Yields: Up to 12 road trips

Prep time: 1 hour of planning each week

Total time: 24 days of freedom

You will need: rage (seasonally available, summer varietals flourish), 1 tent, 1 car, $100 for gas, friends (optional)

1. Heat up the desert to oven-like temps. Set aside winter depression and marinate in summer rage for as long as you can stand. Boil patience. Drain energy. Prepare ice baths.

2. Once your nerves are fully grated, peel away from your desk job and simmer down. If using, mix in friends for oil money and added flavor. Take care not to fry.

3. Trim down a list of destinations. Source green places within a day’s drive. Suggested courses: Begin with Flagstaff and Sedona in Arizona, followed by Bishop, Ojai and San Diego in California; add an accompaniment of Lake Navajo and Zion in Utah; finish with Laughlin, Mount Charleston and Great Basin in Nevada.

4. After creating a pliable mixture of weekend getaways, cut away from your job on Friday and hit the road. (The 24 days of vacation in this recipe assume you depart Fridays at 6 p.m. and return Sundays the same time all summer long.) It’s not necessary to travel far. Removing yourself from the city limits for just a weekend will sweeten your flavor profile markedly. Dinner guests, roommates, co-workers and family—anyone accustomed to your sour moods—will appreciate the improvement.

5. Arrive and organize camp.

6. Chill. Soak. Splash with water. Shake off excess. Pat dry. Piece together sanity so that it holds in the oven without crumbling.

7. Return to the flames, but remember: leftover good vibes will last up to a week, and then you get to do it all over again.