As a young girl I would watch my mother cook in the kitchen, she made it look so easy and so elegant and absolutely everything she made was delicious and comforting. Cooking came very natural to me and I started emulating my mother at a very young age. She didn't have many recipes written down, so I learned by watching and quickly writing this and that down. When it was my turn to try to make the dish she would let me make a few mistakes and correct me along the way. That was her way of teaching. It's hard to teach, but I could feel how my mother cooked. It was how she would carefully prepare the meal as if it was her child with such love and pride in everything she served. Cooking for me is how I express my feelings and that's exactly how my mother cooked.
When I'm making a pie for my family and friends I can hear my mother saying "don't knead the dough too much, roll it out a little thinner, don't be so stingy with the sugar" and I just smile and think to myself, I had the best teacher.
My mother's pie crust is something she mastered and didn't share the recipe with many so I hope you don't mind that I keep her recipe close to my heart.