The daily digest of Twin Cities culture | Secrets of the City

I have a pre-feast ritual. It involves staying in pajamas, drinking hot cocoa, snacking on peanut butter toast and the Macy's parade. It's like my own inner pre-shift, my personal calm before the storm.

Just as important, and maybe a touch underplayed, is the post-feast.

First of all, dessert shouldn't be served directly after the meal. You have to let the stuffing and potato flavors linger and the memory of the meal set. I love that moment when you feel relaxed and happy, you smell the coffee brewing and you know you have just enough room for something sweet.

Pumpkin pie is lovely, but why not jack it up as pumpkin pie brulee? And don't shy away from making a signature Thanksgiving ice cream.

If you're looking for a new pie, there's only about a million options. I like Derby Pie because it has two of my favorite post meal ingredients: chocolate and bourbon.

One of my favorite, and easiest, post-feast options is to buy a huge block of dark chocolate and set it on a board with a sharp knife and some accessories: slices of grilled bread, salted almonds, apricots, sugared ginger, pistachios, Nilla Wafers, peanut butter, whatever you like.