Control Culinary Chaos This Holiday Season

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Planning the Work Flow

Think like a chef and plan out the whole process from A to Z, from the shopping list to a list of all the preparation tasks, to a list of serving pieces you will need. Nothing should be left to the last minute to decide.

Once you have talked to the farmers and know what you can get locally, make a complete list of every ingredient that you will need for every dish, including items that you usually have on hand such as flour or oil.

Next, look at all the recipes you are using and figure out if there is anything that you can do a few days in advance. For instance, measure out the dry ingredients for the pie crust or the spices for the soup. Anything that can be done in advance will make your day easier and more pleasant.

Write a timing plan for the day itself. Look at all the recipes that you will make and write a master list of the 10 to 15 major tasks that need to be done. The list should not be arranged by recipe but by task with the major tasks listed first and the smaller, less significant ones farther down. For instance, the first step might be putting the turkey in the oven, then peeling and cutting all the vegetables for every recipe, then making the stuffing, then the pies and at last working on the salad, cranberry sauce and picking herbs for garnish. This way, you can cross each task off the list as you finish and you will be sure that you haven't left anything until the last minute.

Pull out serving plates three or four days before the meal, get them washed and ready to use, then leave them somewhere safe under a tablecloth that you will use that day. Sort out the appropriate serving spoons and set those out, too.

Work Efficiently

When the day arrives, don't forget to use your lists! Work in the order that you planned and check things off as you go along. Changing your overall plan at the last minute is a dangerous thing (unless there really is something you've forgotten).

Enlist the help of others, but be specific about what they should do. When someone asks if he can help, say yes and give him a job from your list. I like to make two task lists, one for the things that I want to do myself, and the other for my helpers. That way, when I get an offer of help (or press someone into service) I know exactly what they should do.

Finally, trust yourself as you cook. If something seems like it is going wrong, it is. Never follow a recipe blindly; your stoves, equipment and ingredients are likely to be very different from what the recipe writer used, and that can cause very different outcomes. So use your instincts and make adjustments as you cook. If something is burning, lower the heat or cover the pot, even if the recipe doesn't tell you to. Use your taste buds all through the cooking process. Too many people follow an entire recipe without tasting what they are making and realize too late that it needs to be adjusted. Taste recipes frequently while you cook so you can adjust them to your liking.

Finally, have fun! Know that your table (or your friends) may not be as attractive as a magazine cover. The kids may bicker, the turnips might not be as hot as they could be, but that's not what a holiday meal is all about. During the holidays we celebrate one another and the bounty of the earth—those are the most important things to keep in mind.

No matter where you live or what your local harvest calendar looks like, you should be able to find fresh local produce to make one of the following soups for your holiday table. These recipes are reprinted with permission from Vegetarian Celebrations (1996, Little, Brown, $18.99) by Nava Atlas. Ms. Atlas is the author and illustrator of many books on vegetarian cooking, most recently, The Vegetarian Family Cookbook (2004, Broadway, $17.95) and The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet (2001, Broadway, $17.95). Her earlier books, Vegetariana (1999, Amberwood Press, $16), Vegetarian Soups for All Seasons (1996, Amberwood Press, $15.95), as well as Vegetarian Celebrations are considered classics. Nava has also written scores of articles on healthy cooking with natural foods, which have appeared in Vegetarian Times, Veggie Life, Cooking Light and numerous other publications. For recipes, cooking tips, information about vegetarian cooking and a blog by Ms. Atlas, check out www.vegkitchen.com.