Apparently she needed peas
Clearly, you've never met my MIL.
But I totally agree with you!
What are you having instead? I'd be perfectly happy with "whatever" if somebody else was hosting but pie would be traditional at my house.
True story: this Thanksgiving just past (it was October 11) we had a major turkey-cooking snafu at my sister's house that resulted in it being hours and hours later than intended. At about 4:00 in the afternoon, when it was clear we would not be eating anytime soon and we were all getting hungry, we decided to serve the pie and desserts. Nobody's ever enjoyed them more! Usually, dessert gets stuffed in on top of our already too full tummies as more of an obligation than anything. This time they were completely savored. Don't know why we never tried this sooner - I have a feeling we may have hit on a new tradition!
Could she bring some pie? Sure, she could. But she won't. Yet she'll complain a lot anyway about how we were so inconsiderate for not supplying her with pie.Every year that we've hosted Thanksgiving for the past 25 years, we get a pumpkin and an apple pie. The only people who will actually eat the pumpkin pie is my DH and MIL. My kids hate pie. I prefer apple pie. MIL doesn't want to bring any leftover pie home with her, which is fine (she's an insulin-dependent type 2 diabetic). So I end up throwing out 3/4 of the pumpkin pie every year.
This year, our guests will include MIL and 2 of our friends. The 2 friends are a married couple, 1 of whom has celiac disease. In addition to the no gluten, they follow a keto diet (which has worked out very well for them, the husband has lost almost 100 lb on it). The friends are bringing 2 keto/diabetic friendly/super low carb/no gluten dessert - a fudge brownie and a pumpkin pie-flavored bar/cake thing. We're also going to roast marshmallows outside in the fire pit after dinner. There will also be ice cream available.
You'd think that the earth had stopped turning on its axis with my DH informing his mom that we wouldn't be providing pie.
...a piece for peace...
That sounds like a fun and delicious way to end the celebration! Enjoy!...This year, our guests will include MIL and 2 of our friends. The 2 friends are a married couple, 1 of whom has celiac disease. In addition to the no gluten, they follow a keto diet (which has worked out very well for them, the husband has lost almost 100 lb on it). The friends are bringing 2 keto/diabetic friendly/super low carb/no gluten dessert - a fudge brownie and a pumpkin pie-flavored bar/cake thing. We're also going to roast marshmallows outside in the fire pit after dinner. There will also be ice cream available.
You'd think that the earth had stopped turning on its axis with my DH informing his mom that we wouldn't be providing pie.
See, for a MIL, I'd hit the supermarket and buy an individual slice of pumpkin pie a day before and put that out for her. While I don't go out of my way for siblings/cousins/etc, well, the mom/kid paradigm, I tend to try to keep the peace...so if it's one $2 slice of pie to keep the peace, I'd buy it
Same woman who on Easter Sunday 4 years ago, threw my DD's Easter basket across the room. That's just the tip of the iceberg with this woman. She's lucky that we spend time with her. We've spent decades catering to her every whim. If she wants pie, she can buy her own dang pie because I'm not doing it. She can go to the grocery store herself and buy her OWN single piece of pie if she wants it so bad. This year, the pie is my hill to die on. I'm not doin' the darn pie again.
I think I would do that too for such a long tradition that had been going on. It wouldn't be a battle, right or wrong, to have on that day over a piece of pie.See, for a MIL, I'd hit the supermarket and buy an individual slice of pumpkin pie a day before and put that out for her. While I don't go out of my way for siblings/cousins/etc, well, the mom/kid paradigm, I tend to try to keep the peace...so if it's one $2 slice of pie to keep the peace, I'd buy it
Sometimes difficult parents, grandparents, and in-laws need to be trained like you train a puppy, consistently and with consequences. The diplomatic term for that process is "setting boundaries."Clearly, you've never met my MIL.
But I totally agree with you!
Stuffing for sure!
My grandmother was a bitter old woman, but trust me as bitter as she was, as much of a pain and mean she could be to other people (especially her children) my mom and aunts and uncle would be stepping over themselves to get her a dang piece of pie because of all the fights that could ensue (my grandmother was an alcoholic you can guess where the conversations would go about not caring about her, not getting her alcohol, no one ever comes to see her even though that wasn't true, etc) a piece of pie that could potentially prevent it is not worth being tit for tat about.Great! I'll send her over to your house. Maybe if you're lucky, she'll bring her 'cranberry relish,' complete with nuts, celery, raisins, and grapes mixed into the jello mold.
My grandmother was a bitter old woman, but trust me as bitter as she was, as much of a pain and mean she could be to other people (especially her children) my mom and aunts and uncle would be stepping over themselves to get her a dang piece of pie because of all the fights that could ensue (my grandmother was an alcoholic you can guess where the conversations would go about not caring about her, not getting her alcohol, no one ever comes to see her even though that wasn't true, etc) a piece of pie that could potentially prevent it is not worth being tit for tat about.
So yeah if you want to send your mother-in-law over I'll go buy a piece of pie in the interests of not trying to show her who is in control now. I know your mother-in-law can be a real well you know from all your stories but sorry this is one where it wouldn't be me wanting to start an argument over not buying her a piece for her to have, it wouldn't be worth being right about for a family gathering with a 25 year tradition that had been occurring.
The other stuff...well let's just say I would politely take a small amount and hope she doesn't notice if I don't finish
That's why I mentioned a few times right or wrong. I'm not disagreeing with the larger point that your mother-in-law steam-rolls through your lives demanding this and that. But I was agreeing with the poster about buying a piece of pie for peace
There are just so much more serious things I can think of a fight or argument occurring during a family get together especially for the Holidays. 
This!!! LOL Especially the Sweet potato pie
Put that way, I think you're absolutely correct.
Every year my mom would be annoyed that I needed to have corn. It took up a burner and a space at the table
