I tried making Ina Garten’s pumpkin, apple, and pecan pies. I’ll never use anyone else’s crust recipe again.

• I followed Ina Garten’s recipes for pumpkin, apple, and pecan pie to see which I liked best. 
• The pecan pie tasted like a cocktail, and the apple pie was shockingly simple to throw together.
• I ended up with extra pumpkin-pie filling, but Garten’s buttery crust was the real winner. 

With the holidays just around the corner, there’s no better time to brush up on my baking skills.

I cook and bake a lot, but I’m not a huge fan of making pies. I sometimes struggle to create a buttery, flaky crust, and my fillings don’t always have the right texture.

I decided to sharpen my skills using three approachable and delicious-sounding recipes from Ina Garten.

Here’s how my day of baking went as I attempted to make Garten’s pecan, pumpkin, and apple pies.