Strawberry Pie and Ribs

We had my family visiting for a few days, and I decided to make a strawberry pie for us to enjoy. The Four and Twenty Blackbirds cook book has several recipes for fresh strawberry pie, including one with rhubarb, another using ginger, and a third with balsamic vinegar. I decided to go with a basic strawberry pie with straight fresh strawberries, some sugar, and cornstarch. Not everyone appreciates "different" flavors with their strawberries, so I decided to take the safe path. Although I did use the delicious butter crust recipe from the cook book, I went online to find a basic strawberry pie recipe. This was an easy pie, with fresh strawberries, and cooked strawberries as the thickening sauce. I made the pie, chilled it, and kept thinking how delicious it looked! I was dying to get a slice of this pie, but decided to wait until my daughter- in-law got in, so she could be in on the tasting.

Meanwhile, my stepsons had given my husband a smoker for a Father's Day gift. He really wanted to try it out, so my husband and stepson bought ribs and a brisket. These delights cooked for several hours, and we were waiting for them to be cooked enough for dinner. As the time passed, I couldn't help but think about that strawberry pie waiting in the fridge. I have a really bad sweet tooth, and could no longer resist the temptation to cut into that pie. So I suggested to everyone that they may want to try the strawberry pie as an appetizer before the ribs course. I knew that once the ribs came on, even with my sweets obsession, I might be too full to indulge in the pie. So I sliced the pie, and several of us enjoyed the pie as an appetizer. The basic strawberry pie was tasty, and satisfied my dessert desire.

The smoked ribs were yummy, and we managed not to burn down the house in the process. Our dilemma was whether the Western NC tomato barbecue sauce or the Eastern Vinegar sauce was better. I have always been partial to the Western tomato sauce, but will have to admit that the vinegar sauce was not bad. I think the consensus was that both were equally good. I will say that our driveway had the best aroma of anyone in the neighborhood, with the smoked flavors! Overall, a wonderful rib and strawberry pie eating frenzy! This just goes to show that you can have your ribs and strawberry pie too!