Obviously, Congress had no idea in 1941 that we would become a nation of two-paycheck families over the next half century. Otherwise, our lawmakers surely would have scheduled Thanksgiving for the fourth Monday of November.

I know, I know, Thanksgiving has been held on a Thursday since Abraham Lincoln declared it a national holiday in 1863. (No one knows precisely when the Pilgrims celebrated.)

But life would be so much easier for home cooks if the one holiday every year focused largely on food didn't come near the end of a work week. Preparing a feast in a single day is such a daunting proposition that many families opt to eat out or take out instead.

This year, the Food and Wine staff wants to do its part to preserve Thanksgiving as a homemade holiday. So we've created a blueprint for a make-ahead turkey dinner with the working cook in mind. Follow our step-by-step plan, and most of the heavy lifting will be done long before the sun rises on Nov. 23.

Although we usually find ourselves in the ``fresh is best'' camp, a number of essential Thanksgiving dishes fare quite well in the freezer. Desserts, sweet potatoes, yeast rolls and even gravy can be fully or partially prepared, stashed in the deep freeze over the next month and baked or reheated on the big day.

The countdown begins today with baking guru Beth Hensperger's secrets for freezer-friendly apple, pumpkin and pecan pies, along with a less traditional chocolate applesauce cake.

A little work now will go a long way on Thanksgiving Day. Get ready, clear out your freezer and let the cooking begin.