A Plan for the Holidays, or the Year
Resolve to Write it All Out + Lentil, Kabocha and Labne Salad + Frappato to sip through the season
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Oh, resolutions. That year-end ritual of self-flagellation and existential crisis. Taking stock of the year gone by, what went well and what I’d rather throw into a dumpster fire and burn from memory. Figuring out how I can move this battleship of life two degrees toward a less-stressful, happier, more fulfilling future. Who am I kidding? I love this stuff!
My husband and I are big on end of year reflections. Last year’s exercise revealed that I was spending way too much time running back and forth to the grocery store, time I wanted for other things… like writing and actually cooking. It also revealed that though I had a pretty good idea of what was happening in our household every week (including meals to be made), somehow my brilliant mental model was not transferring to every family member. Turns out they aren’t telepathic.
I resolved to take that mental plan and put pen to paper, or Excel, or white board. If I published our weekly activities, meal plan, and running grocery list, we all would be a bit more organized, sane, and I may claw back some time.
As it happens, we went through a similar planning exercise for Christmas a few years back, one that changed how we managed our large family gatherings for the better. Descending on my grandfather’s house in Sonoma, with more children and spouses than ever before, our extended family had suddenly grown just large enough to not quite fit in the house we had all spent Christmas in together for a decade running.
I wasn’t worried about the cooking. I come from a family of cooks. My brothers, mother, and I spend weeks jockeying back and forth hashing out a full meal plan for a minimum of Christmas Eve dinner through Christmas morning brunch, afternoon snacks, and Christmas dinner. We do all this while balancing various dietary requirements (gluten-free and vegan), dislikes (no white sauce please!) and traditions (would it be a holiday without cranberry salsa?).
It had never been a problem before yet this year my grandfather kept asking, “How are you going to cook so many dishes for so many people from this house?”
I realized we needed to move the game plan from our heads to something more tangible. Once the menu was formalized, I asked everyone who was cooking to let me know the cooking time of their dish, temperature (if using the oven) and cooking appliance (stove vs. oven). I took stock of kitchens from my grandfather’s to Airbnb’s where we were staying. Then we set out a plan with timing, assigned cooking slots and designated kitchens. It all went in a Google doc where the cooks were to add their needed ingredients to a running combined shopping list that my mother, who arrived early, tackled in the days leading up to Christmas.
In Sonoma we printed the schedule and put it on the kitchen counter. Picking up the paper, my grandfather’s eyes skimmed over menu of tamales for Christmas Eve, frittata, and panettone for brunch, porchetta and salmon for dinner along with the hourly breakdown for cooking the Christmas dinner. He put the paper down and nodded. “I guess you all know what you are doing.”
We did. And when we couldn’t remember what time the potatoes went in the oven or who’s time it was with the stove, there was the handy schedule to remind us.
For weekly planning at home, I tried out a few different methods eventually settling on two simple white boards attached to the fridge. I handwrite the days of the week with notable activities and appointments in one column and dinner plans in the other. The second white board holds a running grocery list. As community property we can all update it. It might start in my head but once it is out in the open it is a living document that we all update. As a result my husband cooks more than he ever has, my nanny always lets me know when we are running low on our son’s favorite snack bars, and I spend a lot more time doing things that matter, like cooking and eating with my family. Spending more time wit the people I love is a resolution I can always get behind.
Happy Holidays!
For those of you who would like to see what our holiday meal plan looks like, you can download a sample pdf below.
Recipe
French Lentil and Kabocha Salad with Labne Cream
I first made a version of this recipe when I was hosting a ladies wine night. To go with a spread of cheeses and appetizers, I wanted a couple of salads that I could make in advance and would hold well at room temperature for a night of grazing. This recipe does just that. You can do each part well in advance and fully assemble an hour before eating leaving you plenty of time for setting the table, taking a shower, or just relaxing with a glass of wine.
This serves 4 – 6 as a side dish but could easily be scaled up. To make it vegan, experiment substituting the labne with a thick, neutral tasting, vegan yogurt.
2 lb. kabocha squash, skin on, seeds removed (about half of a large squash)
2 T. olive oil + 3 T. olive oil
Salt
Pepper
1 cup French green lentils
2 T. minced shallot
1 T. red wine vinegar
3/4 cup. Labne
2 tsp. za’atar
Juice of half a lemon
2 oz. arugula
Extra virgin olive oil
Flaky sea salt
Preheat oven to 425°F. Cut squash into slices ½ inch thick. Layout on a parchment lined baking sheet and brush each slice with 2 T. of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Place in oven and bake for about 30 minutes, flipping slices to other side halfway through. Squash will be done when tender and golden. Let cool to room temperature before assembling the salad. This step can be done well in advance.
Meanwhile, bring a small pot of water to a boil. Rinse lentils under cold water in a colander, picking through to check for stones. When water is boiling, add lentils and reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Cooking time will depend on the freshness of your lentils. Check them after about 15 minutes. You want them tender but not falling apart. It will likely take between 20 and 35 minutes. When the lentils reach the desired doneness, drain in a colander and rinse until cold water to stop the cooking. Transfer to a medium bowl.
While the lentils and kabocha are cooking, make the dressings. Make a vinaigrette for the lentils whisking together shallot, red wine vinegar, 3 T. olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl. Set aside. For the labne, stir labne with za’atar, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. If you are making this in advance, refrigerate the labne until assembling the full salad.
When the lentils are cooked and drained, gently mix with the red wine vinaigrette while still warm (it will absorb the vinaigrette better). Set aside until ready to assemble the salad.
To assemble, using a large spoon, spread the labne dressing in thick lines across a platter. Arrange the roasted kabocha on top. Spoon the lentils in a neat pile on top of the squash. Finally, pile the arugula on top. Drizzle the arugula with good extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with flaky sea salt and a few cracks of pepper (if assembling early, wait for this last step until ready to eat).
To Drink…
Valle Dell'Acate Vittoria Il Frappato, Sicily, Italy 2021
I love lazy days of cooking with my family. If you are looking for a red to sip on while you stir and chop, I’d look for a lighter, juicier red to take you through the pre-dinner hours. This Frappato is just the thing. With mild tannins and bright juicy fruit, you don’t need food for this sipper. But if you hand is dipping into the spiced nuts or nibbling on off the cheese platter, the spice notes in this Sicilian red is perfect for a range of holiday fare.
From $22 at Wine Connection San Diego and many others.
Here’s another good idea! Our mom used to put out the dishes she needed for a party. She’d add a note in each one of what went in the dish. I still do this to this day. It makes it so much easier when having a big crowd to remember what goes where and nothing ends up in the refrigerator the next day because you “forgot” to put it out.
I looooooooove a bit (or large amount) of organising 😉