AT YOUR OWN PACE

Make-ahead recipes offer flexibility so you can prep. bake, and host as you wish.

- ALYSSA SHULTZ

There's something freeing about letting go in the kitchen, especially when hosting asks much of us.

The quiet urgency, desire for perfection, and reverence for those entering our home can sometimes turn into cares that slowly slip into stress. But make-ahead recipes offer a different way—one that honors your wish to nurture and clears a pathway to cooking as a reviving, even enjoyable practice.

These thoughtful recipes allow you to cook when you have the bandwidth, when you can take your time and relish the process. Then, as time counts down to guests arriving, you can bake, garnish, and serve in moments of calm instead of hurry.

The real gift isn't the convenience. It's in the transformation that happens when you separate preparation from presence. It's the slow joy that comes from a quiet morning or afternoon preparing a dish before tucking it away.

This gentle approach to hosting allows you to be fully present for the laughter, the stories, the way faces light up around your table. You've already given your care to the meal. Now you're free to give more of it to the people who've gathered around.

MAPLE-PECAN OVERNIGHT FRENCH TOAST

ADAPTED FROM MAGNOLIA TABLE, VOLUME 1

PREP: 20 minutes CHILL: 4 hours BAKE: 30 minutes STAND: 10 minutes MAKES: 8 servings

1 cup chopped pecans

¾ cup granulated sugar

¾ cup all-purpose flour

6 Tbsp. salted butter, melted

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

5 eggs

1½ cups buttermilk

¾ cup heavy cream

½ cup pure maple syrup

1 tsp. vanilla

¼ tsp. kosher salt

1 16-oz. loaf soft French bread

Powdered sugar (optional)

MAKE AHEAD