Last Thanksgiving I realized the importance of having a plan. Because I live far away from my family, it is hard to get excited about making holiday rounds. I am the main person to facilitate the holiday season for my immediate family. On the heels of a major event that I am planning, I knew I needed a level of motivation that would help me curate a great Thanksgiving dinner. Thankfully my sister is coming to town, and she can help me facilitate things. My husband is vegan, and my oldest daughter has a gluten allergy.

Though I want to make delicious food for everyone, last year I decided that I also needed to make good food for myself and my other three children. Every dish does not need to be gluten free or vegan. With that said, I was thrilled to learn that the Today Show team created a book of delicious recipes. What was even more exciting is that Williams Sonoma hosted an event featuring some of their delicious dishes. I was thrilled to learn that many of the recipes had personal relevance to the Today Show team. The event was great, and included the official book of recipes from the Today Show team. There are three things that I learned from this event.

1.Recipes work. When I first started to cook in my early 20s, I wasn’t sure if people still used recipes. I didn’t realize the power of a good recipe until I made cranberry sauce with a friend on Thanksgiving. Using the exact ingredients and measurements to make cranberry sauce had a delicious outcome and I still use the recipe for Thanksgiving every year. This event was an amazing reminder of the power of recipes.

2.Cooking is better with friends. It was great to connect with others who shared the same goal of creating a great Thanksgiving dinner. We were all attentive to the chef, and the goal was to have an amazing Thanksgiving dinner was something that linked us together. In today's society where people are so divided around politics, it was great to connect with strangers and realize we are all better together.

3. Preparation is key. One of the major takeaways from this event was that preparing the needed supplies ahead of time is very important. It was awesome to hear the staff at the Williams Sonoma in Manhattan Beach discuss the importance of preparation. They also included some of the products from the Williams Sonoma Thanksgiving collection. Many of those items are a perfect addition to the Thanksgiving recipes featured in the Today Show Cookbook.

After attending this class, I am more excited about the Thanksgiving holiday than I was before, I am eager to try Al Roker’s Sweet Potato dish, and the Dylan Dreyer's brussel sprout salad as well. Celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday isn’t about following the recipe exactly, it is more about enjoying the experience of cooking with those that you love.