Pie

Boysenberry-strawberry glazed pie Total time: 30 minutes, plus chilling time Servings: 6 Note: Adapted from Patricia Poole of Kincaid Farms in Redlands. She says, "The idea of using strawberries is that they are less expensive than boysenberries. Try not to eat the whole pie if anyone is watching." 1 pint boysenberries, divided, more as desired for assembly 1 cup water 1/3 to 3/4 cup sugar 3 tablespoons cornstarch Pinch of salt 1 pint strawberries (sliced if they're large)

The Portland Hop. I know, it sounds like a dance craze in 1937. But really, it's what you do when Southern California gets you down and you need to drink small-batch beer, eat Northwestern locavore meals and see bike commuters in the rain. My wife, daughter and I hit Portland, Ore., for a few days last August. Here's the report. The bed. Once a Days Inn, the Hotel Modera (515 S.W. Clay St.; [503] 484-1084, hotelmodera.com; rooms for two start at about $129 in spring) got a serious upgrade before opening in 2008.

Is pie the new cupcake? Cupcakes became so popular over the last few years that upscale bakeries sprang up across the nation to offer them in red velvet, mocha and chai latte. A fan site featured pictures of cupcake tattoos on aficionados. But new versions of the all-American favorite ? pie ? are increasingly popping up at bakeries and restaurants. Pie has replaced cake at some weddings. There are pie happy hours and pie shooters served in shot glasses. "Pie is hot," said Andrew Freeman, a restaurant industry consultant who predicts pie will be the top food trend for 2011.

SACRAMENTO — California's financial lifeline runs through a sprawling complex of brick buildings near a freeway on the edge of Sacramento. That's where hundreds of workers open millions of envelopes, fish out the checks and feed them into three machines that whir, clank, stamp and sort them into neat piles. Every afternoon for a few weeks in April, as Californians pay their state taxes, a courier ferries them to eight banks to nourish the money-hungry government. Meanwhile, lobbyists, lawmakers and activists — people whose jobs hinge on this seemingly mundane process — huddle by their computers and wait for the daily tally, which they'll tweet and email like the play-by-play of a championship game.

Lemon chiffon pie Total time: 45 minutes plus chilling time Servings: 8 Note: Adapted from "American Regional Cooking" by Sheila Hibben. 1 ( 1/4 ounce) packet (about 1 1/2 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin 3 tablespoons water 4 eggs, separated and divided 1 cup sugar, divided 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup lemon juice 1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest 1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped Baked pie crust 1. In a small bowl, drizzle the gelatin over the cold water to soak.

Bacon and bourbon pie crust Total time: 20 minutes, plus chilling and freezing times for the dough and shell Servings: Makes crust for 1 (9-inch) standard pie shell Note: Refrigerate the dough at least 2 hours, preferably overnight, to give the dough sufficient time to relax; otherwise, it may toughen and shrink while baking. If using shortening instead of the bacon grease, increase the salt by 1/4 teaspoon (to 3/4 teaspoon). For a nice sheen, brush the crust with egg white before baking.

  Raspberry wine pie Total time: 30 minutes, plus 4 to 6 hours (or overnight) chilling time Servings: 8 2 cups raspberries, divided 3/4 cup port, divided 1 (1/4 ounce) envelope unflavored gelatin 2 tablespoons cold water 1/2 cup sugar 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 cup whipping cream, whipped 9-inch almond biscotti pie crust, chilled (see below) 1. In a small bowl, combine half a cup of the raspberries and one-fourth cup of the port.

  Nectarine almond crumble pie Total time: 1 1/2 hours, plus cooling time Servings: Makes 1 (9-inch) pie Crumble topping 2/3 cup whole almonds 1/2 cup flour 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon light brown sugar 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes In the bowl of a food processor, combine the almonds...

Apple Inc.'s plan to launch a stock buyback program as well as start paying a quarterly dividend was welcome news to investors in the world's most valuable company. Apple will pay a quarterly dividend of $2.65 per share, starting in its fiscal fourth quarter, which begins July 1. And a $10 billion share buyback program will begin next fiscal year, reports  our colleague David Sarno. It's big news -- and not just because of the big bucks involved. The development also suggests a break with the way Apple was run under late Chief Executive Steve Jobs : For years, the company had rejected demands to share that money with stockholders.  The about-face left some consumers -- you know, the men, women and children who purchased the products that made such wealth possible -- grumbling on Monday, wondering about their piece of the pie. In a conference call with investors this morning, Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook and Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer said the company would spend about $45 billion on the two-pronged approach over the next three years.

Basic savory pie dough No. 1 Total time: 15 minutes, plus freezing and chilling times Servings: Makes enough dough for 1 double-crust (9-inch) pie or 6 individual hand pies 1/2 cup lard or vegetable shortening 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter 2 2/3 cups (11 1/2 ounces) flour 1 teaspoon salt 5 tablespoons cold water 1. Freeze the lard and butter until solid, at least one hour (up to overnight). 2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour and salt.

Sweeping aside the film's weirdest unasked question — who goes to their 13th high school reunion? — the characters created by Adam Herz for the 1999 hit "American Pie" return for a rather tired sequel called "American Reunion," in which poor, desperate Jim Levenstein's genitals once again get their ears boxed (metaphorically speaking), and Stifler's way with nubile 17-year-olds doesn't seem quite as obnoxiously sprightly as it once did, given that Stifler is now supposed to be in his early 30s and the actor, Seann William Scott, is 35. The movie acknowledges this queasy disconnect, though acknowledging it doesn't make it much funnier.

Dave Whitby bought his first shares of Apple Inc. stock in 2005 for $52 each. The 64-year-old database consultant has been buying shares ever since. Last year he sold enough for a big down payment on a new home in Altadena. Whitby is one of a fervent band of Apple faithful who for years have been accumulating small stakes in Apple. They bought shares as they bought Apple's popular devices that, like its stock, keep shattering sales records. Now Apple is the world's most valuable company and ranks as one the most profitable investments of the last decade.

Apple Inc.'s plan to launch a stock buyback program as well as start paying a quarterly dividend was welcome news to investors in the world's most valuable company. Apple will pay a quarterly dividend of $2.65 per share, starting in its fiscal fourth quarter, which begins July 1. And a $10 billion share buyback program will begin next fiscal year, reports  our colleague David Sarno. It's big news -- and not just because of the big bucks involved. The development also suggests a break with the way Apple was run under late Chief Executive Steve Jobs : For years, the company had rejected demands to share that money with stockholders.  The about-face left some consumers -- you know, the men, women and children who purchased the products that made such wealth possible -- grumbling on Monday, wondering about their piece of the pie. In a conference call with investors this morning, Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook and Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer said the company would spend about $45 billion on the two-pronged approach over the next three years.

March 14 is National Pi Day, celebrating a mathematical  constant that the nation's pie industry has long co-opted for itself. Too bad, then, that sales are coming off a year that seems less pie-centric than many had predicted. Last year was supposed to be the time when pies overtook cupcakes and macarons as the dessert du jour. But revenue from pies - including gourmet, fruit and meringue varieties and tart and mini versions - was down at supermarkets during the 52-week period ending Sept.

Dear SOS: Bob Heilman's Beachcomber Restaurant in Clearwater Beach, Fla., has the most exquisite Key lime pie I have ever eaten. It isn't heavy - it is light but not airy like a mousse. The crust was not soggy on the bottom - almost like it was just made. Do you think they'd share the recipe? Tina Nelissen Anaheim -- Dear Tina: Heilman's was happy to share its recipe for Key lime pie, which we've adapted below. Heilman's Key lime pie Total time: 25 minutes, plus cooling and chilling times Servings: 8 Note: Adapted from Bob Heilman's Beachcomber Restaurant in Clearwater, Fla. The restaurant uses Eagle Brand condensed milk in the recipe and serves the pie topped with whipped cream, though meringue can be substituted.

Iowa is not, as many Republican presidential hopefuls are finding out, just the land of mom-and-pop coffee shops, quaint town squares and golden farm fields. It's also the home of Pizza Ranch. The Iowa-based chain, where the salad bar holds ham chunks and five kinds of mayonnaise-based salads, and covered wagons grace the napkins, has become the de facto stop for conservative candidates traversing the state — in part because there are Pizza Ranches in just about every town. Michele Bachmann went to 14 Pizza Ranches in one recent week; the "fast casual" restaurant fits with her blink-and-you-miss-it campaign strategy that sometimes includes 11 events a day. "If there's an event at the Pizza Ranch, nine times out of 10 it's a political event," said Craig Robinson, editor of the Iowa Republican, a website.

Chocolate-chocolate cookies, compost cookies (made with potato chips, pretzels, butterscotch chips, graham cracker crumbs, etc.), blueberries and cream cookies, banana cream pie, brownie pie, hot fudge sauce, chocolate cake. I can't stop baking from "Momofuku Milk Bar," written by pastry chef Christina Tosi. The truth is, I think I take a lot more pleasure out of baking from the book than I ever did from stopping by the East Village bakery in New York. Maybe at least partly because these home-baked versions come with a dose of accomplishment, a testament to the recipes: The sweets turn out as good as the bakery's.

President Obama is sharing a traditional Thanksgiving feast -- including the choice of six different pies for dessert -- with family, friends and staff. The White House released the First Family's holiday menu Thursday: turkey, ham, cornbread stuffing, oyster stuffing, greens, macaroni and cheese, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole and dinner rolls. For dessert: banana cream pie, pumpkin pie, apple pie, sweet potato pie, huckleberry pie and cherry pie. The "Let's Move" calorie burning begins Friday.