RAPID CITY - The turkey is still frozen. The kitchen fills with smoke. The gravy? It's inedible.

On Thanksgiving - possibly the most intimidating of all holidays in the kitchen - bad things can happen, even to good cooks.

When the Journal asked readers to share their holiday dinner disasters, we heard about several fires, an unfortunate gravy mix-up, a trip to the emergency room and even a "dog ate my pies" tale.

"People think, 'I'm going to make a stellar five-course meal, and it's going to be perfect,'" said Ingrid Lindberg, Extension educator at the state Extension Office. "It just puts the pressure on the cook. We want certain things to appear with that meal - we just get a whole bunch of things wrapped up in this that don't have much to do with eating. If we don't do that, we would probably have a less stressful meal."

Planning, shopping and coordinating an all-day cooking marathon - not to mention preparing to greet guests - all add to the stress. But it's the main course that befuddles many cooks.

"Preparing a turkey is really pretty easy, yet people are afraid of it," said Lindberg. Her advice? "Just do it. Cooking bags really do speed the process up and will help ensure a nice, moist turkey."

Lindberg said there is a lot to be said for going potluck and giving each family member an assignment. This is something that she has done in her family, with great success.

"It's a whole lot less hassle, and the pressure isn't there," she said.

And if a portion of the meal gets ruined? "Just relax, put out what you have and if my company is so focused on the food that that is a bone of contention, then we have a problem," she said.

But even if disaster strikes tomorrow, there is one thing to be thankful for: This year's catastrophe is bound to become next year's cherished memory.

Contact Deanna Darr at 394-8416 or deanna.darr@rapidcityjournal.com.