There’s always a ton of advice shared before the Thanksgiving holiday — what to serve, how to cook the brid, what to say. But I thought it’d be helpful to take a moment and gather the lessons we learned this past week while they were still fresh in our minds. What worked, what didn’t, what you’ll repeat and what you’ll never do again. Here’s my lowdown on how the feast went in our house:

1. Green Beans Gremolata was unexpected star. This simple recipe from Ina Garten’s new book, Foolproof Recipes, is crazy easy but surprisingly sophisticated. The key is to cook the beans just right, so they are bright green with a little crunch. The gremolata was so simple, I’ll definitely repeat it again soon — just for an ordinary, non-holiday night! You simply mix toasted pine nuts, freshly grated Parmesan, lemon zest, minced garlic and flat leaf parsley together in a bowl and toss it with the hot beans before serving. Presto impresso!

2. A green salad is needed and welcome. One of the only dishes that was wiped clean was the salad bowl. I think everyone appreciated something leafy and light to counterbalance the heaviness of the starches. I served frisee with endive, dried cranberries and roasted pistachios, tossed in a light champagne vinaigrette.

3. Don’t bother with fancy potatoes. I always try something new with the mashed potatoes, but it always goes unnoticed. This year I went decadent and mixed them with half and half and truffle butter. The flavor was a bit to subtle to notice on the plate with everything else, and the turkey gravy covered it anyway. Next time, I’m gonna keep them really really simple, and a touch more healthy by using the water they are cooked in to blend rather than cream.

4. Let your guests contribute. One of our friends brought along a scrumptious sweet potato dish. It was loved by all and I appreciated having one less thing to do.

5. Dry brining works. I dry brined our turkey for two days in the fridge before roasting. Basically that means I covered it with salt and herbs and let it sit there. The result was a turkey meat that tasted good on its own (even sans gravy) and it was especially moist.

How was your Thanksgiving meal? Did you try anything new? Share your trials and tribulations please!