Styling and photography by Sina Mizrahi

Get ready, ladies. We’re entering the big leagues now.

Fall is here and school has begun. As our own schedules get tigher, our children are working hard getting used to long school days — and they’re coming home hungry.

And with everything we’re dealing with, Yom Tov is on its way.

Serving balanced meals is one thing. Balancing the overload of cooking we have to do is another. How can we possibly do it all?

Doing Yom Tov

I usually make my food fresh, but when Yom Tov season comes around, there are certain freezer staples I like to prepare way in advance. I start with making all my meats (besides standing rib roast, which has to be fresh), including meatballs, Delmonico roast, and pulled brisket. I don’t like frozen chicken soup because the veggies get soggy, but I’ll freeze just the broth in small portions to use in recipes that call for stock, or for over Yom Tov to add to my fresh soup when the supply runs low.

I also like to freeze challah and grain-free matzah balls. Potato kugel is the one side my family eats from the freezer, so I freeze that too.

Although I make my chicken right before or on Yom Tov, the marinades get done in advance. So do my salad dressings — especially my Creamy Dressing and Balsamic Vinaigrette.

And if all this sounds like a lot of advance prep, it is, but I have this trick up my sleeve that makes it that much simpler: double dishing.

One for Now, One for Later

Whenever I make something, I make a lot of it — and use it!

The day I make meatballs for Yom Tov, I make double, and we have meatballs for supper. No question.

The day I make pulled brisket, I make double, triple, or even quadruple, and that Friday night, we have pulled brisket. (There’s no such thing as making one pulled brisket in my house, ever. It’s a family favorite and an unbelievable crowd-pleaser.)

The day I make dressing, we’ll probably be having turkey breast for dinner, because my Balsamic Vinaigrette doubles as my favorite turkey breast marinade, and it takes about a second to throw it together once the dressing’s done. I’ll also make Takeout Tuna in the food processor right after I do the Creamy Dressing, so I don’t have to get the processor dirty again — or waste all that leftover creaminess.