This photo taken Nov. 2, 2009 shows that rubs are a great way to tailor your Turkey Day bird to your
Enlarge Larry Crowe/AP

You can do it.

This photo taken Nov. 2, 2009 shows that rubs are a great way to tailor your Turkey Day bird to your
Larry Crowe/AP

You can do it.

Don't worry. If you're a Thanksgiving rookie about to cook your first turkey, it's not that hard.

But there are things you need to know — and plenty of help out there if you need it.

One good place to start: The U.S. Department of Agriculture's "Let's Talk Turkey" webpage, which, as you might imagine, is a "consumer guide to safely roasting a turkey".

Or, if you prefer to talk to one of USDA's food safety specialists, call 1-888-674-6854 (the phones are open all week and from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET on Thanksgiving Day).

There's also the always popular Butterball Turkey Talk-Line at 1-800-288-8372. Butterball has its FAQs here.

NPR.org, by the way, has collected many "Thanksgiving How-To" stories and tips here.

And we've together a short quiz on some of the basics, based on USDA's recommendations: