Key Lime

Serves 8 CRUST 1 1/4 cups flour 1 tablespoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut up 1/4 cup ice water Extra flour (for sprinkling) 1. In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the butter. Using a pastry blender, cut the butter into small pieces until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Makes one 8-inch pie DOUGH 1 cup flour, and more for sprinkling ½ cup cornstarch ¼ cup granulated sugar ½ teaspoon salt 10 tablespoons butter 1 egg yolk 1½ tablespoons sweetened condensed milk ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 1. In food processor, pulse flour, cornstarch, sugar, and...

Makes one 8-inch pie DOUGH 1 cup flour, and more for sprinkling ½ cup cornstarch ¼ cup granulated sugar ½ teaspoon salt 10 tablespoons butter 1 egg yolk 1½ tablespoons sweetened condensed milk ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 1. In food processor, pulse flour, cornstarch, sugar, and...

Cheeks flushed, muscles flexed, Brian Quinn's attention never wavers from the batch of roasting pecans as they turn a rich brown in their copper bowl. Quinn, whom friends call Q, and his wife, Beth, run Q's Nuts. They make a variety of sweet and savory cashews, pecans, almonds, and peanuts. Some of their popular selections are Mexican chocolate pecans, Key Lime ginger cashews, cayenne mango and rosemary sea salt almonds, and fiery cashews with hot chilies ($3.50 for 2.5- and 3-ounce bags; $7 for 5- and 6-ounce bags)

Whenever my husband and I travel, we pick one food from a particular region and attempt to find the best variety. Our next trip is to the Florida Keys and the obvious choice is Key lime pie. Are there any standouts that would help us get a head start on our mission? B.P., Chelsea The debate over who makes the best and most authentic slice of Key lime pie goes back to the late 19th century when the sweet and sour dessert was introduced. For the most part, it's a matter of preference -- graham cracker crust or pastry, meringue or whipped cream.

According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, if global warming continues unabated, the only place left in New England good for skiing by the end of the century will be western Maine. Given that the forecasts for next weekend are not quite that dire, conditions should be great for the 21st annual Parrot Head/Bust 'n' Burn Festival at Sunday River ski resort in Bethel. Skiing magazine ranks it one of the year's top mountain skiing festivals. What makes it great? It's held at the bottom of the long, super-steep White Heat expert trail.

Cheeks flushed, muscles flexed, Brian Quinn's attention never wavers from the batch of roasting pecans as they turn a rich brown in their copper bowl. Quinn, whom friends call Q, and his wife, Beth, run Q's Nuts. They make a variety of sweet and savory cashews, pecans, almonds, and peanuts. Some of their popular selections are Mexican chocolate pecans, Key Lime ginger cashews, cayenne mango and rosemary sea salt almonds, and fiery cashews with hot chilies ($3.50 for 2.5- and 3-ounce bags; $7 for 5- and 6-ounce bags)

HOMESTEAD, Fla. - This fruit and vegetable market extraordinaire is strategically perched alongside the one road in and out of Everglades National Park. There's not much else around on this pancake-flat stretch of farmland, and so the bright red letters spanning the length of its roof proclaiming the store's name, ROBERT IS HERE, make it easy to find. Tourists and locals head directly to the bins overflowing with locally grown vegetables, herbs, and tropical and exotic fruits, including something called Monstera deliciosa, which looks like an oversized ear of green corn but...

One thing you might notice wandering into Red Sky on a Tuesday night, past the DJ set up by the open windows overlooking the low-slung lounge couches, is that the room is filled almost exclusively with young women. They're at the bar and crowded around the plush banquettes tucked in the corners of a dining room that stretches deep and narrow toward an open-air kitchen. They're everywhere. What sort of strange paradise is this? What it is, in fact, is "Ladies '80s Night," a weekly promotion that offers women a free three-course meal - with a $10 drink minimum.

Roobar 10 Cordage Park, PlymouthTelephone: 508-746-4300Dinner, 5-10 p.m.; bar open, 4 p.m.-1 a.m. dailyWheelchair accessibleMajor credit cards accepted Roobar is all about the unexpected in a sophisticated, sexy-chic kind of way. Take the dining room's bold decor. Color and texture mingle in a lively blend of reds, yellows, and purples -- a choice that comes off as creative, not at all gaudy, thanks to the soft lighting that lends an air of intimacy to the 150-seat restaurant and 30-foot bar. At center stage is its dramatic...

HOMESTEAD, Fla. - This fruit and vegetable market extraordinaire is strategically perched alongside the one road in and out of Everglades National Park. There's not much else around on this pancake-flat stretch of farmland, and so the bright red letters spanning the length of its roof proclaiming the store's name, ROBERT IS HERE, make it easy to find. Tourists and locals head directly to the bins overflowing with locally grown vegetables, herbs, and tropical and exotic fruits, including something called Monstera deliciosa, which looks like an oversized ear of green corn but tastes like a combination...

One thing you might notice wandering into Red Sky on a Tuesday night, past the DJ set up by the open windows overlooking the low-slung lounge couches, is that the room is filled almost exclusively with young women. They're at the bar and crowded around the plush banquettes tucked in the corners of a dining room that stretches deep and narrow toward an open-air kitchen. They're everywhere. What sort of strange paradise is this? What it is, in fact, is "Ladies '80s Night," a weekly promotion that offers women a free three-course meal - with a $10 drink minimum.

According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, if global warming continues unabated, the only place left in New England good for skiing by the end of the century will be western Maine. Given that the forecasts for next weekend are not quite that dire, conditions should be great for the 21st annual Parrot Head/Bust 'n' Burn Festival at Sunday River ski resort in Bethel. Skiing magazine ranks it one of the year's top mountain skiing festivals. What makes it great? It's held at the bottom of the long, super-steep White Heat expert trail.

Whenever my husband and I travel, we pick one food from a particular region and attempt to find the best variety. Our next trip is to the Florida Keys and the obvious choice is Key lime pie. Are there any standouts that would help us get a head start on our mission? B.P., Chelsea The debate over who makes the best and most authentic slice of Key lime pie goes back to the late 19th century when the sweet and sour dessert was introduced. For the most part, it's a matter of preference -- graham cracker crust or pastry, meringue or whipped cream.

Serves 8 CRUST 1 1/4 cups flour 1 tablespoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut up 1/4 cup ice water Extra flour (for sprinkling) 1. In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the butter. Using a pastry blender, cut the butter into small pieces until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Roobar 10 Cordage Park, PlymouthTelephone: 508-746-4300Dinner, 5-10 p.m.; bar open, 4 p.m.-1 a.m. dailyWheelchair accessibleMajor credit cards accepted Roobar is all about the unexpected in a sophisticated, sexy-chic kind of way. Take the dining room's bold decor. Color and texture mingle in a lively blend of reds, yellows, and purples -- a choice that comes off as creative, not at all gaudy, thanks to the soft lighting that lends an air of intimacy to the 150-seat restaurant and 30-foot bar. At center stage is its dramatic open kitchen featuring a wood-fired...

I like baking, and I generally like baking books even when they're fussy. So I took an instant shine to the new pie book by Gesine Bullock-Prado (bakery owner, multiple-cookbook author, blogger, and ex-Hollywooder; she's Sandra Bullock's sister). "Pie It Forward" is a loose wordplay on "pay it forward," being grateful for something good, and paying it forward to others. The book has gorgeous photography, and there are cute little sidebars offering advice: say, how to salvage overwhipped cream.

The governors of South Carolina and Florida are wagering a barbecue dinner against a key lime pie on the outcome of the College World Series championship. South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is putting the barbecue from Hudson’s Smokehouse in Lexington on the line for her state’s Gamecocks and their bid bring home a second consecutive championship. Florida Gov. Rick Scott is putting up the pie from Kermit’s Key West Key Lime Shoppe. Haley’s office calls it a “friendly wager,’’ but Haley acknowledges she called up and “talked a little smack’’ to Scott.