day 4: on a mission.

i was on my way to the grocery store when i got a call from my brother. when he heard that i was going to brave the crowds at the market, he asked if i might take a peek at some fresh, organic, whole chickens or turkeys for him. you see, he is not gonna be at the beach celebrating thanksgiving with my parents, lina, & me this year. he needs to stay home. but, he’s cooking some yummy thanksgiving stuff anyway.

i poked around, sifting through all of the frozen turkeys and such, only to find the perfect whole fresh, organic chicken. so, i called and let him know that i found exactly what he wanted. he asked if i could pick it up for him on my way out. of course, i could!

when i put the chicken in my buggy and turned around, i noticed the extensive beer and wine area standing right in front of me. hmm… perhaps i’ll get him a six pack of one of his favorite local beers, i thought to myself. and then i giggled a little. apparently i do that a lot when i am excited. hee hee. i grabbed the local brew, shiva, and put it in my buggy along with the chicken. and then… since i was going to see him later on to deliver these things when we ate dinner together, i decided i’d do something else. pumpkin cheesecake!!

perfect! i’d make a surprise pumpkin cheesecake for his thanksgiving dinner since he won’t be with us. i was about to burst with excitement right there in the middle of the store. the scene could not have been any better. there were people every-freaking-where, buying their thanksgiving goodies and ingredients, christmas music was playing through the speakers, and i was on a mission. giggling the whole way.

i googled the ingredients for my pumpkin cheesecake on my phone and started the hunt – pumpkin cheesecake is my specially. i love making it and try to do it every year – well, i didn’t make it the past three years when in sweden, hence the need to google the ingredients. so, on top of the surprise factor for my brother, i was excited to have a chance to make it again. i ran from aisle to aisle, grabbing this and that, humming along to the christmas music, so excited to get home and start baking.

and i did just that!

when it was time to head out for dinner, i grabbed the fresh-baked pumpkin cheesecake and we drove to my brother’s place. when i gave him the chicken, i then pulled out the beer, which was a major hit. and then, the finale… the dessert. i think he was excited. no, i know he was. and it was amazing to see him get excited about that, knowing that he’d have that to munch on for the thanksgiving break.

then, lina, nick, and i went out to dinner at one of our favorite spots to celebrate our own little thanksgiving together after the little dessert surprise. it was cozy and wonderful. and, while i will be missing my bro when the rest of us sit down to eat on thursday, at least i know that he knows that he’s missed. and, even better, we celebrated thanksgiving together – just the way that we wanted it to be. thinking of you, little bro. love you.

now, time to make pumpkin cheesecake number two!

namaste.