Who I Met Today

Everyone Has a Story

Bill Nolan – Butterball Turkey Hotline Expert

“I lost my wife a few months ago,” said the polite, older gentleman. “She always made the Thanksgiving turkey, and I want to cook a nice dinner this year. As a gift to my kids, in memory of their mom and my wife. But I need some help.” While the caller took notes, Bill Nolan walked the man through the fine points of cooking a perfect Thanksgiving turkey. Step by

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Slay the Worry Monster

As he leaned against the door of a New York City subway train, my adult son fainted. Like a giant redwood tree, he toppled over, his head crashing against the edge of a hard plastic seat. Out cold, he lay on the filthy floor, blood gushing from his eye. A couple of good citizens called an ambulance, maneuvered him off the train, and waited with him until help arrived. He

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Mary Laura Philpott – I Miss You When I Blink

Mary Laura Philpott gets me. Or at least a big part of who I am. The me who loses my car in the grocery store parking lot, bristles at misspelled words in emails I receive, and counts the steps as I climb the stairs. In her national bestselling memoir, I Miss You When I Blink, Mary Laura comes across as your best girlfriend or younger sister. Covering topics like reinvention and

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How Do You Beat the Winter Blues?

I dread this weekend. Sunday morning, after we turn our clocks back, I will sink into my annual semi-funk. Next week, with darkness arriving before the workday ends, I’ll be ready for dinner at 5 and bed at 7:30. Not long ago, I read an article about the folks in Tromso, Norway. The sun in this urban area, 217 miles north of the Arctic Circle, doesn’t rise—at all—for two months.

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Pumpkin in the Kitchen

Colorful trees, crunchy leaves, pretty mums on doorsteps… When the calendar flips to October, I turn to all-things pumpkin. I love the cozy and delicious smells of cinnamon and nutmeg and vanilla warming up our home. Even if it is still 80 degrees outside! Here are five of my favorites. Pumpkin treats from recipe developers who come up with wonderful food combinations again and again. Enjoy – and I’d love

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