My mother-in-law orders Taste of Home magazine for my husband and me every year. At the beginning of my marriage, when it hadn’t yet occurred to me that a fast-food dinner in the break room of the newspaper building was unusual, I was confused by my mother-in-law’s gift.

Was she suggesting that in my married life my number one goal should be making delicious from-scratch dinners and desserts for my husband? Was I supposed to quit my job because of its odd hours?

When my husband suggested that his mom was merely attempting to share her passion for cooking and baking with us, I may have called him a momma’s boy.

Fast-forward 11 years (this month) of marriage and I’ve realized my husband is (occasionally) right and I’ve grown to love Taste of Home. I enjoy experimenting with recipes from home cooks all across the country, and I happily make dinner at home with my husband most nights.

I guess my mother-in-law saw a budding cook in me long before I bought my first chef’s knife.

When I received an email from Taste of Home with the pie recipes listed below, I couldn’t wait to share them with my mother-in-law.

I hope you’ll enjoy sharing them with your family as the holiday season approaches.

GINGER-STREUSEL PUMPKIN PIE

8 Servings

Prep: 25 min. Bake: 55 min., plus cooling

1 sheet refrigerated pie pastry

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

STREUSEL:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup cold butter, cubed

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/3 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger

On a lightly floured surface, unroll pastry. Transfer pastry to a 9-inch pie plate. Trim pastry to ½ inch beyond edge of plate; flute edges.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, pumpkin, cream, sugars, cinnamon, salt, allspice, nutmeg and cloves. Pour into pastry shell. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine flour and brown sugar; cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in walnuts and ginger. Gently sprinkle over filling.

Bake 15-25 minutes longer or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate leftovers.

SOUR CREAM PEACH PECAN PIE

8 Servings

Prep: 30 minutes Bake: 45 minutes, plus cooling

Pastry for single-crust pie (9 inches)

4 cups sliced peeled peaches

2 tablespoons peach preserves

1 cup sugar

1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream

3 egg yolks

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

TOPPING:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons chopped pecans

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup cold butter, cubed

Line a 9-in. pie plate with pastry; trim and flute edges. In a large bowl, combine peaches and preserves. Transfer to pastry shell. In a small bowl, whisk the sugar, sour cream, egg yolks, flour and vanilla. Pour over peaches.

Bake at 425° for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the flour, sugars, pecans and cinnamon. Cut in butter until crumbly; sprinkle over pie.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean and topping is golden brown. Cover edges with foil during the last 15 minutes to prevent overbrowning if necessary. Cool completely on a wire rack for 3 hours before serving. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 8 servings.

UPSIDE_DOWN APPLE PIE

6-8 Servings

Prep: 30 min., plus chilling. Bake: 50 min., plus cooling

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons shortening

2 tablespoons cold butter

5 to 7 tablespoons orange juice

FILLING:

6 tablespoons butter, melted, divided

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

8 cups thinly sliced peeled tart apple (about 1/8 inch thick)

GLAZE:

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

2 to 3 teaspoons orange juice

In a large bowl, combine flour and salt; cut in shortening and butter until crumbly.

Gradually add orange juice, tossing with a fork until dough forms a ball. Divide dough into two balls. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Line a 9-in. deep-dish pie plate with heavy-duty foil, leaving 1-½ in. beyond edge; coat the foil with cooking spray. Combine 4 tablespoons butter, brown sugar and pecans; spoon into prepared pie plate.

In a large bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, apples and remaining butter; toss gently.

On waxed paper, roll out one ball of pastry to fit pie plate. Place pastry over nut mixture, pressing firmly against mixture and sides of plate; trim to 1 in. beyond plate edge. Fill with apple mixture.

Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pie; place over filling. Trim to ¼ in. beyond plate edge. Fold bottom pastry over top pastry; seal and flute edges. Cut four 1-in. slits in top pastry.

Bake at 375° for 20 minutes. Bake 30 minutes longer or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown. Cover edges with foil during the last 15 minutes to prevent overbrowning if necessary.

Cool for 15 minutes on a wire rack. Invert onto a serving platter; carefully remove foil. Combine glaze ingredients; drizzle over pie.

PEANUT BUTTER PRALINE PIE

6-8 Servings

Prep: 20 minutes, plus chilling. Bake: 10 minutes, plus cooling.

1-1/2 cups crushed vanilla wafers (about 45 wafers)

6 tablespoons baking cocoa

1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar

1/4 cup butter, melted

PRALINE LAYER:

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/3 cup butter, cubed

2 tablespoons water

1/2 cup chopped pecans

FILLING:

1 package (3 ounces) cook-and-serve vanilla pudding mix

2 cups 2% milk

1 package (10 or 11 ounces) peanut butter chips

1 cup whipped topping

Pecan halves and additional whipped topping

In a large bowl, combine the wafer crumbs, cocoa and confectioners’ sugar; stir in butter. Press into a 9-in. pie plate. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

In a large saucepan, combine the sugars and cornstarch. Add butter and water. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. Stir in pecans. Pour into crust; refrigerate.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine pudding mix and milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from the heat. Stir in peanut butter chips until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Fold in whipped topping; spoon over praline layer. Refrigerate until set. Garnish with pecans and additional whipped topping.

BAKING TIPS

Taste of Home recently polled their Facebook friends to find out what their favorite holiday pies were. The results: 41 percent prefer pumpkin, 38 percent prefer pecan, 13 percent prefer apple and 8 percent chose other.

If you are not a seasoned baker, the all new edition Taste of Home Baking book shares their secrets for successful pie pastry dough. Some of the secrets include:

• The key to a flaky crust is to avoid over mixing when adding the water. Over mixing causes the gluten in flour to develop, making the pastry tough.

• Chill pie pastry dough for 30 minutes before rolling to make it easier to handle. Pie pastry can be made 1 or 2 days before using. Shape it into a flat disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate.

• Gently ease the pie pastry into the pie plate. Stretching it will cause it to shrink during baking

• Choose dull-finish aluminum or glass pie plates for crisp crusts. Shiny pans can produce soggy crusts.

• If the edge of the crust is browning too quickly, shield the edge with a ring of foil.