I make caramel brownies every Christmas. You start with a cake mix, then add caramel, chocolate, pecans, and butter. LOTS of butter. Mom used to make these for every family gathering. The printed recipe itself is practically a family heirloom. Back in the 1980s, Mom clipped it from a bag of chocolate chips, taped it to an

​Read More

My husband and I were in the nosebleed section of a beautiful new auditorium. It was intermission, so the house was somewhat empty. In need of a bathroom break, I kicked through empty cups and beer cans scattered around my feet. That’s where my fellow theatregoers discarded their trash.  Before they headed to the lobby. Where there

​Read More

“How long do you cook beans before you freeze them?” My 82-year-old grandmother said as soon as my mother answered her phone call. Grandma had a life to live, so she never wasted time on social niceties like “Hi.” My mother was momentarily confused. She never quite adjusted to her mother-in-law’s bluntness. “Where did you

​Read More