Brooks: Find comfort in your food. Tips from a chef about how to keep holiday stress out of the kitchen

The kitchen has always been chef Shelagh Mullen’s happy place.

For other Minnesotans who find themselves staring down the business end of a raw turkey this holiday season, that may not be the case.

“For me, getting in the kitchen is how I relieve stress,” said Mullen, who guides aspiring cooks through classes on everything from soups to sour breads as head of culinary programs at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.

Yet she acknowledged, “It can be the complete opposite for a lot of people.”

The holidays are always a bit stressful. We’re looking at a solid month of holiday shopping, gathering, cooking and casting about for safe conversational topics (Favorite animal? The weather? What condiment will they deep-fry at next year’s State Fair?). Americans are frazzled, weary and bookmarking the Star Tribune’s recipe for green pea guacamole just in case President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs drive the price of avocados and everything else through the roof.

Deep breath. Hold it a minute. Let it out and know that you absolutely do not have to make green pea guacamole unless that sounds tasty. That’s what matters this time of year. Sharing food you like with people you love.

If the world feels overwhelming and the recipe you picked out of the fancy cookbook looks like it’s going to keep you trapped in the kitchen until New Year’s Eve, take a tip from the chef. Make the pie ahead of time. Make the stuffing and mashed potatoes ahead of time. Make the gravy ahead of time. Make the dinner rolls ahead of time. If someone asks if they can bring a side dish, say yes. Keep it simple. Keep it fun.

“What I do is put on some music,” said Mullen of her own approach to the kitchen. “If it’s the right time of day, I’ll grab a glass of wine, have all the ingredients out in front of me [and] read the recipe a couple of times. Just make sure you’re ready and take your time.”

Mullen, for one, loves these holiday meals. And even more, loves the stock she’ll make from the leftovers; a base for comforting soups to warm the December chill.

On Dec. 7, Mullen will guide another class through a Christmas cookie demonstration with Lee Svitak Dean and Rick Nelson, authors of “The Ultimate Minnesota Cookie Book,” a collection of the most delicious cookies ever to grace the Minnesota Star Tribune’s annual cookie contest.

The same stress-saving tips that saved Thanksgiving can save December. A delicious pumpkin pie can start with a can. You don’t have to lug home an entire pumpkin and start from scratch unless that sounds like a fun and tasty thing to do.

“You don’t have to go buy a pie pumpkin and bake it and puree. Just buy canned pumpkin. It’s perfectly fine,” she said with a laugh. “Even buy a pie crust if you want. Although you can relieve a lot of stress if you’re in the kitchen, kneading dough.”

The kitchen can be a source of solace and joy, as well as comfort food. If the world feels overwhelming right now, look to the makers and bakers as they focus on the little corner of the world under their control — the work in their hands.

“Cooking is such a creative way to use your hands, which we don’t do anymore — we use our thumbs,” Mullen said, holding up her hands and miming someone scrolling through their phone. “I think there’s something about really being able to use your hands, feeling the food. Just take a couple of breaths, put your feet flat on the floor and put your gratitude into the food.”

In the kitchen, she focuses on the color of the vegetables she’s chopping, the sizzle and scent of onions browning in butter, the thrill of trying a new recipe.

“When you’ve never made pie and you make a pie, even if the edges are a little brown or burned, if everyone knows you made that pie and says it’s delicious — that just makes you feel good,” she said.

“I’m a true believer,” Mullen added, “that things taste better when you make them with love and with your own hands.”