5 Tips For When You've Been Fed Too Much Thanksgiving Content
From one busy-brained cook to another.
Does anyone else find the sheer volume of Thanksgiving content on the internet overwhelming?
How to cook a turkey that isn’t dry as the Sahara! How to make a pie crust that doesn’t melt into a slimy butter-pile and burn! How to not set fire to the fragile family dynamic with a political remark while passing the gravy!
It’s all coming at us in a deluge, and while there is so much great stuff here on Substack — see the bottom of this post for some wonderfully specific resources from food folks I trust — it can be hard to know where to start.
As a food writer, it’s easy to feel like I have nothing to offer in this oversaturated space. But as a professional home cook with ADHD who has private cheffed other families Thanksgivings for almost 20 years, I can’t help but chime in, and hope it helps.
This year, I’m cooking for a couple of personal chef clients, but wrapping up my duties on Wednesday to enjoy time with my family, which I’m grateful to report has become the norm after many years of it being my professional olympics.
On the subject of gratitude, special shoutout to all the super hero hosts, and especially Frank, my cousin’s husband who cooks a delicious (and very inclusive, totally gluten-free) feast every year for an army.
This list isn’t about recipes and technique, so much as prioritization, and vibes, which really, is what it’s all about.
Take something off your plate. Think about the effort to enjoyment ratio of the dishes/activities you have planned for a minute. What stresses you out the most? I’ll go first - it’s pie (see note in intro re: slimy butter-pile crust). Do I feel unreasonably guilty about not making it from scratch? Sadly yes, but will I be so happy digging into a gorgeous store-bought dessert from my local bakery/sampling my mom’s contribution (which she LOVES making?). Also yes. In the first episode of my new podcast, Milk Street recipe developer Rose Hattabaugh shares that she’s thinking about ordering the turkey this year so she can focus on rolls, and sides, and most importantly, her visiting-from-out-of-state children. Doing it all doesn’t do you, or your table-mates any favors. So pick one thing you’re going to outsource this years, and cross it off your list. Just like the food pros do. Doesn’t that feel nice?
Prioritize based on pleasure not pressure - Now that you’ve crossed one thing off your list, take a moment to brainstorm the things that your people love, and look forward to. Is homemade rolls? Cranberry punch? Adorable place settings? Before you sketch your whole prep list (which comes next) write down the priorities that actually matter to YOU (and company). Not that girl you follow on Instagram, not Martha Stewart, not even the generational pressure of traditions that may not make sense anymore. Think about how much of your time, budget, etc. are required to make these priorities come to life, and back into your prep list.
Channel your pro-chef and make that prep list - Just do it! pour a cup of tea or a cocktail. Pull out the cookbooks, dusty magazines, or recipe apps, and then start with a shopping list, divided by sections of the store. Once that’s done, pat yourself on the back, take a spin around the block, and make your next list: to dos organized by the day. Start with things you can do well ahead of time - set the table, make the cranberry sauce, DEFROST THE BIRD if it’s frozen. Yes, we know you have superpowers under pressure and could cook just about everything the day of, but we’re not doing that to our nervous system (or family) this year.
This is not the week for clear counters “Out of sight, out of mind” is especially true for the busy-brained, and this not a good thing in multi-day prep situations. Wipe down all the surfaces, and accept that your kitchen needs to have some organized clutter right now:
Serving dishes and utensils pulled out, and post-it noted with their purpose.
Shelf-stable ingredients grouped by dish on the counter - ex: canned pumpkin and pecans so you remember to prep the dessert. Bread cubes, and that cardboard box of Bell’s seasoning for stuffing. Sweet potatoes and marshmallows for that abomination of a dish we make for some inexplicable reason every year.
Organize the food stuffs into tidy piles, and hit them with a post-it note to label the day you need to start making them. If you’re feeling ambitious, write down the other ingredients in the recipe too, so there’s no friction to keep you from grabbing those from the fridge or freezer when it’s time to get cooking. Remember, Getting started is often the hardest part.
Don’t forget to feed yourself - and I’m not talking about pie filling and coffee. Just because there is a feast at the end of this, doesn’t mean your body and brain should power through blood-sugar crashes to get there. At the end of the day, we all know that vibes are the most important ingredient. So soft boil an egg, drink plenty of water, and arrive at the big meal the best version of yourself, ready to be a fun and engaged host/guest, with a smile on your face, and maybe, a store-bought dessert in hand.
Happy Thanksgiving Everybody!
-C
Food from my friends:
has this gorgeous agro dolce squash recipe - a real sweet-tart refreshing showstopper of an autumnal side (that’s easy to make!) — whose beautiful new book Nights & Weekends is out now — shows us how to roast the bird in under 2 hours, which is helpful for folks who maybe get distracted, suffer from time blindess, and don’t always stick to the plan…
Missed the first episode of the new pod? It’s full of Thanksgiving wisdom. Listen on in the kitchen or on your way to the grocery store. <3
You know you had me immediately at "prioritize pleasure." I love all of this advice!
Thank you for this reality check and the shout out :)