November. Already? Never too early to panic for the holidays! But not in Kelly’s Kitchen, where we happily make sure you have the hotlines, the short cuts, food prep tips and more to help lessen the insanity that the next two months will bring. So with that, let discover those Five Fun Things for November.

1. Hotlines. Lots and lots of hotlines. Hey, that turkey doesn’t ruin itself. It needs that first time cook in serious need of advice from a pro - not everyone standing around in the kitchen on their third mug of spiked eggnog. But don’t despair...here’s the holiday hotlines that should be plastered on the front of every fridge:

-Love you Butterball! The iconic Butterball Turkey Talk-Line has heard it all, but is always ready for that question to make the more than 50 home economists and nutritionists stop and pause in amazement. The line is open at 1-800-288-8372, and online at talkline@butterball.com. But be patient, Butterball logs something like 100,000 questions between November and December.

-Baking for the first time, or just gazing in wonderment at that flat mess that should be a loaf of homemade bread? Talk more than turkey this year on the Fleischmann’s Yeast Baker’s Hotline that is open Monday-Friday 9 am to 7 pm EST at 1-800-777-4959. What, they don’t bake on the weekends?!

-So you thought it would be the ultimate "in your face" to that sister in law who makes everything from scratch.You were going to make a pumpkin pie.With a fresh pumpkin Take the cell phone, tell the family you need to check on the turkey and head out onto the porch to call the Libby Consumer Hot Line that’s actually open year-round Monday-Friday 10 am to 8 pm EST at 1-800-854-0374.

-There’s more helpful hotlines to soothe the nerves of the most frazzled and/or experience chef;check the latest issue of  Taste of  Home (one of my favorite magazines) that is beyond loaded withrecipes and advice.

2. Doing the usual cookie extravaganza? Why not bake a few extra and send them to our men and women in the military who appreciate the loving gesture straight from your kitchen. We’ll be talking with Christine Hoffman-Bourque, founder of  The Strength Behind The Strong soon, but in the meantime please visit her site and send a few dozen of your finest to ours.

3. Heading to Dillards for some new items for the kitchen and table for the Holidays? Don’t forget one of the best buys around - The Southern Living Christmas Cookbook at every check out area that’s just $10. I buy a few every year for extra gifts.

4. Hey, there’s an app for that, Black Friday shoppers! Before you venture out into the waves of those who will do anything for a sale, download this from                I Tunes - the TGI Friday app that can lead you to sales, broken down by product, category and more. It’s from DealCatcher at I Tunes or at androidtapp.com.

5. And finally, what we all freak out about between now and New Years - just HOW much weight did we gain?! Well, there’s one way to lessen the pain. Chew slowly. Researchers in NewZealand have determined that women who eat slowly and those who eat like their lives depend on it can be a matter of 4 pounds. The faster we eat, the higher our BMI. So just like Mom said, cut the food into teeny-tiny pieces, eat one at a time, slowly. I will work on that.

FOOD TRUCK FIESTA ALERT!

Join your friends and co-workers in downtown Tampa Wednesday at 11 am in Gaslight Park for the monthly Food Truck Fiesta with Mayor Bob Buckhorn - send us your photos and favorite truck cuisine!

WORDS OF WISDOM FROM KELLY’S KITCHEN

If God had intended us to follow recipes, He wouldn't have given us grandmothers~Linda Henley