I Make Awesome Pies
My Mom taught me how to make pies. She was great. The first pie I made was awful. I said I'd never do that again. But I did, and then I did again, and eventually I got good at it.
Mom was a visual artist and I am, too. For me, the making of pies is a creative outlet and I think I got that from her as much as any recipe. She would make a little pastry cut-out of an apple, paint it with food color and bake it as part of the top crust. I love coming up with different pie tops to go with different fillings.
We also both used our pie making for charitable giving. Mom made pies for the church bake sale. My thing has been to make them for United Way silent auctions.
Mom was a good cook, too. I do too much take-out these days, but sometimes I hunker down and turn out favorite recipes, especially in the winter when I crave warm just-made home cooking. The first cookbook Mom bought for herself was The Gold Cook Book by Louis P. De Gouy. (Wow, Mom!) My first was the eminently practical Better Homes and Gardens Complete Step-By-Step Cook Book. I also like The Complete Vegetable Cookbook, by Lorraine Bodger, for exploring.