Mama Bear’s specialty was her handmade pies. Her recipes came from her mom, her grandmother and others. Her pies won awards, won accolades from her friends, family and customers, and just made people happy! Dawn and I are proud to carry on her tradition during the holidays. This month, we’re featuring some of our favorites.

PUMPKIN PIE

We thought we might as well start with the most obvious. No holiday dinner would be complete without a classic pumpkin pie. My mom started with the recipe from the Libby pumpkin can. They should certainly know how to do it, right? But she tweaked it a bit and I have to say, it’s the best tasting pumpkin pie I’ve had…to this day!

One important note – this recipes makes two pies.

PECAN PIE

Another classic is pecan pie. This is an especially yummy recipe.

BUTTERMILK PIE

Don’t let the word “buttermilk” turn you off from this delicious pie. You don’t have to like buttermilk to like a buttermilk pie. Trust me! This is my all-time favorite. It’s a surprisingly easy recipe. The challenge is baking it for the right amount of time. If it’s underdone, it’s runny (though still delicious), if you overcook it, the top cracks and it becomes grainy (though still delicious). But if you get it just right, it will truly melt in your mouth.

The key to getting it right is to bake it until the center is jiggly – only to the size of a quarter. If it’s jiggly anymore than that, then it’s not ready yet. And pay attention to the directions about when to stir a lot and when to stir a little. It really does make a difference!