Oh Baked Apples in Tapioca Sauce.... Thanks Rachel for sharing with us one of my favorite desserts... and memories. Oh yes, I have shared of my Grandpa Bangert's fried apples and I could share how my mother, Vicky, would bake apples this way when I was growing up. However, the memory that was resurrected this evening went back to when I was in fourth grade or so a the Lower Alkali School on the Divide about seven miles north of home. My teacher was Mrs. Eppenbaugh. Come to think of it, Ruth Eppenbaugh was my teacher for four of my eight years at Alkali. We were studying different Latin American countries at this particular time. We were learning about Panama, I believe, and going over some of the crops and exports of this tiny country. One of the crops produced was tapioca. I could not contain myself and opportunity to educate not only my class, but also Mrs. Eppenbaugh. My dad always called tapioca pudding... "Frog Eyes". And I shared that within that classroom setting. I am sure that I had somewhat of a smirk (which I still struggle to conceal when most needed). Well, as a good teacher should do, Mrs. Eppenbaugh reiterated that we should remember the important export from Panama known as "tapioca". Later that week, we had a test on what we had learned and lo and behold... here was the question about the important crop from Panama. I could not help myself. I had to use that "No 2" lead pencil and write down the correct answer... "Frog Eyes". To this day, I have not figured out how my wonderful intelligent teacher would have the audacity to put big red check mark on my paper by my answer. Why of course I was right and to this day, I still remember my teacher as she handed back that test as she too could not contain her smirk. .... "Oh by the way.. Rachel... "the baked apples and Frog eyes were very delicious, indeed.
