Welcome to MUNCHIES Friendsgiving Week

Yes, we're aware that Thanksgiving is next week. But that's the key to a bitchin' Thanksgiving: planning ahead. And it's been a hell of a year, so it's time to relax, unwind, and celebrate the day to be thankful will all of your friends (and some family members)—or at least the ones you didn't defriend from Facebook during election season.

After all, wouldn't it be great to wake up on Thanksgiving morning to the wails of your hungover cousins from Tulsa in the guest bedroom and know that you already have three incredible pies waiting in the fridge? How about the promise of zero stress over whether you'll once again overcook the Friendsgiving turkey to the point of inedibility? And if you don't make it to the supermarkets before they close at 4 PM, wouldn't you feel better knowing that you have all of the necessary cocktail components for boozing up Aunt Doris before she starts nagging you about why you're not married?

For both emotional support and general festivity, The MUNCHIES Guide to Friendsgiving is your go-to resource for delicious and depraved food stories from chefs, bartenders, and other voices of the food world all week. Wondering what the hell to do with all of your leftovers? Seeking schadenfreude by reading about a Thanksgiving from hell guaranteed to be worse than yours? Inquire within.

Yes, the chaos of the holidays can give us grey hairs. But this year, we're going to make your life easier. We're going to save you from future dye jobs (or bald patches), and guarantee that your feast is on-point to the point of opulence.

Get started with our Visual Guide to Making Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey. Tom Mylan of The Meat Hook explains, step by step, how to brine and brown your turkey into truly prime centerpiece form. And if you're looking for something a little more iPad-friendly, we've also got easy-to-follow turkey recipes from Matty Matheson of Parts and Labour and Naomi Pomeroy of Beast.

And quit your frantic Googling for all things potato and root vegetable. The MUNCHIES Friendsgiving recipe collection has everything you need when it comes to sides, too. Our favorite chefs are here to throw down their most beloved holiday dishes, from Justin Walker's Lobster Mashed Potatoes (a.k.a. the creamiest, most decadent, most addictive mashed potatoes you'll ever taste in your life) to Alex Raij of Txikito's Korean Sweet Potatoes with Maple Sage Brown Butter and Marshmallows. Get it all here.

Hell yeah, we've got pie, too. Spin our pie recipe roulette wheel and you're guaranteed to land on a winner. Dig into Cara Nicoletti's Goat Cheese Pumpkin Pie, Callie Speers's Chess Pie, Ovenly's Pumpkin Pie with Cinnamon Fluff, and many more.

And when your Thanksgiving hangover sets in, whip up your extra turkey into Danny Bowien's Shredded Turkey in Blackened Chile Mole or crawl onto the couch with a bowl of Matty Matheson's Cheeto Mac and Cheese.

We promise you'll survive. And hey, at least you'll have a feast worthy of giving thanks for.

Stay tuned and check out the MUNCHIES Guide to Friendsgiving and MUNCHIES Friendsgiving recipe collection for new stories, tips, and recipes all week long.