From...

by Glenn McDonald

(IDG) -- The Web can be a marvelous resource for holiday planning, no more so than around Thanksgiving. This is particularly true if, like a certain writer who shall remain nameless, you are in charge of cooking this year.

If you have a browser and a printer, the world's biggest cookbook is at your disposal via the Web. There are literally hundreds of cooking-related sites, not to mention a universe of Usenet groups for every type of cuisine imaginable.

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Let's talk turkey

Reader's Digest has put up a nice site with a recipe page that has including full instructions for preparing a Thanksgiving dinner for 12. All recipes include nutritional information and are taken from the cookbook Like Grandma Used To Make, which you can mail-order directly from the site (but why?). Also included are dessert and drink recipes, and even a collection of recipes for turkey leftovers. Skip over to the Holiday Host section and you'll find a collection of original articles for planning your event -- from children's activities to table settings. (Although I note with some concern that there is no discussion of how to fix the TV when the football game goes fuzzy.)

For the more ambitious host, try the bountiful Epicurious Web, run by the folks behind Gourmet and Bon Appetit magazines. These people are serious about their food. Besides an encyclopedia of recipes, you can view QuickTime cooking and technique videos. This year Epicurious has added an interactive menu-maker you use to choose from among more than 350 recipes -- or add your own -- and then automatically e-mail instructions to willing friends and family in classic "bring a dish" style. (That unnamed writer we mentioned in charge of cooking this year? He's getting right on this.)

Other good Thanksgiving recipe sites include HomeArts's Thanksgiving Page and Better Homes and Gardens's annual Thanksgiving Survival Guide, which includes a handy point-and-click check list, as well as vegetarian and diabetic menus.

Cards, clip art, and more

Digital greeting cards aren't new, but selection and multimedia options have expanded greatly in the last year. Try 1001 Postcards for a nice sampling of Thanksgiving cards, as well as greetings for every other event and holiday under the sun. (Canadian Remembrance Day! Lunar New Year! Even -- get this -- Marriage Proposals!) Recipients don't receive an attachment; rather they're pointed to a URL that contains their personalized greeting plus Java-based audio clips and animation. (More digital card services can be found in a Yahoo directory set up for the occasion; see link below.)

But maybe you're the old-school type who likes to create your own Thanksgiving cards. In that case, you'll want to browse some of the free clip-art collections available online. A good central place for Thanksgiving images can be found at The Cyberspace Place's Happy Thanksgiving page.

Making merry

Time now to bone up (heh-heh) on Thanksgiving history and trivia with which to astound and delight your guests come Thursday. This has some practical value in that respected scholars do not, as a rule, have to wash dishes. Try the Thanksgiving Traditions and History Quiz or click back to the HomeArts site for its Turkey IQ test.

Finally, this is as good an opportunity as any to make sure everybody has enough to eat this holiday. The nonprofit National Charities Information Bureau lists dozens of reputable organizations that accept tax-deductible donations online.