We have a friend couple that is pretty much like our family out here. She and I became besties, and now our men hang out without us. Man dates, golf dates, things like that. We love it because it's sometimes rare for your significant others to get along as well as the girlfriends do, you know?
The four of us have totally different schedules so time spent with them is always precious. Whenever possible we try to have "family dinner" and it's always a blend of delicious wine, amazing food, laughter for days, incredible conversation...and usually there's a game of 'celebrity' thrown in for good measure.
Last Friday night we had family dinner and it was awesome. I somehow got it in my brain that I wanted to make a strawberry-rhubarb pie for dessert. Yes, I know that rhubarb is very much not in season. And I should have taken the hint after the three grocery stores that I went to didn't have it. But nope, not this girl. When I get an idea in my head I will not stop until I make it happen. It's a stubbornness that isn't always the best of my quirks, but alas...I was bound and determined to make this darn pie!
I finally found rhubarb at a high end grocery store that rhymes with Fristol Barms. I was so excited that the pie mission was back on track. The price, however, was not ideal. It was nearly $7/pound and I needed a pound and a half. So I VERY carefully measured out the right amount. I got the scale in the produce department to read 1.49 (nice, if I do say so myself) and proceeded to the check out counter. The very nice checkout lady placed my bag of highly sought after 'barb on her little scale and it read 1.87 on her screen. HUH?!? I thought to myself, "Self, how is this possible? You just spent all this time getting it to just 1.49!" So, I told her that the other scale read differently. She looked at me and shrugged. "Well, which scale is right?" I said. "Mine," she says. Now I'm in a predicament. Not only do I not want to pay the extra amount (even though were talking about a matter of cents, it was principle!) but I need exactly 1.5 pounds for this pie! I was confused and totally unsure of whose scale to trust. I took a stalk out of the bag, bringing it back down to 1.5 on her scale, paid and left. But I started to think...do all grocery stores do this? How many times do you weigh the bag in the produce AND check to make sure that's what you're getting and being charged for? I never do, but now I might start. I had to share, in case you want to as well.
The pie was delish and due to the multiple bottles of wine that "our family" consumed, I didn't get to take a great picture of it. You can tell that we were enjoying it though...
I made my own crust and everything! It was a serious achievement for me. And thanks to
Smitten Kitchen and the addition of instant tapioca, it was not all runny like strawberry-rhubarb pies tend to be.
Yay for pies. Boo for grocery store scales that don't match.
