By LYNNE ROSSETTO KASPER, Scripps Howard News Service

Dear Lynne,

Dear Lynne: My fiancee hates making people uncomfortable, so when she's a guest she doesn't say anything about not eating meat.

The thing that really upsets her is a whole cooked animal, so Thanksgivings are tough. This is the turnaround Thanksgiving; it's our first as hosts and cooks, and I want her to be the queen for a change.

Dear Lynne: What's the deal with melting chocolate and adding liquid to it? One time all's OK; the next time the chocolate clumps, won't melt and I end up with it in the garbage. Should I change chocolate? -- Jess in Medford

Dear Jess: Don't change chocolate. Instead, learn the tricks for handling this tricky ingredient. Here's what you need to know:

Dear Lynne: Do you know how to make those fruit waters that you can get in some Hispanic restaurants? They make mango and watermelon and a pretty red one. They seem pretty simple, but I expect they are harder than I think. -- Michael in Los Angeles

Dear Lynne: I'm thinking about getting a pizza stone, but worry that this is going to be another piece of cooking equipment languishing in the closet. Do you use one? -- Peter from Fairbanks, Alaska

Dear Lynne: I ordered a Heritage Bourbon Red turkey. After searching on the Web, I found two different recommended cooking techniques for this kind of turkey. One is to roast it low and slow; the other is to cook it hot and fast. Which should I do? -- Kate in Geneva, Ill.

Dear Lynne: No canned version, please, or the new streamlined model. I want to make chicken broth like my great-grandmother's. It's trite, but true: The pot was on the back of the stove for the whole day, and that broth needed nothing. On its own you felt so good spooning it up. It could cure anything. Can I make a soup like this? -- Sam in Fargo

Dear Lynne: Does size matter ... in baking? If my pumpkin-pie recipe says large eggs, would extra-large or jumbo (which I usually have) be OK? And what about in a cake? -- Jessie in San Mateo, Calif.Dear Jessie: There is a way of using the eggs you usually have on hand and not ruining the recipe, but first a few basics that should be helpful.

Dear Lynne: I don't really cook, but am stuck with bringing two side dishes to my sister's. And the stars configured to have me traveling on business until late the night before Thanksgiving. I am trying to stand away from the frozen green-bean casserole. So what's easy to cook on the day that can travel to my family's place? -- Dan in Princeton

Dear Lynne: I am a pretty good home cook and I love all my tools and gadgets, but I haven't found THE pan yet. Can you give a specific recommendation for a straight-sided 12-inch saute pan? This is the one you say you use all the time. I would be very grateful. -- Paige