Confessions of a Foodie — A different Thanksgiving

By Tami A. Hart
Saturday, November 14, 2009 11:15 PM PST

Even if I didn’t own a calendar, I’m sure I could always tell when the major holidays were occurring by the covers on the magazines I receive.

The last month or so, all my food magazines have arrived with covers featuring perfectly browned turkeys and dinner tables loaded with scrumptious-looking side dishes so I know Thanksgiving isn’t far off.

Never during any other time of the year do I feel so much pressure in the kitchen to make sure everything is perfect as I do during Thanksgiving.

Every year, I start planning my menu at least two months ahead, always attempting to find that ultimate stuffing recipe that everyone is going to be asking for in years to come. This year, however, I’ve done no menu planning.

This year, I’m going to try something different — I’m not cooking. That’s not to say there won’t be a turkey on the Hart family dinner table; I’m just not going to be the one to fix it.

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No, I’m not going out to eat because what fun is Thanksgiving without tons of leftovers that you get to eat for a week after the big day? And I’m not buying a ready-made meal from a local grocery store, although I’m sure those meals are just fine.

Nope, this year I’m going to make the rest of my family cook Thanksgiving dinner. That’s right — there are three other people living in my house right now who, if they all work together, are perfectly capable of creating a simple Thanksgiving dinner.

I’ll be nice enough to do the menu and even do the shopping for them (which sometimes is almost as bad as actually having to do the cooking all day). I’ll be on hand to lend my expert advice (while I drink tea and watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade from the comfort of the couch), but the actual labor is going to be performed by my daughters and my husband.

Of course, with everyone’s different work schedules, we might not be eating until midnight, but I’m totally prepared to exist on a relish tray and a veggie tray until we can all sit down to that big dinner (whenever that might be).

No one in my family is aware yet of my plan for this year. I figured I shouldn’t tell them too far ahead of time and ruin the surprise (and also give them the opportunity to find something else they just have to do on that date).

I’m sure they’ll all figure it out when I unload the grocery bags on the counter and tell them, “Oh, did I forget to tell you? You’re making dinner.”

This might just be the best Thanksgiving Day ever. If nothing else, it will certainly be the most interesting.

Tami Hart is the catering and events sales manager for the Holiday Inn Ontario. She can be reached at tahart@cableone.net or in care of the Argus Observer, 1160 S.W. Fourth St., Ontario, OR 97914. The views and opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily those of the Argus Observer.