Grandma's Famous Banana Cream Pie
The best day I had in Arizona was the one I spent with my grandma. Just before Thanksgiving I asked her if she could send me her recipe for Banana Cream Pie, a legendary dessert in our family. Everyone goes nuts over it and I hadn't had it in four years.
She said, "Well, if YOU were going to make it you'd probably just use some vanilla pudding and bananas and a crust; you can buy one in the store already made!" I sighed and said, "Yes, but I want to know how YOU make it. So that someday I'll be able to make pies just like you." So we decided that on my visit to AZ we'd have a day for just the two of us so we could make one together.
It was a wonderful day we spent together. We made everything from scratch and she taught me little tricks about baking that I never knew, things like... one shouldn't pack flour; how to properly, evenly press graham cracker crust; how to temper eggs.
While we waited for the pudding to cool, Grandma made me a Swiss Tuna Melt and I wandered around her house, looking at her photographs and grandmotherly things with new eyes, the eyes of a grown grandchild.
Her two daughters and her mother.
Lovely, lovely woman she was.
Her worn, well-used recipe book (one of many).
Her wedding photo. It's hung in the same spot my whole life, yet I'd never actually looked at it until that day.
After lunch, back to whipping and stirring and whisking it was. For the most part, Grandma would just tell me what to do and watch, and correct. But for this part she needed to show me.
Before I knew it, our pie was ready, perfect and beautiful! I could just eat it right now! If only I had Smell-O-Vision.
It was lovely to spend the whole day with her, just the two of us. She gave me a strong appreciation for the pie-makin' process and I even got an apron out of it. There's no one like my Grandma.
love,
*jenna*
She said, "Well, if YOU were going to make it you'd probably just use some vanilla pudding and bananas and a crust; you can buy one in the store already made!" I sighed and said, "Yes, but I want to know how YOU make it. So that someday I'll be able to make pies just like you." So we decided that on my visit to AZ we'd have a day for just the two of us so we could make one together.
It was a wonderful day we spent together. We made everything from scratch and she taught me little tricks about baking that I never knew, things like... one shouldn't pack flour; how to properly, evenly press graham cracker crust; how to temper eggs.
While we waited for the pudding to cool, Grandma made me a Swiss Tuna Melt and I wandered around her house, looking at her photographs and grandmotherly things with new eyes, the eyes of a grown grandchild.
Her two daughters and her mother.
Lovely, lovely woman she was.
Her worn, well-used recipe book (one of many).
Her wedding photo. It's hung in the same spot my whole life, yet I'd never actually looked at it until that day.
After lunch, back to whipping and stirring and whisking it was. For the most part, Grandma would just tell me what to do and watch, and correct. But for this part she needed to show me.
Before I knew it, our pie was ready, perfect and beautiful! I could just eat it right now! If only I had Smell-O-Vision.
It was lovely to spend the whole day with her, just the two of us. She gave me a strong appreciation for the pie-makin' process and I even got an apron out of it. There's no one like my Grandma.
love,
*jenna*
posted by jenna at 2:51 PM
1 Comments:
"A grandmother is a little bit parent, a little bit teacher, and a little bit best friend."
-- Author Unknown
Loretta's expression in that last frame is clearly one of pride, accomplishment, and love. By the same token, so was yours. Two beautiful women I see.
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