There was a lot of pie baking going on this weekend. First, my German friend Joerg in Portland called for my apple pie recipe, so he could bake a pie for his wife Katrin. He sent me the photo of his masterpiece (above). I can’t wait to hear about how surprised Katrin was. I know I was impressed!Then I went to my friend Matt’s house. I hadn’t seen him in about eight years (when he was still single) so it was a nice surprise to meet his wife and two kids — Sydney (4) and Dexter (2). I was blown away by the baking skill of his 4-year-old daughter. I was planning on having her make a mini-pie, but she tackled the Big Girl pie with gusto and the results were outstanding. The perfect Mother’s Day present for her proud mom Melissa. I told Matt that my afternoon baking pies with his kids was the best grief therapy I’ve had yet.But I didn’t forget I have my own mom. And since I’m staying with my parents this week in LA, this morning I baked my mom an apple pie, making the crust extra thin, the way she likes it. We had a family brunch. My brother brought her flowers, my sister brought her chocolates, my dad got her a musical card, and I set the pie in front of her on the table. Seeing as pie is meant to be shared, we all dug in.Happy Mother’s Day to all you moms out there. May you all be blessed with such homemade goodness and love.