Ever since I was a little girl, I have watched the Macy's Thanksgiving parade on television. The Radio City Music Hall Rockettes are my favorite part. I wanted to be a Rockette, but the minimum height is 5'7", and I never got taller than 5'5". Watching them do precision high kicks every year may be the reason I love dance.
It took me a few years to convince Rik that this was a ritual worth continuing. Even if he ignores me, I follow the Cohen family custom of shouting for company when the Broadway shows come on, the Rockettes, a particularly good marching band, or a favorite balloon (I loved Underdog as a kid).
These days the Broadway shows and the Rockettes are on at the beginning of the parade, so I can watch for an hour and then start the cooking.
Ah, cooking. It's just not the same when we go to Thanksgiving dinner at someone else's house, even if I bring something yummy. Every so often there is a year we do not host, so I have developed a new ritual: I cook some turkey parts at home so that the house smells like roast turkey and we have leftovers for the next day.
Yesterday I baked chef Kevin Davis' Theo chocolate pecan pie. I made it last year from a recipe printed in the newspaper and learned that the cooking times had been printed incorrectly. After the holiday, I called the paper, they called the chef, and he solved the mystery. It's a most unusual pie, baked in a springform pan with tall sides and uses a full pound of butter in the crust. But you only have one piece....
Today, after watching the Rockettes, I will bake an apple pie, roast the turkey drumsticks, and my Thanksgiving rituals will be complete. Then it's off to the most important part -- being with friends who are like family.
Maybe someday I will achieve a lifelong dream of being in the crowd in New York City on Thanksgiving Day and seeing the Rockettes in person.
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