There's just something about pie that warms the heart and soul. Nothing from the kitchen says “I Love You” more than baking a delicious homemade pie for family and friends. With its strut your stuff flaky crust, silky rich fillings, and mile high airy meringue, Pie ranks as a top dessert and there's a reason for that - Eating pie is a time to pause in the moment and break away from our hectic fast paced lives and savor the goodness. A slice of homemade pie helps a person slow down and relax – it can smooth the edge off our day. A store bought pie just doesn't have those mystical powers. Being the one to offer that luxury to someone makes the baker feel great! That is why I love to bake pies. It has been said that baking pies from scratch has been lost in the dust of history – swept away by busy hectic lifestyles where little time is left to spend in the kitchen. And, for novice cooks, there has always been a certain bit of intimidation surrounding pie making, involving those cranky crusts and clabbered fillings. Yet, this need not be. Seriously, with a good reliable recipe for instructions and the right measurements of ingredients as your trusted guide, good homemade pies made from scratch can be a simple task. But Wait! If the thought of pie making still feels intimidating - there's a bridge between scratch cooking and boxed meals - it's called semi-homemade or shortcut cooking. For those of you who aren't quite ready to tackle making pies from scratch, I've included a section called "Shortcut Pies" which uses canned pie fillings, pudding mixes, marshmallow meringues, secret seasonings and tricks that will produce pies that will rival with their homemade cousins for first place. The recipes in My Sweetie Pies Book are pre-tested and provide good results. There will be lots of smiles on those faces who are served with this heart-warming dessert and that is a pie maker's reward.