My family paid $180 to have Costco handle Thanksgiving dinner. The prep was easy, and each dish tasted homemade.

The Thanksgiving meal we ordered from Fortune Fish & Gourmet through Costco was filling and delicious. Terri Peters

I love the holiday season and all the delicious food it brings — so much so that I've even cooked an entire Thanksgiving feast from Ina Garten recipes .

But in recent years, my family and I have embraced a simpler approach to Turkey Day, turning to chains such as Cracker Barrel to order our Thanksgiving meal to-go.

One year, I purchased a heat-and-serve Thanksgiving dinner for eight from the food-distribution company Fortune Fish & Gourmet through Costco.

Perks such as it being shipped right to my front door and coming with easy-to-follow reheating instructions especially caught my eye.…