What I didn't do today

I woke up this morning at 6 a.m. sharp, but not to put a turkey in the oven. It was just business as usual getting the kids off to school. As much I had been looking forward to my one-year reprieve from making the traditional Thanksgiving feast, I started to have my doubts when I heard NPR's Renee Montagne interview Chris Kimball of America's Test Kitchen. Kimball's re-invention of the Thanksgiving classics (including cooking the bird in parts and making an apple slab pie) set me thinking: Should I surprise everyone with turkey and all the fixings? I considered. Maybe if I hadn't just bought all the ingredients for pad thai, maybe if I'd done the necessary shopping in the morning, maybe if Stefan had time to give me a hand in the kitchen, but really, maybe if everyone around me was fretting about basting and hustling to get ten side dishes to the table hot and on time. I have made Thanksgiving dinners while abroad before, and while they turned out fine, they were just big meals and not really a holiday. And that's really what I'm missing today, the sense of holiday. So, pad thai it is. I'll get my chance to stress and sweat the day away in the kitchen next year. Or maybe Chris Kimball will have a new set of tips for me by then.