tennessee:
“We had Thanksgiving at my Granny’s house almost every year,” says Hall. “Since we ate there every Sunday growing up, Thanksgiving was just lots more of our favorite things with a lot more people. Also, it was the time of the year when Granny busted out her boiled custard and five flavor pound cake for the holiday season.

(Source: essence.com)