How to Prepare for a Stress-Free Holiday Feast

Keeping five cookbooks open while juggling tattered notes for how to make your grandmother's potatoes is just not fun. Instead make copies of all the recipes you plan to use, laminate or put them in plastic sleeves, and then place them in a binder. You can take each recipe out as needed but at the end of the day, they'll be together in one place and they'll be protected from spills. As the years pass and your tastes change you can update the book accordingly. If you really want to go all out, several companies allow you to create a custom cookbook online and will ship you the printed hardcopy a few weeks later.