Pumpkin Pie a la Therapy

It all started out harmlessly enough. I thought I'd get a head start on Christmas cooking last evening, so I made cranberries and then dove into a pumpkin pie recipe. I laid out the ingredients, had a nice crust, and shared my progress with friends on Facebook. This morning (I wrote this post on Christmas Eve afternoon, even though it's dated 12/25), while my dog and I were finishing a few last minute errands, I ran through my recipe for maple chocolate chip cookies, a treat I like to leave for Santa. All of a sudden, I had a terrible thought: what if I had left the sugar out of the pie? Oh, no.

Since the grocery was our last stop, I decided I'd better pick up cans of pumpkin and fat-free evaporated milk on the off chance my creation was unpalatable. When we got home, I took a bite of what I hoped would be the crowning pleasure at tomorrow's dinner, warmed up and accompanied with a dollop of pumpkin ice cream. A quick turn around the taste buds and, you guessed it, no sugar. Talk about bland. So, now here I sit, listening to a marvelous CD, John Denver: Christmas in Concert, and waiting for another crust to chill. Mm, there goes the timer. I'll be right back.

Okay, now that the pie is in the oven and all's right with the world, where were we? Oh, right, so I was going to say the good thing about all this is it's given me something to write about. If you've ever been friends with, dated, or had any kind of relationship with a medical student, you know we tend to be slightly preoccupied most of the time.

It's not that we're going around thinking "medical thoughts," as the fact that there's only so much a person can stuff into their brain at one time. As a result, a few things get shifted to the periphery: birthdays, anniversaries, today's date (unless it's for an exam), and what season it happens to be. Seriously, I've heard (or made) the comment, "It's winter already? What happened to September?" As a result, leaving a key ingredient out of a recipe is par for the course.

It could have been worse. I might have remembered at the moment we were about to eat. Exactly what excuse I could have offered is beyond me. Maybe, "The blandness is all in your head. Would you like a little therapy to go with that instead of ice cream?"

May you have the merriest of Christmases and the happiest of Holiday Seasons (and please, don't forget the sugar when you make your pie)!


(Image via Wikipedia)