We’ve all been there. Maybe a text arrives from a close friend or family member: someone they love has died. Your heart aches for them. You want to offer comfort, say something helpful, but the words ...

There’s something timeless about coffee cake. It’s the kind of treat that feels just right at home on a brunch table as it does next to your morning cup of joe. But what exactly is coffee cake? Here’s ...

You’ve witnessed it countless times. You’re at a birthday party. At some point, the guest of honor is seated at the center of a table so everyone can serenade her. The lights are turned down, and out ...

Cheesecake. It’s rich. It’s creamy. It’s an endlessly versatile dessert. Whether you love it dense and classic New York-style, airy like a Japanese cloud, or bright with ricotta, cheesecake’s long and ...

Let’s play a game. I’ll start a phrase and you finish it: “As American as…” Got your answer? If you said “hamburgers,” you’d be about as right as the usual answer, “apple pie.” Like other so-called ...

Every Wednesday afternoon, I slip into a cool cinema to catch a movie. By summer, I make sure my garden has a border of impatiens, and more often than I need to, I pick up a box of raspberry-filled ...

Summer’s here, and the air is thick with the scents of sizzling meat, fragrant herbs, and smoking wood. But is your neighbor grilling, barbecuing, or smoking? While these terms often get used ...

Life is full of unanswered questions. Who built Stonehenge? Did Oswald act alone? (OK, maybe not that one anymore.) And my favorite: Who let the dogs out? When it comes to baked goods, one question ...

We’re not sure if you’ve heard, but half birthdays are a thing. Not just a mark-your-calendar thing for adults to keep track of time or a tell-your-friends thing kids use to grab attention at recess, ...

When someone dies, we often feel grief, sadness, and loss. But we also can experience moments of joy, laughter, and gratitude when remembering the life of a loved one. A celebration of life ceremony ...

Have you ever stared at your computer screen or a notepad trying to figure out how to start writing a letter? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. For centuries, people have navigated the challenge of ...

In the animal world, our outdoor friends have developed countless ways to store away their bounty of nuts for the winter. Squirrels practice what is called “scatter hoarding” and bury nuts ...