I remember things from my early years:
- using a dictionary or the World Book encyclopedia to find information
- listening to baseball on my dad’s transistor radio
- hanging clothes to dry in the basement in the winter
- heating TV dinners in the oven
- having one phone that lived in a niche in the hall
- taking baths, not showers
- playing outside in the summer until the streetlights came on
- learning to type on a Smith Corona manual typewriter
- using a slide rule
- when Jiffy cornbread mix was on sale, 5 boxes for $1
- not being able to wear pants to school or church
- knowing my neighbors by name
- buying 45s and 33s at the record store
President Donald Trump granted full clemency to at least 77 individuals involved in promoting alternate electors in battleground states after the 2020 election. He also granted a pardon to Changpeng Zhao, the billionaire founder of the cryptocurrency exchange Binance, which struck a business deal with World Liberty Financial, the Trump family’s crypto start-up. That deal alone is poised to generate tens of millions of dollars a year for the Trumps and the family of Steve Witkoff, the president’s top Middle East adviser.
Ken Burns, the documentary filmmaker, has a new film debuting on PBS on November 16. THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION examines how America’s founding turned the world upside-down. This film is an expansive look at the virtues and contradictions of the war and the birth of the United States of America. (more)
Jiffy Corn Casserole
Ingredients
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 large onion, diced
- ½ large green bell pepper, diced
- 1 (4-ounce) jar chopped pimento peppers
- 2 large eggs
- 1 (8-ounce) package Jiffy corn muffin mix
- 1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles (optional)
- 1 (15.25-ounce) can whole kernel corn, with liquid
- 1 (15.25-ounce) can creamed corn
- 1 pint sour cream
- 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Directions
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Gather all ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan.
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Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and pimento peppers and saute until tender, about 5 minutes.
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Combine eggs, corn muffin mix, green chiles, whole corn, and creamed corn in a large bowl with the onion mixture.
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Stir together and pour into the prepared baking pan.
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Drop sour cream by the spoonful on top of the mixture; cover with Cheddar cheese.
Bake in the preheated oven until the casserole is firm, about 45 minutes.
The price of electricity has increased 40% since February 2020, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Nothing ruins the vibe of a vacation quite like having to cancel your credit cards and run to the American Embassy to get a new passport. Here are 15 anti-theft bags that help protect your stuff from sticky fingers and RFID theft.
On April 25, 1953, James Watson and Francis Crick published a landmark paper in Nature, proposing the double helix as the long-elusive structure of DNA, a discovery that, a decade later, earned the men the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. In “The Double Helix,” Dr. Watson suggested that his breakthrough came after Dr. Maurice Wilkins, without explicit permission, showed him one of Dr. Rosalind Franklin’s images. (more)
Teva Pharmaceuticals and Amerisource Health Services recalled more than 580,000 bottles of prazosin hydrochloride capsules, used to treat high blood pressure. (more)
This is from one of my favorite food bloggers, Joanie Zisk, whose blog, One Dish Kitchen, is perfect for empty nesters and singles.
Mini Texas Sheet Cake
Ingredients
For the cake
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1 large egg white
- 2 tablespoons milk
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the frosting
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1 ½ tablespoons milk
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup chopped pecans
Instructions
Make the cake
-
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Heat oven to 350°F (177°C). Lightly butter a 5×7-inch baking dish and set aside.
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In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
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In a 1-quart saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add water and cocoa powder, stirring often until it reaches a light simmer and the butter is fully melted.
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Pour the cocoa mixture over the dry ingredients in the bowl. Stir until well incorporated.
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Mix in the egg white, milk, vanilla extract, and cinnamon to the combined mixture.
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Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
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Make the frosting
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Melt butter in a small 1-quart saucepan over low heat.
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Stir in the cocoa powder and milk. Continue stirring until the mixture begins to simmer.
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Remove from heat and gradually whisk in the powdered sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon until the frosting becomes smooth.
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Stir in the nuts.
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Spoon the warm frosting over the top of the cake. Use a rubber spatula to smooth out and spread if needed. Allow the cake to cool, then slice and enjoy.
Notes
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- Baking Dish Size: Use a 5×7-inch baking dish (35-square-inch base) or a 6×6-inch dish (36-square-inch base) for best results.
- German Chocolate Twist: For a German chocolate flavor, stir 3-4 tablespoons of shredded coconut into the frosting.
- Fixing the Frosting: If the frosting starts to thicken too quickly, place the saucepan over very low heat and stir until smooth. If needed, add 1/2 tablespoon of milk to adjust the consistency.
The Second Annual Gullah Convening, a dynamic evening of food, culture, and conversation to honor the enduring resilience of the Gullah Geechee people. Spend the black-tie evening with us on Saturday, December 27, 2025, from 5:00-9:00 pm at The Grand, 81 Mary Street, Charleston, SC. Buy your tickets here.
As the weather cools, you might find yourself hosting unexpected houseguests: mice. Strong scents like peppermint oil, clove, eucalyptus, cinnamon, or vinegar can make an area uncomfortable for mice. Having a cat can help, too. (more)
Why should Medicare recipients check their 2026 drug plans now? Because they are changing, and this is the enrollment period for 2026. If you have Part A and Part B and a Medigap plan, you might not need to check. If you have an Advantage plan, you need to do your due diligence. (more)
Did you know that there was also a slave trade from Africa to Asia, the Indian Ocean slave trade? The slave trade from Africa to Asia involved the capture and transportation of African slaves along the coasts of Africa, particularly the Swahili Coast and the Horn of Africa, and through the Indian Ocean. The trade began thousands of years ago and was interconnected with other slave trades, including the Barbary slave trade and the Arab slave trade, which trafficked millions from Africa across the Middle East and Asia. The Indian Ocean slave trade, which started around 2500 BCE, was one of the earliest forms of slave trafficking, with ancient civilizations like the Egyptians and Greeks involved in the trade. (Bing AI)
Looking for a different vacation? What about a Dark Sky place? These places allow people to experience the night sky without light pollution. A telescope might be a good family gift for the holidays.
The racial breakdown of SNAP recipients as of 2023 is as follows:
- White: 35.4%
- African American: 25.7%
- Hispanic: 15.6%
- Asian: 3.9%
- Native American: 1.3%
- Multiracial: 1%
- Race unknown: 17%
Burned a pot lately? Got distracted and forgot? I did. To get those burnt pots or pans looking good, fill them with 1 to 2 inches of water or white vinegar. Place the pan on the stovetop and set the heat to low until the mixture begins to simmer. Once it’s simmering, let it sit for 15 minutes before removing it from the heat. Add 2 tablespoons of baking soda if using water or 1 cup of baking soda if using vinegar. Know that if you use vinegar and baking soda, it will foam up quickly and get all over everything, so watch out. Set the pan on a towel on the counter, then scrape off any burnt bits from the bottom. Don’t use a metal utensil to scrape because you might scratch the pan. If there are still bits stuck to the pan, do it again.
A little history: mapping all 30,000 Transatlantic slave voyages.
Under the Affordable Care Act, health insurance must cover 10 essential benefits. If people stray from the ACA marketplace, they may end up with plans that don’t cover some or any of these essential health benefits. (more)
Do you have a list of old books that you’ve always been meaning to get around to? Thankfully, NPR has just launched Books We’ve Loved, a brand-new, limited-edition series from our Book of the Day podcast.
On My November Reading Table
- The Black Wolf by Louise Penny
- Combee: Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid, and Black Freedom during the Civil War by Edda L. Fields-Black (winner of the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for History)
- The King’s Ransom by Janet Evanovich
- The Fate of the Day by Rick Atkinson
- The Look by Michelle Obama
- On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder
- These Truths: A History of the United States by Jill Lepore
- Exit Strategy: A Reacher Novel by Lee Child and Andrew Child
- John Lewis: A Life by David Greenberg
- The Politics of Nonviolent Action by Gene Sharp
Books make the best gifts!
Here are some of my favorites for kids of all ages:
- Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o
- Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
- But Not the Hippopotamus by Sandra Boynton
- The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña - Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
- Story Boat by Kyo Maclear
- Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
- The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales by Virginia Hamilton
- Henry and Mudge: The First Book by Cynthia Rylant
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling
- The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
- Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold
- Good Dog, Carl by Alexandra Day
- Harlem by Walter Dean Myers
- From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks
- Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell Hoban
- The House At Pooh Corner by A. A. Milne
