But Grandma Used Tapioca!

We're having the in-law's over for dinner tonight. It only seems right, seeing as this is the first time Dan's using the smoker that they got for him last Christmas. I'm excited to see how the ribs turn out!

Dan sent me up to the local grocery store to pick up some potatoes to make a side dish. It just so happened that the grocery store had a pretty large selection of fresh peaches right next to the potatoes (or maybe an aisle over - I may have been distracted from my primary task). The peaches looked so good and I hadn't had a peach in a long time, so my thought process went something like this:

• I want a peach
• Dan's parents are coming over
• Naturally, they would expect to have dessert when they come to our house for dinner
• They would like a peach pie
• I'll make a peach pie

There are two things that I need to get off of my conscience right now:

• Dan's parents like desserts about as much as he does (meaning they eat it to be polite)
• I've never made a peach pie

Three minutes later, I had 8 peaches and 2 potatoes in my bag.

After I got home, I mixed up a pie crust, helped Dan stare at the smoker, clean up the yard, finish staining our new fence and stare at the smoker again. Around 3:00, I decided it was time to tackle my first peach pie.

I can make apple pie. I make good apple pie. I thought you made a peach pie the same way you made an apple pie, but I forgot the right baking temperature - Mommy! I called her at camp, knowing she wouldn't have any of her pie recipes with her, and expected her to answer all of my peach pie questions.

She told me that peach pie was SIMILAR to apple pie, but you really need to up the thickening ingredient and Grandma always used tapioca and hers were the best! There's no doubt that my grandmother's pies were the best. The woman could look at an oven and a perfectly baked pie would pop out, but I don't like tapioca. I told my mom I didn't like tapioca, to which she responded, "but Grandma ALWAYS used tapioca" and - paraphrasing here - "if you don't like it, look it up online yourself!"

So I did. And three tablespoons of corn starch later, I sent her this picture:

After all, the in-laws probably expect cupcakes!

And 50 minutes later, at 400 degrees:

Now I love my grandmother more than anything. I'd be lucky to be half the woman she was. But as much as I love my grandma, I don't need her tapioca!

I know, I know...such a rebel!

UPDATE: Dan - yes, DAN - has told me three times tonight how much he liked my peach pie! And I quote, "You knocked it out of the park, babe!"