Feeding people: it's a thing

I made a sunflower design with the top crust of this peach pie. 

I know I'm not alone in this. When I make food for people, it makes me happy. If I can bring someone a sweet treat or cook a meal for friends or family, my heart feels happy.
This is part of why I went to culinary school and it's part of why I work in a professional kitchen.
There is something nurturing about cooking for others, but it's also a spiritual gift. Bear with me ... I know how that sounds.
I can go to the store or bakery and buy a pie. I can bring that pie to a friend that I am visiting. My friend would be appreciative and likely very happy.
Or, I can make a pie. I can work the butter into the flour with my fingers, drip a tablespoon of cold water at a time into the mixture to bring it together. I can chill the dough for the perfect amount of time.
And I can pick over the fruit, add lemon juice and sugar and spices. From my drawer, I can pick out my favorite mixing spoon and stir the fruit mixture. My paring knife will cut perfect pieces of butter to dot the top of the fruit. I can then make a lovely design with my fingers as I seal the crusts together.
When the pie comes out of the oven and cools, I can tuck it into my pie basket with a pretty towel.
And when I bring that pie to a friend, it's a gift that comes from me ... my kitchen, my hands, my heart.
The time I put into a food gift is part making the gift and part planning the process. I love all of the parts.
There are many ways to show people how you feel: a hug, a kiss, a card, a phone call, an email, a kind gesture. The best way I know to show people how I feel is to feed them.