In-depth cooking projects for that extra day off

In the US, Monday is a national holiday celebrating the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. For many of us that means a three-day weekend, and with most of the US facing blustery weather, it also creates the perfect atmosphere for an in-depth or complicated cooking or baking project. For those who are undecided about how they will use that extra day, Epicurious offers eleven projects that are ideal for this additional weekend time.

As you might expect, many of the dishes involve long, slow cooked meats. Whether you prefer pork shoulder, brisket, or another kind of stew meat, nothing beats a hearty stew bubbling away to perfume your house with a welcoming aroma. Baking projects also feature in the list, because having additional time comes in handy for making pie doughs, assembling and frosting layer cakes, or creating other baked goods that can require a bit more fuss than you have time for in a normal weekend.

The extra day is also perfect for make-ahead items so you can eat well while you cram 40 hours of work into 32 (sigh). It’s also great for tackling the less desirable tasks like cleaning and organizing your cupboards or polishing copper pots. I like to use the additional time for little tasks like making sure the pepper grinder, salt pig, and other dispensers are clean and full, as well as cleaning and organizing my refrigerator – I have the Sharpie and freezer tape ready to go for that one. I find it difficult to jump into any large cooking or baking project when my kitchen is a mess, so I spent most of today cleaning so I can have uninterrupted bliss when I make the Turkey in mole poblano from Rick Bayless (pictured above) that has been beckoning for weeks now. If you are diving into any in-depth cooking projects, I’d love to hear what you plan to make.