Your Last-Minute Thanksgiving Guide

With Thanksgiving here already, you're probably just about ready to relax with a glass of wine as you calmly baste the turkey and listen to Beethoven playing softly in the background.

Or maybe you're like the rest of us, and you've just realized you forgot to reserve your turkey four weeks ahead of time, one of your guests is lactose intolerant and your oven is starting to smoke when you set it above 200 degrees.

Banish your fear. We're here to help you in that last 24-hour stretch to your Thanksgiving meal. Let the following serve as your last-minute guide to Turkey Day.

Shopping:  It's noon on Thanksgiving Day and you realize you forgot to get milk, butter and sour cream.  Before panic sets in (and you make a mental note to call your cardiologist), check out this list of grocery stores that will be open on Thanksgiving Day.

The two  and  will be closed, but this huge grocery store on Kenwood Way, just off El Camino Real, will be open from 8am until 9pm, stocked with fresh turkeys, desserts, and wines to complete your holiday meal.

Both South San Francisco Safeways, which you'll find on  and , will be open from 6am until 6pm. There you can find plenty of fresh turkeys and all the fixings, but beware of the crowds that will also head there for last minute forgotten treats.

This convenience store on Baden Avenue will be open from 9am to 5pm, but the deli will closed. The wide selection of wine and spirits are a perfect housewarming gift wherever you're headed that evening.

This grocery store on Callan Boulevard will be open from 8:30am until 6pm, carrying their large variety of Asian food products, as well as domestic and imported beers, fresh produce, cheese, and fresh meats.

This drive-thru convenience store on South Spruce Avenue will be open from 10am until midnight, or as the owner put it, "'till late." Their convenient drive-thru makes picking up a bottle of wine a snap as you head to your friend's or family's for Thanksgiving dinner.

This well known chain sticks with its 24 hour schedule this Thanksgiving, both on  and . Be sure to visit them on Black Friday as well to stock up on their two for one wine sale.

This grocery store on El Camino Real will be open from 9am until 6pm. They're known for their imported Asian foods and specialty treats, but they have wine and a florist, making it a great quick stop as you head to the relatives' house.

This convenience store on Grand Avenue will be open from 7am until 11pm, carrying their usual selection of beer, spirits, and wine.

Cooking: Are you staring at your monstrous bird and asking yourself, "Now what?"  Use our cooking tips below.

When deciding how large of a turkey to buy, the rule of thumb is 1.5 pounds per person. Frozen turkeys are convenient because they are usually pre-basted, saving you a lot of valuable time and effort during the cooking process.

But large frozen turkeys take several days to thaw, so if you haven't gotten your turkey yet, you're going to need a fresh one. Head over to Costco or Trader Joe's (on Wednesday), or on Thanksgiving Day, visit Safeway or Smart and Final. 

Take a look at Butterball's roasting guide  to help plan your cooking timeline. Depending on your turkey's size, it could take anywhere from 2 to more than 6 hours, plus a 20 minute rest period before carving, so plan accordingly.

Start with your thawed or fresh turkey. Set your oven to 325 degrees and take the plastic wrapper off the bird. Get the neck and giblets out of the turkey's cavities and then rinse the turkey inside and out and dry it off with paper towels.

At this point, feel free to stuff the cavities with potatoes, onions, packaged stuffing mix, or leave it empty – it's up to you. Push the wings and legs back into place, encouraging the stuffing to stay inside and using the wings to hold the neck skin in place. Put a meat cooking thermometer into the turkey's thigh, close to its body, getting the thermometer as deep as possible without touching any bones. Lightly lather the turkey with cooking oil to prevent its skin from drying, and stick it in the oven in a deep turkey roasting pan. I'd recommend keeping the lid on the pan for the first few hours, helping keep the turkey moist, and uncovering it for the last few, letting the skin crisp up and make the turkey a beautiful brown color.

Don't open the oven too often, but about half an hour before your timer goes off, check the thermometer that's lodged into the turkey's thigh. The bird is done when that reads 180 degrees. To make sure the turkey is fully cooked everywhere, you can move the thermometer to its breast, which should be about 170 degrees.

Let it rest for those 20 minutes and she's ready to eat!

If at any point you encounter problems or have a question, go ahead and call Butterball at 1-800-BUTTERBALL, or you can send them an e-mail on their  website requesting a call-back, e-mail, or snail mail response. For the social media savvy, you can even send your turkey questions to Butterball via Facebook or Twitter.

Getting Around:

If you're planning on taking Caltrain on Thanksgiving Day or Black Friday, take note of the special schedule.

On Thanksgiving Day, Caltrain will have 32 trains running a regular Sunday schedule, only between San Francisco and San Jose, not further south. They will also have shuttle service to Tamien station.

On Black Friday, Caltrain's modified schedule will have 36 trains running between San Francisco and San Jose, including Weekend Bullet Express trains in the morning and evening.

Call Caltrain at 1-800-660-4287 or visit them online for more information.