When people talk about baking, they often focus on the final product. The tender cookies, the domed muffins, the rich brownies. But the real draw of baking starts long before you roll out the pie crust. Baking can be many things: an act of creation, connection, control. There’s something ...

NEW YORK — As a child growing up in Italy, Lidia Bastianich recalls seeing one particular cookbook in just about everyone’s kitchen. It was called “The Talisman of Happiness” and it was often given as a wedding present to couples starting new lives together. “It has all the basic ...

This is Verena writing. Mom is in the middle of frying chicken for supper. I peeled potatoes that are now cooking for mashed potatoes. I decided it would be a nice surprise for her if I wrote the column and she didn’t have to write it tonight. Daniel Ray and I slept the last few nights in ...

DEAR ANNIE: I have lost most of my family and many close friends, and I struggle with depression myself. There are days when the silence in my house feels almost too loud. Over time, I have learned how to be alone without completely falling apart. I have a pet who has been a lifeline for me. ...

DEAR READERS: We’ve received hundreds of letters concerning weddings where the bride and groom want to charge people to attend. Apparently, this is now a trend in America where the happy couple want to have the wedding of their dreams but can’t afford a lavish celebration. The reaction from ...

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 74-year-old woman who is in better-than-average shape for my age. I only take blood pressure meds, walk for exercise, and am only slightly overweight. I have had seven COVID vaccinations from February 2021 to September of this year. I asked my primary doctor if I should ...