I've always been a refrigerated-section-pie-crust kind of girl. Open the box, roll it out, and I still have time to watch So You Think You Can Dance. But sometimes it's a good idea to face your fears. Pie crust isn't easy, but it doesn't have to be hard either. Hopefully you'll learn from my mistakes and not feel like you're part of The Texas Rolling Pin Massacre.

Pie Crust

• 2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. baking powder
• 2 sticks of unsalted butter

First thing to remember: COLD, COLD, COLD. The temperature of the butter in pie crust is hugely important. So if you have the mental capacity to take these steps, do them. Stick your mixing bowl in the freezer for a few minutes. Cube up the butter and put it back in the fridge for awhile so it's super cold. Always err on the side of "chill it, baby."

Now let's talk about the pie. In a pretty big bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.

Also, fill a one-cup measuring cup with water and add a few ice cubes. This is for later. Just hang on to it. Now add the butter to the flour, and work quickly.

*Sidenote: A lot of people make pie crust in a food processor, including me. While it's a bit quicker, it's not the best way to get flaky crust. Usually you're supposed to process the butter into the flour until it's the "size of peas." But then you add the water with the blade still going, and the butter breaks down even more. Back to the COLD, COLD, COLD point, bigger pieces of butter that are super cold leads to a flaky pie crust that you can't get any other way. I think a food processor kills that effect. So...

Use a pastry cutter (the best choice), a fork (a reasonably okay choice), or your fingers (not the best unless your hands are made of ice) to work the butter into the flour until it's... you guessed it... the size of peas. But now when you add the ice water (just a few tablespoons at a time), the butter won't change size.

So, yeah, now add the water until the dough starts to just come together in little clumps. You'll probably use a little over half a cup. Use a rubber spatula to get this job done. Remember, if you see that the butter is starting to get softer, stick the bowl back in the fridge for a few minutes.

I like to use plastic wrap to bring the dough together into a disc (actually this recipe makes two discs for a double crust pie), but be careful not to overwork it. So split the dough into two parts, and dump one part onto a piece of plastic wrap. Close it up, and use the plastic to work the dough into a disc. Immediately stick it in the fridge for a good two hours.

Now comes the fun part. Time to roll some dough. Step One: FLOUR THE HECK OUT OF YOUR COUNTER. The worst thing in the world (aside from cheese in a can and the cancellation of Arrested Development) is to roll out pie dough that sticks. LOTS of flour. The counter, the rolling pin, your hands. Pretend it's snowing.

Grab your rolling pin, and geeeeent-ly roll out the dough. Don't stretch. Don't push. Be nice and gentle. Roll from the center to the edge. Turn. Do it again.

Use a bench scraper to help turn the dough if it's getting a little sticky.

See those pieces of butter? Yeah, baby. Flakiness is about to happen. And if I'm being honest, those pieces are actually a little big. I used method two of cutting in butter, i.e. the fork. I couldn't get the butter to break down enough without it getting too warm, so we have a few giant butter chunks. Wow, that's a much less pleasant phrase than I thought. It still tasted great; it was just a smidge chewy because the fat wasn't as well distributed. Lesson learned? Buy a pastry cutter.

Now if you already have a pie in mind for this lovely crust, here's a good way to get the crust into the pan. Gently and loosely roll the crust (that should be rolled bigger than your pie plate) onto your rolling pin, and then roll it into the pan. It works like a charm.

Can you tell from that picture? I didn't exactly have time to pose for my cameraman husband; again, it's all about the butter. Can't let it get too warm.

Later this week, I'll show you what I put in the crust. And I just found a big glob of it on my face when I glanced at my bloated pregnant face in the mirror. If that's any indication of how good the pie is, well... there you go.