The menu was never the challenging part

Hey Reader,

Every year around this time, the holiday plans start to pile up. Someone asks who's hosting, a date gets picked, and suddenly there is a menu to figure out, a house to get ready, and a lot of people to feed.

Most of us go straight to the menu. We search for recipes, save a pile of new ideas, and try to plan something that feels special enough for the occasion. Somewhere along the way, the excitement quietly turns into dread.

I've come to believe most of that stress comes from the pressure we put on us. We picture the perfect table, the perfect dinner for everyone to get impressed, and then we try to cook our way up to that picture. No recipe can carry that kind of weight. A longer menu just gives the pressure more places to land.

So this year, before you plan a single dish, try one small shift. Ask yourself how you want to feel when everyone sits down. Maybe it's being relaxed, maybe it's being able to sit and talk with the people you love instead of running back to the stove every few minutes.

Then build the menu around that feeling.

For most of us, that means picking one dish to be the star, the one you are excited to make. Everything around it can stay simple, the kind of sides you could make half asleep. And when someone asks what they can bring, give them a real answer instead of saying you've got it covered. It is not a crime to ask for some help!

One star dish with few easy, familiar sides is still a beautiful holiday meal. Your guests won't count the dishes on the table, instead they'll remember whether you were laughing with them or stuck in the kitchen the whole night.

This is the part of cooking that gets overlooked, and it's the part I care about the most. Feeding people well starts with how you think about it. Once the pressure comes off, the menu gets a lot easier to plan.

So tell me, are you hosting this year? Hit reply and let me know what's on your table, or what's stressing you out about it this year.

Until next time,