Making Pies for Thanksgiving

I "LOVE" making pies. Wasn't something I grew up with and didn't know how to do until I became an adult. I love making pies and I love eating pies ! Sweet, savory, doesn't matter.
A lot of people are hesitant to make pies saying they are too difficult and the pastry doesn't turn out very well. There are countless ways to make the pastry and countless ways to create a pie. I have different recipes and techniques depending on my mood, the amount of time I have, ingredients on hand and what kind of pie I am making.
My mother in law, who I had the privilege of knowing only a short time, taught me a lot about making pies. She made pies for the families' small restaurant in northern Saskatchewan from 1952 until about 1968. This woman made A LOT OF PIES !!! My husbands' personal favorite is raisin. For some reason I don't make this kind too often but many, including husband, say I make the BEST butter-raisin tarts in the world. They are better than raisin pie I think.
Pies like so many things that are worked and created by hand take practice. They take practice and more practice. You do it until you become familiar with it and comfortable with it and eventually you can't help but be proud of your handiwork. I think pies are an incredibly artistic type of food. There is a lot you can do with the pastry to make the pie look appetizing and beautiful.
I have my tried and true recipes for pastry and fillings but I also like to attempt new recipes that intrigue me to see what comes out of it.
In Canada we have spent the last two days celebrating Thanksgiving. It is time of celebrating the harvest and abundance of food from the season. It is a time of family and friends coming together to share and celebrate over a feast of roast turkey and all the wonderful foods that go with it. Our traditional meal is usually turkey, potatoes, squash, brussel sprouts, red cabbage. Lots of gravy and turkey stuffing and of course cranberry sauce to go with the turkey. For dessert OF COURSE there is PIE, pumpkin pie and apple pie are probably the favorites.
Next day is the best. We get to eat left over turkey made into.......TURKEY PIE !!!
When my daughter was in school we used to go every year for spring break to Victoria for the day. One of our indulgences was to go to the Dutch Bakery on Quadra Street and eat CHERRY PIE with ice cream. It was something we really looked forward to and became a special memory for my daughter and me. Then we would go to the best used book store ever, next door. Wow, that was a great time.
Special holidays and occasions and good food go hand in hand and create some of the most precious memories of our lives. I LOVE to create wonderful foods for my family and friends. This is a gift my mother handed down to me as well as a number of other special elders throughout my life. These women showered their families with a most amazing talent for LOVING to cook for and feed their families and friends. It is truly a fine and generous way of displaying your love and affection. It satisfies both the cook and the eater(s).
HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE.