Thanksgiving School

It’s not that many more days until Thanksgiving and you still haven’t given it a thought. Do you really want to spend time poring through cookbooks and making grocery lists? Make it easier on yourself and sign up for one of the many Thanksgiving classes offered. They’ll plan your menu and provide you with recipes and enough know-how to make your meal a success. Then all you’ll have to worry about is paying for it.

Today:

BYO Turkey Thanksgiving. Make-ahead recipes to go with turkey, including artichokes with a melted mushroom brie sauce; sweet potatoes with pecan streusel topping; pumpkin soup in a pumpkin; spinach avocado and orange salad; glazed chocolate apricot cake. Let’s Get Cookin’, 4643 Lakeview Canyon Road, Westlake Village. (818) 991-3940. 6:30 p.m. $50.

Contemporary Thanksgiving. Cookbook author Diane Worthington will share recipes for a Thanksgiving feast for the ‘90s. Cook-N-Things, 606 Fair Oaks Ave., South Pasadena. (818) 441-5588. 7 p.m. Class repeats on Nov. 2 at 10 a.m. $45.

Monday, Nov. 5:

Traditional Thanksgiving. All the familiar favorites: roast turkey, bread and chestnut stuffing; orange and cranberry relish; three-minute mashed potatoes; caramelized yams. Desserts include pumpkin chiffon pie and roasted pecan torte. Williams-Sonoma, 317 N. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills. (213) 274-9127. 6:30 p.m. Class repeats Nov. 6 at 9 a.m. $40.

Wednesday, Nov. 7:

Southwest Thanksgiving. Hugo Molina will show you how to turn your table into a Southwest feast. Look for such spicy temptations as yam and brie soup with minted creme fraiche, plantains filled with refried black beans, mozzarella cheese and Tasso ham and more. Village Kitchen Shoppe, 147 Glendora Ave., Glendora. (818) 914-7897. 6:30 p.m. $50.

Thursday, Nov. 8:

Gourmet Thanksgiving. Cathy Rogers cooks a Thanksgiving meal for “foodies”--sweet potato and beet chips; smoked tomato gazpacho with achiote cream; pumpkin curd muffins, shellfish sausage with onion rings; fava bean salad; spiced tomatoes with coriander oil; apple-smoked turkey with spinach bread stuffing; wild rice cake with Zinfandel tarragon sauce; and white chocolate-banana cream torte. Let’s Get Cookin’, 4643 Lakeview Canyon Road, Westlake Village. (818) 991-3940. 10:30 a.m. $50.

Friday, Nov. 9:

A Junior Gourmet Thanksgiving. A Native American celebration for ages 10-14. Budding chefs will learn how to make Navajo tacos with chili and fixings on Indian fried bread; sweet potato chips; painted dessert cranberry sherbet; cactus pumpkin cookies. Let’s Get Cookin’, 4643 Lakeview Canyon Road, Westlake Village. (818) 991-3940. 6 p.m. $25.