I love the fresh tart-sweet taste of key lime pie any time of year. It is cooling in the summer, and a mood-lifter in the winter. This key lime tart features an easy crust that practically makes itself in a food processor, and an even easier filling. It is a great candidate for making ahead of time when preparing your big holiday feast.

The one thing that makes this dessert a little more labor intensive is the key lime juice. You need to squeeze a whole heckuva lot of key limes to get a half cup of juice. I bought a 1 pound bag from my grocery store and found that I needed to squeeze almost all of them. The tool that I have and love, which makes juicing lemons and limes a breeze is this hand juicer. I definitely recommend it as part of your arsenal.

Do you have to use key limes? No, feel free to use regular limes, and nobody will judge you. I would stick to fresh juice though.

Key Lime Tart with a Pecan Coconut Crust

Serves 6-8

For the crust:

• 8 whole graham crackers
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 8 tablespoons butter (1 stick), melted
• 1 cup pecans
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

For the filling:

• 1 tablespoon lime zest
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice (most of a 1 pound bag of key limes)
• 2 whole egg yolks
• 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
• whipped cream, for topping
• lime zest, for topping (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 9-inch tart pan lightly with baking spray.

To make the crust: In a food processor, process the graham crackers until finely ground. Add sugar and melted butter and pulse a few times to combine. Add the pecans and pulse until coarsely ground. Add coconut and pulse 3 or 4 times.

Press into your prepared tart pan, spreading it evenly with your fingers and pressing firmly both on the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Bake for 5 minutes, and then set aside and let cool while making the filling.

To make the filling: Mix lime zest, lime juice, and egg yolks in a large bowl. Add sweetened condensed milk and beat until smooth and thick (it won't take long). Pour the mixture into your crust and bake for 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool completely at room temperature. Then refrigerate for at least an hour before slicing and serving. Top with whipped cream and lime zest, if using.

Adapted from The Cafe Sucre Farine and Pioneer Woman.

It is downright blustery outside which means only one thing: soup weather. This flavorful tomato and white bean soup is rich tasting and quite filling, perfect for fall and winter.  It is also made up of ingredients that you are already likely to have in your pantry. Make it vegan by using vegetable broth.

What I love about this soup is that the canned whole tomatoes are caramelized in the pan before the other ingredients are added. This caramelization gives an amazing depth and a little natural sweetness to the soup. I used dried beans, but if you were pressed for time, you could use canned. (I would add them near the end of the cooking time however, so that they didn't get too mushy).

Tomato and White Bean Soup

Serves 6. 

For the beans:

• 1 cup dried white beans (cannellini, great white northern, navy)
• 1 onion, quartered
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 bay leaves
• kosher salt

For the soup:

• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 28-oz can whole peeled tomatoes, drained
• 1/2 teaspoon (or more) crushed red pepper flakes
• kosher salt
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 bunch swiss chard, stems removed, leaves torn into pieces

Beans:
Add dried beans, onion, garlic, and bay leaves to a large pot. Cover with water by about 2 inches. Bring to a simmer, add a few pinches of kosher salt and then reduce heat so that it is barely simmering. Continue to cook until beans are creamy (35-45 minutes). Discard bay leaves.

Soup:
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high. Add the drained whole tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt. Let the tomatoes cook undisturbed until they caramelize on one side, about 5 minutes. Break up the tomatoes with your spoon, scraping up the bottom of the pan and stirring for about 5 minutes until tomatoes are caramelized all over. Transfer tomatoes to a plate.

Heat two more tablespoons of olive oil in the same pot over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in vinegar and tomatoes. Drain beans and add to pot along with the broth. Simmer for 30 minutes or so. Season with salt to taste. Just before serving, stir in the chard and cook until wilted.

Adapted from Bon Appetit.