Gosh I hope I get it...I hope I get it!

I am still becoming surprised at the number of people I meet who have tried making pie crust! It is really really easy and not scary at all!! I would do a whole photo tutorial here but then there would be no one to eat the pie except me and I am all PIED out (don't tell my mom but there is currently half a pumpkin pie in my fridge slowly wasting away...)

Here is the easy recipe, from Smitten Kitchen. A very buttery and flaky crust.

Pie Crust, makes two crusts
1 C. water, drop in a few ice cubes
2 ½ C. flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 sticks (1 C) of cold unsalted butter

STEP 1: In your largest bowl, whisk together 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 tablespoon of sugar and a teaspoon of salt. Cube two sticks (or 8 ounces or 1 cup) of very cold unsalted butter into 1/2-inch pieces.
STEP 2: Sprinkle the butter cubes over the flour and begin working them in with a pastry blender, using it to scoop and redistribute the mixture as needed so all parts are worked evenly. When all of the butter pieces are approximately the size of peas, stop, even if it looks uneven.
STEP 3: Start by drizzling 1/2 cup of the ice-cold water over the butter and flour mixture. Gather the dough together. You’ll probably need an additional 1/4 cup of cold water to bring it together, but add it a tablespoon as a time. Once you’re pulling large clumps with a spoon or spatula, take it out and get your hands in there, gathering into one big mound.
STEP 4: Divide the dough in half, and place each half on a large piece of plastic wrap. Let the dough chill in the fridge for one hour, but preferably at least two, before rolling it out. Dough will keep in the fridge for about a week, and in the freezer longer. If not using it that day, wrap it in additional layers of plastic wrap to protect it from fridge/freezer smells.

Here are the tips and tricks to make it more tasty:
1. Don't overwork the dough: this was the first tip I learned as a kid and was a little paranoid everytime I made pie crust that I would overwork it. But I also learned that if you don't use a food processor (a longer process, yes, but I don't even have one) you can handle it more.

2. Make sure your butter is kept cold as much as possible. This means even after cubing it up (after the wrapper is off, people, use common sense.) If your butter looks melty, put it back in the fridge. The reason you want cold cold butter is because it will melt later, while cooking, and leave air pockets where it has melted, thus leaving you with a much flakier crust.

3. When rolling out your dough, it is helpful to roll it over wax/parchment paper. That way you don't have to worry about picking it up to put in the pie pan. Just put your pan over the top and slide your hand under the paper, flipping the whole thing over. And pat the dough in whilst the paper is still on. And don't be afraid of dusting your dough with flour on the sticky parts. It just makes life easier.

4. For a pretty look, you can brush an egg wash (beaten egg whites) over the crust. That makes it shine. I also like to take the extra dough and cut out shapes like leaves and add them to my crust, washing them with the egg.

5. Finally, during the last 20 minutes of baking or so (you'll want to check), make a little crust cover with tin foil. This is actually really important so you don't overbrown your crust. Just cover the edges though. You can buy pie crust covers at BB&B for 5 bucks if you want. So since Thanksgiving is rapidly approaching, I hope that you all will try to make a pie crust since it really is as easy as, well, pie.