The perfect size turkey should be between 10-15 pounds. Anything bigger and you begin to risk drying out the breast before the rest of turkey is done.
Figure on a pound of bird per person, or more if you want ample leftovers. I usually cook at least two birds, one the night before, for leftovers, and one on Thanksgiving for the meal.

There is no difference between frozen and fresh turkeys. You can howl all you want about this one, but trust me, I've cooked both, side by side, and there is no difference. According to one of my suppliers, today's freezing technology allows them to freeze the bird so fast that large, damaging ice crystals don't have a chance to form. If you do use a frozen bird, start thawing your bird today. Don't wait until Wednesday to start thawing it or you won't have time to...
Brine your bird!! If I could only pass on one tip, it would be this...BRINE YOUR BIRD!! Why? Brining adds flavor to the ENTIRE bird, unlike seasoning the outside, which does almost nothing. (Disclaimer: Don't brine "Basted" turkeys or Kosher turkeys, they are already salted or brined. This advice is for non-basted turkeys, which I usually use.)

There IS a big difference between natural birds and 'basted' birds. You MUST brine natural birds. Basted birds will say something like "contains a 5% solution of salted broth, yadda, yadda, yadda". Don't brine these, unless you need your blood pressure to spike.

What you need: a large cooler, four bags of ice or those frozen things you keep in your freezer, a couple of small, hole-free plastic bags (I use 13 gallon garbage bags), four cups of Kosher Salt, four cups of Sugar and two gallons of water. First, wash your completely thawed turkey in the sink. Place it in the doubled up garbage bags. Set the bird in the cooler on top of some ice. Dissolve the salt and sugar in the water and pour the mixture into the bag. Allow the turkey to brine for around 8 hours, keeping it cold (around 36-40 degrees) the entire time. I usually do this on Wednesday afternoon and take it out of the brine before I go to bed. Remove the turkey and dry it with paper towels. At this point, I like to set it on a rack and let it air dry in the fridge for another eight hours. This seems to aid in the browning and crisping of the skin. However, if you are short of fridge space, put some more ice in the bottom of your cooler and set the turkey in a pan on top of it. This will keep it cold enough.

Alright, the big day is here and you need to roast the turkey. How? Here's what I do and it seems to work very well. It's a bit cumbersome, but the results are well worth it and it's very fast...around two hours for a fully cooked, juicy, golden brown gem of a gobbler. First, get a V-rack and a shallow roasting pan. I double up two of the disposable foil ones with the handles that you buy at the grocery store. That way, I can just chuck them into the recycling bin afterwards. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Next, I like to melt a couple sticks of unsalted butter with some garlic and thyme. I like to slip some of this mixture under the skin of the bird and then I baste the bird with the rest. Next liberally sprinkle a mixture of Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper all over the bird. I have stopped stuffing my turkeys due to inconsistent cooking and instead, I slip a handful of chopped carrots, onions, celery and thyme into the cavity to help flavor the bird while it cooks. I also put some veggies in the bottom of the pan and add some water to them. They, combined with the eventual drippings, will make a flavorful addition to our gravy.

Now, the cumbersome part. Put your oven rack on its lowest setting. Place the turkey BREAST DOWN on the v-rack in the roasting pan and place in the oven. Roast it for around 35-45 minutes, then remove it from the oven. Turn the bird on one side, baste and return to the oven for 15-20 minutes. Add more water to the roasting pan each time if the pan is getting dry. Repeat this process on the other side of the bird. Then after it has roasted on the other side for 15-20 minutes, turn it breast side UP, baste and roast until you get a thermometer reading of 165 in the breast and 170 in the thigh. (Right before I put it back in the oven, I like to scoop up the roasting veggies from the pan and from inside the bird to use in my gravy.) Remove the turkey and let it rest for 15-25 minutes before you carve. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the turkey and allows excess (yes, I said excess) juices to flow into the pan for gravy. I've cooked a lot of birds over the years and this method, though cumbersome, seems to work the best. Remember, though, this only takes about 2-2 ½  hours, so adjust your timetable accordingly. Also, be sure to get a probe thermometer to check the doneness of your bird.

Speaking of gravy, make sure you make a lot! There is nothing worse than 12 people having to share a cup of gravy. So, while the bird is roasting, take the neck and tail (and giblets, if you like--I don't) and sauté them in a saucepan with a little canola oil until they are brown. Add the roasting vegetables from the pan and inside the bird and sauté a little more. Add a quart and a half of chicken broth (I like the Swanson Low Sodium broth) and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Strain out the pieces and parts and return broth to saucepan. In a separate pan, melt half of a stick of unsalted butter in a sauté pan. Whisk in ¼ to ½ cup of flour to make a roux. Allow this to cook for a few minutes, constantly whisking, until it loses its raw flour taste. Slowly pour and quickly whisk this roux into the broth until fully incorporated. If it's too thick, don't worry, you will whisk in the pan drippings when you move the turkey to its carving place. If it's too thin, you can thicken it with more roux, but I doubt you'll have to.

As for side items, it's up to you and your family traditions. We like to try at least one new thing every year. If it's a winner, we add it to our repertoire. If not, we dump it and try again. You learn something every time you cook, so be sure to try new things. A good resource is www.foodnetwork.com . Between Emeril, Mario, Bobby and the rest of their crew, you're bound to find something new and delicious to make.

What kind of wine to serve with your holiday meal is another question I get asked constantly. I like to stick to hearty whites and lighter reds or Champagne. For whites, Alsatian Riesling and Gewurztraminer, rich French or California Chardonnay or Oregon Pinot Gris seem to work very well. For reds I like to stick to Pinot Noir or Beaujolais Nouveau. My drink of choice, however, is Champagne. It seems to make the meal even more festive and pairs beautifully with everything.

Have a great Thanksgiving and remember that between the tryptophan in turkey and a few glasses of wine, you can tune out your entire family, including all of the screaming kids, while you enjoy a nice peaceful nap while "watchin' the game". THAT is truly worth giving thanks for.