This holiday season, many truck drivers have plans to cook holiday feasts in their trucks.

A rosemary- and thyme-rubbed turkey leg; sweet-potato soufflés; a leg of lamb; a perfectly grilled steak. Homemade dishes that will no doubt be featured on Christmas dinner tables across the country this weekend—and, as Priya Krishna writes for The New York Times, in a less expected place: the cabs of trucks. During what is always a tough time of year for the more than three million truckers in the United States, a driver shortage and ongoing supply-chain issues will make this holiday season particularly challenging. Working through Christmas this year, many long-haul truckers will try to keep their spirits up by preparing festive meals. More and more truck drivers are cooking on the road, Krishna reports, either because of necessity (during the pandemic many truck stops have closed), a drive to eat healthier, or both. Tools of the truck-kitchen trade include gadgets like slow cookers, air fryers, George Foreman grills, and rotisseries. One driver Krishna profiles has a freezer full of meats and veggies he preps at home; another has homegrown mung beans sprouting in a drawer behind her seat. “I want to feel human,” Dina McKinney, a 56-year-old who lives full time in her truck, told The Times. “I don’t want to feel deprived of simple pleasures in life.” —Sofia Sokolove