The weekend before Thanksgiving Day for me may be the most important couple of days off before a holiday ever.

I want to start buying items for the big day, and begin prepping. I also like to buy my wine and other accessories ahead of the grand gluttony.

Here's a little known secret about me...I don't like crowded stores. I don't enjoy busy stores and if I can, I'd rather not wait in long lines. It's not that I have claustrophobia, but I just assume stay out of stores when there's a bunch of people knocking each other over to get at the shelves.

One of the side dishes I believe can be prepped well-ahead of time is stuffing. I'm not someone who'll need to have stuffing in the bird, or cook the turkey with stuffing inside. I just don't care that much.

But what I will say is stuffing is one of the most underrated parts of the Thanksgiving meal. If it's bland, stale or just plain sucks...no one really says much except, "that figures." But if it's really good...it can steal the show.

Here's an article that covers three completely different takes on stuffing and some ideas for tweaking your own recipe.

Not everyone is a fan of oysters...but I really dig the cornbread stuffing plan. Sage and onion should already be in your stuffing, so that's a good one.  

And there's even a little something for folks who put sausage in their stuffing...try Portuguese sausage.  Nice.