I love to cook and bake. I relish in working with my hands, in making something tangible. And nothing gives me more joy than cooking for other people.
But cooking for a crowd — especially on the holidays — can be a recipe for overwhelm. It involves high levels executive function bandwidth for decisions, planning, and implementation.
You’re going to need as much of your executive function resources as possible to maintain a harmonious Thanksgiving, so you don’t want to waste it on the meal prep.
One strategy I’ve found helpful to reducing overwhelm is to have a “signature dish” (or a few signature dishes) that I make every year for our family holidays. This strategy works whether you’re a host or a guest — and it’s useful even if you don’t have ADHD.
It’s human nature to want to experiment and try new things. But when it comes to holiday meals, with their extra levels of overwhelm, I’ve learned that it’s best to stick to what’s easy and what I know well.
Here are 3 ways a signature dish helps reduce overwhelm.
(1) Eliminates Decisions
I love to flip through my cookbooks or food magazines, get inspired by new dishes, and experiment. But introducing new options also introduces the kryptonite of ADHDers everywhere: decisions.
Decision drain executive function. When we deplete our executive function resources over the decision, we have no energy left for actually doing the cooking — or the grocery shopping that must precede it.
When you have a couple of go-do dishes — especially for holiday meals — you can remove the decision part. You’ll also know exactly what ingredients you need, which will streamline your grocery shopping — another hazard point for people with ADHD.
(2) Ease Planning Logistics
I make an apple crisp every year for Thanksgiving. It’s an easy, seasonal dessert that’s always a crowd pleaser. Although it’s easy to make, it’s not a quick prep: it requires peeling and slicing a lot of apples, zesting oranges and lemons, and making the topping.
When I first started to make it, I often underestimate the time it will take to prepare.
The first time I made it to bring to my sister’s house, I ran out of time to actually bake it before it was time to leave. I packed up the unbaked crisp and the topping and assembled it and baked it at my sister’s house.
The next year, I managed to bake it half way before I had to leave. I had to figure out how to transport it in the hot pyrex.
By the third year, I managed to get it out of the oven shortly before it was time to leave, but still had to transport the hot dish.
By year four, I had finally timed it well enough to have the dish at room temperature before packing it up.
The timeline of Thanksgiving prep can throw even the most seasoned cooks for a loop — even those who don’t have ADHD. To have everything ready at the right time requires to related skills:
- Time Estimation — knowing how long an activity will take.
- Time Blocking — blocking the time on your calendar.
Those of us with ADHD often struggle with Time Estimation. It’s not just about knowing how long the actual active cooking time will take; we also must factor in set up, clean up, and transition time. Most recipes don’t adequately account for this, and even when they do, they might not represent your timing.
This is something that we can only learn through experience. The more often you make a particular dish, the better you’ll be at estimating how long it takes. Making the dish will work into your routine. This will help you plan your time better.
Each time I make the apple crisp, I get a better sense of how long it will take me, which makes me plan my time more effectively.
(3) Improve Operational Efficiency
My yoga teacher, Nevine Michaan, says that repetition creates revelation. This is true with everything we do.
Each time I make the apple crisp, I discover new ways to split the prep work into smaller “Work Packets.” The smaller tasks allow me to make progress in smaller windows of time. This creates less overwhelm when it comes to scheduling and lowers my resistance to getting to work on it.
For example, I split up the work by prepping the topping in advance. Sometimes I make a double batch of topping and freeze it, which saves me time when I make the next one.
When I measure the ingredients for the topping, I also measure the sugar I’ll need for the filling — saving time and effort of pulling out the sugar again a few days later.
I’ve learned I can zest and juice the orange and lemon in advance, and keep them in the fridge.
By the time I’m ready to make the crisp, all I have left to do is peel and cut the apples, mix them with the sugar and zests, assemble, and bake. That’s so much more efficient than having to do all the parts at once.
Pick and Practice Your Signature Dish
Once you have a signature dish, practice making it as often as you can. Make notes on how long it takes to complete each step, and notice where you can split up the work or be more efficient.
The next time you’re invited to a holiday meal, instead of waiting for the host to assign you a dish, you can be proactive and offer to bring your signature dish. You’ll score points for being on the ball, and you’ll feel good about it too.
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