Here is the latest Lifestyle News from The Washington Post.
He can’t seem to follow instructions, and she’s out of patienceAdapted from an online discussion.Hi, Carolyn: My husband and I have two kids (5 and 3) who listen about as well as all other young kids, leading me to repeat directions a lot. I have kind of accepted that they have a learning curve, but what about my husband? Frequently he will listen long enough to catch key words and then proceed as if he heard everything. For example, I will ask him to grab a couple of things we need as I head to the car with the kids, and he will grab the first thing and that’s it.Read full article >>
Reliable Source: Cause Celeb: Actor David Hyde Pierce testifies on Alzheimer’s diseaseCeleb: Actor David Hyde Pierce, best known as the adorkably uptight psychiatrist Dr. Niles Crane on the sitcom “Frasier,” who’s more recently appeared on Broadway and the drama, “The Good Wife.” Pierce sported a trim goatee and a perfectly on-message tie in purple, the color of Alzheimer’s awareness.Read full article >>
Reliable Source: The name of the Antonin Scalia School of Law was changed, but the swag lives onThe Antonin Scalia School of Law — and its snicker-worthy acronym ASSLaw — will never be a reality, thanks to a switcheroo by red-faced George Mason University brass who scrapped the planned name in favor of a moniker that offers a more dignified shorthand: the Antonin Scalia Law School, or ASLS.Read full article >>
Reliable Source: The latest installment of the horror franchise ‘The Purge’ is filming in WashingtonOn Wednesday, an email went out to U.S. Department of Agriculture employees warning that a film crew would be taking over some of the streets around the agency’s Southwest Washington headquarters that evening, noting that the shoot might entail pedestrian traffic and “law enforcement activity.”Read full article >>
Is re-chilling bad for bubbly?Yikes! We had a lovely, warm spring, and now we don’t. While you ponder the cruel trick that nature is playing on Washington this week, some recommended reading from Food:■ The world of restaurant reservations is changing, with some places turning to selling tickets, charging more for in-demand times or awarding tables to the highest bidder. Maura Judkis has the story.Read full article >>
Reliable Source: Another Obama alum, another tech startup: former White House chef Sam Kass goes Silicon ValleyThe path from the White House to Silicon Valley is a well-trod one — and now we can add former WH chef Sam Kass to the Obama-ites who’ve headed west after leaving the gates of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.Kass is now the “chief consumer experience officer” (how startup-y!) for Redwod City, Calif.,-based Innit, which aims to be the “GPS for your kitchen,” whatever that entails.Read full article >>
Shopping Cart: Curious Feast postcardsPOST IT: We often read and write about how food can be art, especially in the hands of chefs. Curious Feast, a collection of 100 postcards curated by New York graphic designer Naz Sahin Ozcan, explores food as art in less straightforward ways. The cards, created by 10 artists including Mimi O Chun, Michele Humes and Wijnand Warendorf, include fairly standard images (an illustrated bowl of noodles) as well as cheeky ones (a sprinkle-speckled doughnut atop a leafy green). Give the whole set as a gift, frame individual cards as art or send them to friends — because what says “thinking of you” more than an image of a raw egg cracked over a photo of a “NASA agent’s” face?Read full article >>
At this Michigan doughnut shop, cops are the owners, not the customersOne night not long ago, in the small town of Clare, Mich., a domestic dispute arose at a local residence, and someone called the cops. That is, they called the local bakery, Cops & Doughnuts. The owners, being real men in blue, knew what to do. They alerted on-duty officers at the station so they could handle the call.Read full article >>
Carolyn Hax: When neither side budges, no one’s interests are servedHi, Carolyn: My mother and I have been at odds for the past five years about her cats. My now 11-year-old son has allergies to cats, his eyes swell shut and he becomes incredibly congested. He was 1 when he was diagnosed. My mother had no cats then, and never seemed to want one.Read full article >>
Reliable Source: President Bartlet for Hillary: Actor Bradley Whitford says fictional prez would be for ClintonHillary Clinton has been racking up celebrity endorsements, but this one is unusual: President Jed Bartlet, America’s beloved former commander in chief (even though he wasn’t, you know, real, but rather the POTUS of “West Wing”) is #withher.Read full article >>
Reliable Source: Actor Matt McGorry is really excited about hanging out with Joe BidenVice President Biden has a new — and super-enthusiastic — wingman: actor Matt McGorry, known for roles on Netflix’s “Orange is the New Black” and ABC’s “How to Get Away With Murder.”McGorry traveled with the Veep to the University of Pittsburgh on Tuesday to promote the White House’s anti-campus rape campaign, “It’s On Us.” And judging from his Twitter feed, it looks like Joe and Matt are having an excellent adventure.Read full article >>
Want your child to get into college and have a good life? Here’s how.A few weeks ago, I sat in a high school auditorium with a hundred other parents and listened while guidance counselors gently, sometimes haltingly, listed the state requirements for graduation for the incoming freshmen, our children, the Class of 2020. They then went on to cite a dozen alternative paths that ranged from vocational to college prep to state-sponsored scholarships. With each progression, the stakes grew higher and the list grew longer: AP and honors classes, foreign language requirements, dual enrollment with the local community college, virtual school supplementation.Read full article >>
Reliable Source: David Lynch did not actually direct that weird Bernie Sanders adIf acclaimed director David Lynch were to direct a political ad for Bernie Sanders, it almost certainly would not look like the ad that comedy website Funny or Die posted titled, “A Bernie Sanders Campaign Ad Directed by David Lynch.”Read full article >>
Reliable Source: Michelle Obama enlists Steph Curry and his wife in her campaign to make ‘Turnip for What’ a thingMichelle Obama has some help in remixing the pro-veggie “Turnip for What?” video that went viral in 2014. On Tuesday, the day the White House is planting the produce in its veggie garden, FLOTUS celebrated by releasing another brief video, this one featuring Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry and his wife, Ayesha.Read full article >>
Taste a variety of local flavors at Northeast EatsTHURSDAYCHEFS PLAY BALL: Various types of meatballs made by Osteria Morini chef Matt Adler with guest chefs Victor Albisu of Del Campo, Jonah Kim of Yona and others. Noon-3 p.m. $72 for adults or $28 for children, including tax and gratuity. The Yards, Osteria Morini, 301 Water St. SE. 202-484-0660. osteriamorini.com.Read full article >>
By pairing exercise and nutrition, fitness studios are taking a holistic approach to healthAliza Norcross has found a great recipe for Moroccan lentil soup, but it didn’t come from a foodie website. Her go-to source for dinner ideas these days is Barre3, the studio where she takes ballet-inspired exercise classes.Read full article >>
Finding, and connecting with, our son’s sperm donor siblingsIn the spring of 2012, while my wife was reading novels on Cape Cod, I was glued to my laptop, shopping for sperm. As a lesbian couple, we had considered different ways we could have children — adopting, co-parenting with another person or couple, conceiving with the sperm of a male friend or going to a sperm bank. We ultimately opted for a sperm bank, which felt like the easiest option, both emotionally and logistically.Read full article >>
Meat and potatoes meet grilled cheeseA good roast beef sandwich is not so easy to come by these days — and this one really spoke to us, with an exterior crisped in golden chive butter; an interior with gooey cheese and thinly sliced, tender potatoes; and a creamy sauce (the “dip”) with the zing of horseradish.Read full article >>
A rice dish that could one-up your favorite risottoBecause I live in Paris part time, and because that time is never the same from year to year, I’ve gotten to see the markets in every season. I’ve been there when the fragrance of strawberries can make you dizzy, when the stalls are piled with poultry in full plumage (a Christmas favorite), when all there is that’s “fresh” is potatoes, when there are so many varieties of apples that you need to shop with a botanist, and when, just about now, asparagus spears are arranged in pyramids so tall it’s impossible to see the vendor behind them. The French make a big deal about asparagus, and I applaud them for it. It’s not just a wonderful vegetable: It’s a sign of hope and happiness, the harbinger of all the other spring vegetables and summer fruits to come.Read full article >>
5 new ways to make restaurant reservations, explainedA rundown of new developments in restaurant reservation technology. (All are apps except Tock.)Tock Read full article >>
Why your next hot restaurant reservation may come with a price‘Do you have a reservation?” used to be the standard brush-off line at a busy restaurant’s host stand. Now, in a growing number of places, it’s “Do you have a ticket?”Yep, just like a movie or a concert. Ticketed dining has arrived — along with apps that charge fees for in-demand reservations, apply automatic payment or Uber-style surge pricing and allow eBay-style bidding on hot reservations. At some restaurants, making a reservation is no longer a matter of clicking a time on OpenTable or picking up the phone.Read full article >>
Carolyn Hax: Fiance’s friend makes it hard for her to be a gracious hostAdapted from an online discussion.Hi, Carolyn: My fiance and I are currently housing my fiance’s best friend and his girlfriend for a week. They have no solid plans to leave or stay or work or . . . anything. Needless to say, they are more “go with the flow” than I am. They’ve been with us two nights now and have already invited over strangers without checking with us, and they count on us to cook meals for them and always want to hang out. (I need private time to read and decompress after work.)Read full article >>
Reliable Source: RG III’s Loudoun County mansion is on the marketWhen former Redskins QB Robert Griffin III headed to the Cleveland Browns, he left behind the dashed dreams of many a Washington fan — as well as a luxurious four-bedroom, six-bath mansion in Loudoun County.Read full article >>
Reliable Source: This ex-congressman wrote a movie about a disillusioned congressmanAt 70, former Rep. Bob Mrazek has figured out what he wants to be when he grows up.It only took a stint in the Navy, a decade in Congress representing Long Island, and writing eight books to figure out: he wants to be a film director. The New York Democrat is coming to Washington next week to screen his directorial debut, an upcoming small-budget movie he also wrote called “The Congressman” (they say to stick with what you know, right?).Read full article >>
Free Range on Food: Wednesday, April 6, at noonHave cooking questions? We have answers. Ask us now.Read full article >>
The Burgerizza: A huge bacon cheeseburger between two pizzasOf all the over-the-top ballpark concessions making their 2016 MLB Opening Day debuts, the Burgerizza at Turner Field in Atlanta has generated the most media buzz thus far. It’s not hard to see why, as it contains basic college food groups and is bigger than the average human head. Billed as 20 ounces of grilled beef patty with cheddar cheese and bacon sandwiched between two eight-inch pizzas, the creation’s $26 price tag matches its heft.Read full article >>
The two bakery secrets that make this babka better than the restIn some circles, I’m acknowledged as a “Jewish baking goddess,” so it was a shock to discover that when it came to babka, I knew what I knew — but apparently there was more.The classic loaf I had been teaching for years is a really good babka. But it’s not The Babka of the Hour. Babka, it should be explained, is a sweet yeast bread, like cake. Its dough is richer than that of a cinnamon bun but not as rich as Danish dough. It features a sticky, gooey, addictive filling of cinnamon sugar or chocolate sugar spread and either a glossy glaze or a crumb topping — or both.Read full article >>
I took antidepressants while I was pregnant. It wasn’t a choice.I was nine months pregnant and I couldn’t stop crying. Pregnancy is an emotional time for any woman, but I carried additional concerns. I had been managing depression for 13 years and had been taking medications throughout my pregnancy. I knew the risk I was taking. But all of a sudden, I couldn’t shake the guilty feeling that I had no right to have a child, in part because I had depression. How selfish could I be? I could not stop crying at what I had done, even though I was on the verge of giving birth.Read full article >>
Reliable Source: Justin Timberlake, Bono diss Trump without naming himDonald Trump is the new Voldemort.That’s according to celebs who took the stage at the iHeart Radio Awards on Sunday night — they insulted the GOP presidential front-runner and, yet, as is the case with the baddie of the “Harry Potter” series, wouldn’t utter his name.Read full article >>
Animal Jam and my daughter’s first experience with the icky InternetWhen my 8-year-old asked me if she could join the online game Animal Jam, I wasn’t too worried—it’s a roleplaying world developed by National Geographic Kids and has an educational aspect to it: While kids go exploring, they learn animal facts and watch nature videos. There’s also a chat component to it, which is dicey in a kids’ game, but it sounded like it would be well monitored. Certain words and phrases would be blocked, and you could restrict your child to using only pre-made greetings if you wanted to.Read full article >>
When you’ve run out of things to make with chickpeas, try chickpea flourWhenever I find myself so fixated on a particular ingredient, recipe after recipe, that it starts to get tiresome (or I start to get embarrassed about it), I try to break free in one of two ways. I’ll widen my focus to include similar things in the same general category. (Enough with all these kale recipes! What about Swiss chard?) Or I’ll go in the other direction, looking even more closely at the object of my fixation to find other forms of it to explore.Read full article >>
Can chefs improve a public school district’s food?He hasn’t even signed an official contract yet, but former Noma chef de cuisine Daniel Giusti is already feeling the heat about his three-year plan to revamp the lunch program in the New London, Conn., school district. The Washingtonian, who fed the rich and famous at the celebrated fine-dining restaurant in Copenhagen, is facing criticism about his trial run to place chefs in the Connecticut town’s six public schools, part of Giusti’s larger experiment to revamp the nation’s school lunches via his company, Brigaid.Read full article >>
Carolyn Hax: Getting a helicopter dad to ease up on the hoveringAdapted from an online discussion.Dear Carolyn: My 11-year-old wants to bike home from school today. He has his bike there because he’s been in a two-week bike safety class. It’s generally through quiet suburban streets, though he does have to cross one 35 mph road. He has a phone. He always wears his helmet. Read full article >>
Reliable Source: That report that Taylor Swift is moving to Annapolis? Just an April Fools’ prank.We wanted to believe it. That’s the only explanation for the hordes of people who fell for the report — a news story on the website of a small sailing magazine in Annapolis — that pop princess Taylor Swift was eyeing a $6 million waterfront estate in the area.Read full article >>
Beer of the Week: Heavy Seas + Maine Beer Partner Ships Red IPACollaborations are all the rage in the beer world. In February, Devils Backbone released a 12-pack of beers brewed in conjunction with breweries from across the country. This month, DC Brau marks its fifth anniversary with five beers created in partnership with Austin Beerworks, Cigar City and other craft brewers. Read full article >>
Are your homemade cocktails lacking? Maybe the problem is coming out of your tap.In any acquisition of knowledge, there is the acquisition of dissatisfaction.That’s what I found myself thinking at the 26th Annual Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting in February as I stared down a line of glasses, each one filled with tap water from a different municipality. As I raised each glass to my face, occasionally detecting scents or flavors of chlorine, iron, sulfur, I knew I’d never again be able to respond to a waiter’s “Sparkling? Still?” with a glib “Tap is fine.” Water is water, I once might have said, but not anymore: This is yet another arena where I’ve learned too much.Read full article >>
How to make the cheese that squeaksWhen I’m asked why I make my own jam, pickles, cheese or bacon, the first reason that comes to mind is: It’s more delicious. But it’s also plain old fun, and a little bit of magic. The sleight of hand with which I convert a bottle of milk into a round of cheese never fails to thrill me. I certainly didn’t invent it; cheese has been made in home kitchens for thousands of years. Now that dairy-fresh milk, pasteurized but not homogenized, is more widely available, the DIY approach provides a chance to experience the difference in flavor and texture when cheese is free of stabilizers and other additives.Read full article >>
5 wines to try this week: Everything’s coming up rosésThese rosés will put you in the mood for warm weather. Three are from Provence, one is from southern Italy and one is from Virginia. And one is kosher for Passover.— D.M.Domaine du Dragon Grande Cuvée 2015 Read full article >>
When you’re choosing a rosé, vintage mattersVisit your local wine store now, and you may hear “La Vie en Rose” over the sound system. Displays that featured cabernet sauvignon a few weeks ago havegiven over to pink bouquets of rosés to mark the change of seasons. Cherry trees and magnolias are in bloom, our spirits and palates brighten, and these cheerful wines help us welcome the Earth’s tilt toward the sun.Read full article >>
Add ‘lighten up’ to your to-do listAdapted from an online discussion.Hi, Carolyn: I completely believe that bean-counting can take all the pleasure out of a relationship, and that each partner’s contributions to the relationship need not be identical in order to be equal. Read full article >>
Beer Madness 2016: 21st Amendment Toaster Pastry wins the public voting bracket21st Amendment Toaster Pastry, representing the city of San Francisco, is the winner of the 2016 Beer Madness public voting bracket after beating Port City Optimal Wit 8,471-7,320. Port City looked like it might give the Washington area a local champion after briefly pulling ahead in the voting on Friday night, but a late surge put 21st Amendment over the top. Wait ’til next year.Read full article >>
A new family form but an old questionLesbian couples raising children conceived through assisted reproduction made front-page news last month when the Supreme Court rebuked Alabama’s refusal to recognize the Georgia adoption decree that made two women legal parents of the couple’s three children. On Tuesday, the Maryland Court of Appeals will take up a related issue.Read full article >>
Reliable Source: Martha Stewart meets Martha Washington on tour of Mount VernonHey, isn’t that… Queen of “good things” Martha Stewart, touring historic Mount Vernon in Alexandria on Thursday? The media mogul, dressed in casual-chic khakis and toting a camera, was accompanied by her daughter, Alexis, and two granddaughters (must be spring break).Read full article >>
What the best-dressed spring plates are wearingOur Recipe Finder has lots of recipes with “spring” in the title, even when you don’t count all the spring rolls. With the season busting out all over, an examination of what makes a recipe successfully springlike seemed appropriate.Read full article >>
Hedi Slimane made a lot of money for Saint Laurent. But did he leave a legacy?The rumors have at long last been confirmed that Hedi Slimane is leaving Saint Laurent, the house that he renamed and reinvented. In the four years that the designer served as creative director, Saint Laurent racked up double digit, year-to-year growth and is now a brand with yearly revenue of more than $1 billion. Slimane produced some of the industry’s most discussed and debated collections — beginning with his celebration of California youth culture and indie rock to his final Paris presentation that exploited the grotesquerie of 1980s ostentation.Read full article >>
6 ways good parents contribute to their child’s anxietyKids have it hard these days.It doesn’t seem like it when they’re playing on their $500 tech gadgets, but they do. Twenty-first century living is taking its toll, and many kids are finding it hard to cope.Read full article >>
Alfie’s nails the look of Thailand, if not the country’s most complex flavorsAnyone who has been to Thailand will see some of that country in the design at Alfie’s, the easygoing pop-up from chef Alex McCoy and three other owners in the former Mothership space in Petworth. McCoy’s dozen or so trips to Southeast Asia in the past six years have informed the interior, a corner storefront where strings of colored lights criss-cross the pressed-tin ceiling, reed screens dress up the windows and plants bring the outdoors inside. Read full article >>
Autism: When to push and when to stopMy son, TJ, is 15 years old. He has autism.When TJ was in elementary school, we worked tirelessly on so many issues. Sitting up for the entire circle time. Sitting through the entire lunch time without a meltdown. Taking turns and sharing. Accepting disappointment when something didn’t meet his expectations.All things that every child must work on.We also focused on more TJ-specific things, like his pencil grip. From the get-go in kindergarten, his grip was all his own. Nothing like that of the other children. His teachers tried many different ways to remind him to correct his pencil grip in hopes it would become habit: notes on his desk with proper pencil grip pictures; verbal reminders; plastic grippers on his pencil that would forcibly enforce the correct grip.None of them worked.Finally, when he was in middle school, his team of teachers and therapists, along with my husband Sean and I, decided that since his handwriting was clear and legible, we didn’t need to enforce the “proper” pencil grip any longer. We let him use whichever grip he used naturally.It hasn’t been an issue since.As an autism parent, I frequently ask myself a big question:What tasks and traits do we keep working on with him, and what tasks and traits do we let go of? What do we accept as being “naturally TJ,” and what do we think he will benefit from if certain things change?I remember Temple Grandin, a famous autism pioneer, author, public speaker and person with autism, saying something like this (I’m paraphrasing): “The best thing my mother ever did for me was to treat me like the rest of my siblings.”This has always been in the back of my mind, ever since TJ was diagnosed with autism when he was just over 2 years old. In certain cases, it is very applicable, and I believe has led TJ to some great successes:He and his brother both sort, clean, fold and put away their own laundry. They both walk the dog. They both have cleaning responsibilities around the house.You get the idea. It has worked in these cases for us to have the same expectations of TJ as we do of his neurotypical brother, Peter.But what about other things we want for TJ?Take, for example, socializing. This has been one of our biggest goals for TJ, and has also been the most difficult one to master.I struggle with this goal all the time. Should we keep pushing? Should we let it go? It is the area where TJ’s skills are the most lacking, and at the same time, in our minds, one of the most important ones.But for TJ, is it important? At all?The back and forth is constant, but thinking back, so were so many other struggles we have encountered in the past.I have to remind myself that just as we have found clarity on all of those other issues we have previously had, so we will eventually find clarity on this one. We just have to stick with it for now, hoping for even a little bit of gain. And eventually, we will know when it’s time to stop pushing and let TJ’s own socializing self (or not) take its natural course.And I have to remind myself that with each new issue that comes up, we will help TJ tackle it as best as we all can — challenging him where we can for growth, and stepping back where we need to.Time will tell. It always does.Lauren Swick Jordan is a frequent On Parenting writer and blogs at Laughing…like it’s my job.Like On Parenting on Facebook for more updates, essays and news. Want to get it all delivered to your inbox? Sign up here for our newsletter.You may also be interested in:It’s time to talk about autism and mental healthWhen our favorite restaurant didn’t have the one item my son with autism likesSurvival tips for an autism parentMy son with autism started high school this weekRead full article >>
Up close and personal with Aoife O’DonovanAoife O’Donovan’s singing is almost too gorgeous for its own good. The Brooklyn balladeer has one of those beautiful, breathy, so-intimate-it’s-almost-anonymous voices — the kind you might hear wafting across a television commercial without a sentient human being attached to it.Read full article >>
Son’s in-laws are helping him out. The nerve of some people!Dear Carolyn: My kids are 30, 28 and 25. All of them are out of college and on their own. We paid their tuitions, but room and board was on them, so they had some student loans. My oldest son got married two years ago, and her family is helping them out a lot, even though they both have professional jobs. When her grandmother died, her parents paid off all their student loans. They also handed down an almost brand-new car because nobody else in the family wanted it. He just told me they are all taking a weeklong vacation out of the country next Christmas, hosted by his in-laws. Read full article >>
Norway in the offseason: Overcast and underappreciatedNorway in March — with its gray skies, snow-covered countryside, icy streets and misty rains — is perhaps not everyone’s idea of paradise, but it has its upside. In a word, you have the place more or less to yourself, or at least you don’t have to share it with the raging hordes of selfie-snapping backpackers who descend on Scandinavia in the summer.Read full article >>
Hogwarts, West Coast edition: New Harry Potter theme park set to open in CaliforniaHollywood, having spent a century perfecting the art of escapism, is about to unveil its latest bit of magic.The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which conjures up the fictional village and castle/wizarding school of author J.K. Rowling’s vivid imagination, officially opens Thursday at Universal Studios Hollywood. This marks Universal’s fourth foray under the ultra-popular Potter banner. (Two such worlds are connected in neighboring theme parks in Orlando, and a third opened in July 2014 in Osaka, Japan.)Read full article >>
In Asheville, N.C., cheek-pinchingly cute 364-square-foot cottages are a step up from glampingThree reactions to a 364-square-foot cottage in Asheville, N.C.Mother: “This is kind of a fun adventure.”Daughter: “We can make this work.”Father: “Maybe we should stay at our friends’ house.”Read full article >>
One thing the sharing economy won’t share: Transparent pricingIf you thought comparison shopping was hard with traditional travel companies, just try the sharing economy.Lightly regulated companies such as Airbnb and Uber can make it as difficult as traditional travel sites — and sometimes even harder — to determine the final price you’ll pay, let alone compare prices on other forms of transportation or accommodations.Read full article >>
The week’s best deals around the globeThis week’s best travel bargains around the globe.LandThe National Park Service, which celebrates its centennial this year, is waiving admission fees during National Park Week. On April 16-24, nearly 130 parks will offer free entrance, including Yellowstone and Grand Teton (normally $50 for a seven-day pass for the pair), Everglades ($20 per car; valid for a week) and Shenandoah ($20 per car; good for a week). Info: nps.gov/planyourvisit/fee-free-parks-state.htm.Read full article >>
Reliable Source: Herbie Hancock, Sting, Aretha Franklin to headline White House jazz concertGood news for hotels with VIP suites: the White House is hosting a star-studded jazz concert on April 29, the night before the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner — meaning the number of celebs flocking to town will be even higher than usual.Read full article >>
Mother accused of letting sex offender tattoo her children, telling them ‘not to whine or cry’Police: #Texas mother got drunk, let sex offender tattoo her three kids https://t.co/rcVYvftmmu @mySA pic.twitter.com/CJAoATll4HA man got a call from his son on Monday, authorities in Texas say. The son asked his father to pick him and his siblings up. The boy was at his mother’s house with his two younger sisters.Read full article >>
Reliable Source: Jill Kelley knew something was up with David Petraeus when he started listening to EnyaThere is a surprising revelation in the new book by Jill Kelley, the socialite and one-time confidante to Gen. David Petraeus who is responsible for revealing the former CIA director’s extramarital affair with another woman. Overlooked in the self-pubbed tome is a disclosure that might make the American people see a very different side of the retired four-star general who once commanded U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.Read full article >>
Reliable Source: Why being a first lady is complicated, according to the chiefs of staff for the last threeBeing president is hard. (See the graying heads of commanders-in-chief for proof.)But an even more complicated gig might just be that of first lady — according to the chiefs of staff to the last three women to hold down the job, who gathered on Wednesday night for a panel at Georgetown University.Read full article >>
Reliable Source: Celeb endorsement of the week: Rosario Dawson for Bernie SandersCeleb: Rosario Dawson, known for her portrayal of the character Mimi in the 2005 film version of the musical “Rent.”Candidate: The New York-born actress/singer is set to headline a Bernie Sanders town hall in the South Bronx today, as part of his “Future To Believe In” rally tour. Grammy winner Residente will also be joining Dawson for the event.Read full article >>
How many Peeps can you eat in 2 minutes? Find out on Saturday.CORRECTION: An earlier version of the calendar listed the National Building Museum website for the Taste of the Nation event on Monday. The website should be for Share Our Strength; the change is reflected below.Read full article >>
Why this mother is stopping it with the cleanses, dietsEach January, a slew of emails assault my inbox, offering diets and seven-day juice cleanses with the promise of a “New Year, New Me.” The message is clear: The current “me” sucks. But if I lose 10 pounds, I can become a whole new “me”—though dizzy, irritable and zero fun. I refuse to participate.Read full article >>
Why I’m teaching my 6-year-old to meditateMy teenage years weren’t the easiest. I struggled with popularity (or lack thereof), bad skin and what I was convinced at the time was irreparable heartbreak. No one understood me — especially not my parents. I was 15 when “Smells Like Teen Spirit” hit the radio, and while I didn’t exactly understand the lyrics, I was convinced Kurt Cobain had stumbled across my own indefinable, adolescent malaise.Read full article >>
I’ve been using my pressure cooker for other things. You know how that goes.For my first birthday as a college graduate living on my own, my parents gave me a pressure cooker set. It was a shiny thing: the Fagor Duo Combi with 4- and 8-quart pots, steam basket, trivet and interchangeable pressure cooker and tempered glass lids. They also sent another gift— Lorna Sass’s “Pressure Perfect: Two Hour Taste in Twenty Minutes Using Your Pressure Cooker” (William Morrow, 2004). Read full article >>
Date Lab: Can they survive an age gap?Interviews by Timothy R. SmithAlex Veizaga and Dana Hunter are both big into music, but they have a slight age difference. Will they find harmony or, um, clash? We sent them to 1905 Bistro and Bar in the District to find out.Read full article >>
Take that steamed artichoke — and dip it. Dip it good.When I put the words “food + spring + Mediterranean” into my mental search engine, artichokes are first to pop up. A couple of years back, I spent a week in Sicily in April, which is peak artichoke season there. You could buy a dozen for 1 euro, and they were on every restaurant menu in every imaginable form: baby ones fried crisp, large whole globes stuffed with bread crumbs, and artichoke hearts in salads, vegetable medleys and pasta sauces. I returned home forever artichoke-inspired.Read full article >>
Ready to explore Cuba? Here’s how to get there.With restrictions on traveling to Cuba gradually easing, U.S. cruise lines and airlines are gearing up to meet the anticipated demand for transportation to the island. On March 21, Carnival received approval from Cuba to begin voyages from Miami on May 1. This will be the first time a ship has sailed to Cuba from U.S. shores in 50 years — unless Pearl Seas Cruises gets Cuba’s permission to launch its April 5, 15 and 25 departures, which are already sold out. Read full article >>
The problem isn’t really her belly, it’s her spleenAdapted from an online discussion.Dear Carolyn: I have a sister-in-law, “Lula,” who is both very snarky and very overweight. When I joined the family this year, she apparently made it her mission to inform me that I am no better than she is just because I am slim. Read full article >>
Reliable Source: How to score a White House Correspondents’ Dinner ticket? It’s complicated.“How do I get a ticket to the White House Correspondents’ dinner?”That query, now on the lips of bucket-list checkers inside the Beltway and out, sounds straightforward, and the simple answer is this: be a White House correspondent, or the boss of such a person. Be a desired guest of the media outlets with access to golden tickets: a senator, maybe, or a Cabinet secretary, a top advertiser — or a celebrity. And even then, cross your fingers just for good measure.Read full article >>
Cookout season: Grilling ideas, tasty drinks and moreNothing beats a backyard cookout, with grilled meats, fresh summer produce, cold drinks, great music and familiar faces. You may have your go-to recipes memorized by now, but here are some of our favorites to get you started this grilling season. Read full article >>
Shopping Cart: Cocoa shell teaSIP IT: Made from the husks of cocoa beans, cocoa shell tea from Undone Chocolate smells like brownies fresh from the oven yet tastes like a delicate chocolate-infused herbal tea. Adam Kavalier, who launched the company with his wife, Kristen, in December 2014, drew inspiration from the Peruvian tradition of making cocoa shell tea and found using the otherwise discarded husks a useful way to avoid waste in their bean-to-bar operation. (The husks, also called shells, are separated from the cacao nibs, which are ground to make chocolate bars.) A tea made from shells is more mild than one made from nibs, says Kavalier, and is rich in antioxidants and theobromine, a mild stimulant similar to caffeine.Read full article >>
Wholesale nurseries have their own Black Friday: It’s called April.April is upon us, the month when the simple act of sticking a plant in a pot or garden bed creates such a powerful and tangible connection to spring. Steve Hershfeld probably doesn’t think about this, but over the past four decades he has made that moment happen for countless people — millions, possibly — in the Mid-Atlantic region. At the start of another growing season, Hershfeld and some 40 employees are feverishly putting the finishing touches on tens of thousands of perennials, herbs, vegetable transplants and annuals that are beginning to supply a garden center near you. Read full article >>
I see white specks in my mint jelly. Should I toss it?What’s the next big thing in regional American cooking? Jane Black goes to Appalachia, where she finds a fellowship of chefs who are trying to bring attention to the traditional foods of this area of the country. Read all about it here.Read full article >>
My aging mother would rather buy makeup than foodEleventh in a monthly seriesMy mother leans in across a small plate of salad greens, no dressing, and a glass of unsweetened ice tea, and glances over both shoulders to make sure no one is listening. “My friend Doris always reminds me,” she says with a whisper, “when you find your favorite lipstick, buy four of them. Or even five. That way, when they stop making them, you’ll be all set.”Read full article >>
Is my 5-year-old son lost in the men’s room?When he was 5, my son brazenly declared he wanted to use a public men’s restroom by himself. He stood tall, confident, about to finally venture into a domain where men took care of business standing up and kept their pants on. How did I meet his confidence? By freaking out, of course.Read full article >>
Can you maintain a vegan diet while traveling? Yes, but it will take some strategizing.Last fall, my friend Jeanette walked the Camino de Santiago, a pilgrimage route across northwestern Spain. Her preparation was meticulous. She hiked hundreds of miles around Washington, getting ready for the 500-mile trek. She tested countless pairs of shoes for comfort and foraged for lightweight gear. Understanding that she’d have to carry everything, she obsessively calculated the weight of her backpack. Along with clothing, toiletries and snacks, she knew she’d have an additional four pounds of extra food and tools for meal preparation. After all, she was heading to a country that loves meat, and she intended to maintain a vegan diet.Read full article >>
If a daughter’s boyfriend tries to talk her out of enlisting, is it okay to pull rank?Greetings, Carolyn: My daughter is seriously considering going into the military. She’s a tough girl, and I have confidence she would do well. Problem is, her boyfriend of two years tells her that he is in full support of her but then spends mountains of time trying to persuade her to do anything but the military. He has even recently had his parents talk to my daughter about the drawbacks. (Neither spent time in the military.) Read full article >>
Why you need a strong core, even if you can only dream of a six-packAs beach season approaches and we’re inundated with swimsuit ads and their six-pack-abs models, it’s easy to forget that a strong core is so much more than a well-defined rectus abdominis (that’s the six-pack).15-minute core workoutAnyone who has ever had a back injury knows it’s a pretty dreadful state of affairs.“They can tell you that no movement is comfortable except if you’re lying down,” says Gabe Free, a D.C.-based strength and conditioning specialist. This is why, even if you have only 15 minutes a day to spare, Free suggests devoting those minutes to core drills.Read full article >>
Reliable Source: Another VIP insulting Trump: Harper Lee hated the Trump Taj MahalThe latest Trump feud is one he can’t win, considering the person throwing the punches is no longer around to hear his retort.In a typed letter to her friend Doris Leapard dated Aug. 25, 1990, the late author Harper Lee expressed her disdain for the mega-mogul’s Atlantic City hotel-casino complex.Read full article >>
Reliable Source: The Real Housewife who’s all about charity has a foundation that barely gives out any money.On Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of Potomac,” cast member Katie Rost is identified as a model-turned-philanthropist who runs her family’s charitable foundation. In the world of reality TV that means attending glittery events and planning fundraisers.Read full article >>
Reliable Source: It’s a ‘West Wing’ reunion … not far from the actual West WingHey, isn’t that … a mini “West Wing” reunion happening Monday night not too far from the actual West Wing?Actors Dule Hill and Melissa Fitzgerald, both vets of the beloved NBC political drama, were spotted sharing dinner at Bibiana. (We know, the series went off the air a decade ago, but it still has rabid Beltway fans who get excited about such things.) Hill, who has moved on from his role as President Josiah Bartlet’s bodyman to starring roles in shows such as “Psych,” was joined by his girlfriend, “Ballers” actress Jazmyn Simon, and her daughter. Fitzgerald, who played the deputy press secretary, is becoming something of a real-life Washington hand as the head of the Justice for Vets advocacy group.Read full article >>
The next big thing in American regional cooking: Humble Appalachia‘It’s way easier to get drugs than a good greasy bean,” Travis Milton says, taking a deep drag on his cigarette. And that causes the chef a lot of headaches. For one, greasies are his favorite beans, whether you cook them old-school, stewing them within an inch of their lives, or use a more modern technique such as steaming to show off the sweet, fat kernels inside.Read full article >>
Carolyn Hax: That tiny voice called doubt? Listen up when a date deploys pressure.Adapted from an online discussion.Hi, Carolyn! I’m 30, female and have a storied but (I think) pretty normal dating history: lots of shopping around throughout my 20s, plus two serious relationships that in each case I was almost sure would lead to marriage. Neither one did, and after the second one I was left feeling like I had wasted a lot of time closing myself off to other possibilities. I’ve since enjoyed nearly a year of being single and dating more casually.Read full article >>
Reliable Source: The congressman who said Washington ‘needs a recession’ just ticked off the wrong bar ownerWhen Rep. Rod Blum last week tweeted a picture of the crane-filled Southwest waterfront, saying D.C. is “being built on the backs of U.S. taxpayers” and “needs a recession,” the Iowa Republican might have scored some points with critics of the Beltway — but he made a few enemies, too.Read full article >>
Reliable Source: The Carters are here: Beyonce, Jay Z and Blue Ivy are at the White House egg rollHey, isn’t that … one first family visiting another on Monday?The White House has a full slate of musicians and athletes on hand to entertain the kiddos gathered Monday morning on the lawn of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. for the annual egg roll. But move over, Silento — the biggest names attending the Easter festivities aren’t performing, they’re just guests at the party: Noted FOBs (that’s Friends of the Obamas) pop queen Beyoncé, her husband, rapper-producer Jay Z, and their daughter, Blue Ivy, just rolled up, immediately grabbing the candy-hued spotlight.Read full article >>
Reliable Source: A ‘Dancing With the Stars’ contestant is vying for a White House Correspondents’ Dinner inviteNyle DiMarco wants two things: a mirror ball trophy, and an invite to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.The deaf model, a current contestant on ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars,” said the Washington media/political event would provide the perfect setting for him to promote his platform of improving hearing-impaired children’s lives.Read full article >>
Why you might want to use a pressure cooker for vegetables — and for tofuWhen I was growing up in the 1970s in West Texas, my mother loved her pressure cooker. And the one food I most clearly remember her preparing in it is . . . broccoli.Broccoli, in the pressure cooker? Remember, this was back when Americans didn’t know about cooking green vegetables to crisp-tender, so I didn’t think anything of her super-soft broccoli until much later, when my tastes had evolved. So my own experience with pressure cooking has been limited to things that take much longer than broccoli to cook: tough cuts of meat, back when I ate such things, and whole grains and beans, now that they’re such an important part of my diet.Read full article >>
Reliable Source: Christian Bale and family play tourist in WashingtonHey, isn’t that… Actor Christian Bale, touring the zoo en famile on Sunday afternoon just like your typical cherry-blossom-gawking tourists?A spy says the “Batman” star (though not of the most recent —and panned— entry in the franchise) and his wife, makeup artist Sibi Blazic, were roaming around the tourist attraction with their two kids. Bale was spotted carrying the younger of the tykes on what looked like a casual family outing.Read full article >>
Reliable Source: Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner welcome third child, Theodore JamesA scion is born: Ivanka Trump, the daughter of GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump, announced the birth of her third child, Theodore James.“My heart is full,” she posted on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (of course) along with a pic of herself holding her new son.Read full article >>
8 baking tips for cooks who think they can’t bakeRead through recipes thoroughly before starting. Does the dough need to rest in the refrigerator overnight? Do the strawberries need to macerate in the sugar for an hour? Plan your time accordingly.If you want to get wildly creative with a recipe, first try to understand the technique behind it. Consult a few other recipes for the same dish, and see what ingredients and techniques they share. Think about why you are changing an ingredient and what the consequences might be.Read full article >>
The epiphany that turned me into a good bakerWhen I attended the Cordon Bleu School of Cookery in London in the late 1970s, I learned the foundations of French cuisine. But even as Ms. Cadbury was teaching us the proper way to fold butter into puff pastry and the technique for making silky béarnaise sauce, I made a silent vow to myself: I would follow the rules, and then I would break them. I would be a jazz musician, riffing on the classics, creating my own dissonant, experimental compositions in the kitchen. And for years, that has been my approach to cooking.Read full article >>
Carolyn Hax: When it comes to a new relationship, can you move too fast?Adapted from a recent online discussion.Dear Carolyn: I am soon to be 30 and have a master’s degree and a blossoming career in my chosen field. I live in a busy and expensive city, but I have made my own way.Read full article >>
Reliable Source: Katy Perry parties in Georgetown with palsHey, isn’t that… pop star Katy Perry, chilling with pals at the Alex in Georgetown into the wee hours of Sunday morning?A spy tells us that the “Roar” singer/Hillary Clinton backer — chic in loose hair and dangling statement earrings — appeared to be part of a post-wedding party. The happy gang lounged on the patio, snapping pics and sipping cocktails.Read full article >>
Carolyn Hax: Feeling like a doormat when sister and her family come to visitDear Carolyn: I live in Florida. When my sister, her husband and their two teenagers come to visit, they treat my home like a hotel — wet towels left on the floor, things broken with no apology, no help with meal preparation/setting or clearing the table/cleaning the dishes. Everyone sits at the kitchen table on their phones, commenting on each other’s Facebook pages until the meal is served (by me). I understand, to them, being in Florida feels like they’re on vacation, but to me, not so much.Read full article >>
This groundbreaking technology will soon let us see exactly what’s in our foodI have seen the future of food transparency, and it is optical. Also, it fits in your smartphone.Imagine a scanner the size of a grain of rice, built into your phone. You go to the grocery store and point it at something you want to buy. If it’s an apple, the scanner will tell you what variety it is, how much vitamin C it has and how long it has been in cold storage. If it’s a fish, you’ll learn whether it’s really orange roughy or just tilapia being passed off as something more expensive. If it’s a muffin, the device will tell you whether there’s gluten in it. Read full article >>
Take these 4 wines outside — and chillHere are four wines to jump-start your enjoyment of spring.— D.M.François et Jean-Marie Cherrier Les Chailloux 2015 ★ ★ ★ Sancerre, Loire Valley, France, $21Read full article >>
With cherry blossoms, may we recommend a nice vinho verde?Daffodils are my wake-up call. It’s spring!Those bright yellow flowers, trumpeting cheer and optimism, perk up my spirit and my palate. I’m no longer craving stews and slow-cooked braises, leaning toward sunnier flavors of renewal and rejuvenation instead. This time of year, after escaping my government-issue pod of an office, when there are no more meetings cluttering my day’s calendar, I enjoy spending a few minutes surveying our patio garden, a glass of rosé in hand. My wife does all the gardening, along with our cocker spaniel, who insists on watering our thyme plant. (We have three, for insurance.) I anticipate summer’s tomatoes, squash and basil, my favorite warm-weather flavors.Read full article >>
Carolyn Hax: Premarital counseling — what’s not to love?Adapted from an online discussion.Hi, Carolyn! Is there a benefit to premarital counseling if the couple have no major problems — or, at least, aren’t yet aware of them? I think I’ve seen a few times in your column that some people have recommended it in all instances, but I’m not sure how I would initiate that process, or suggest it to a fiance(e), when I don’t have an issue in mind that I feel we need to discuss with a counselor. Any advice on when such counseling is worth doing, and how we get the ball rolling if it is?Read full article >>
Reliable Source: Cause Celeb: Busta Rhymes dedicating his life to prison reformCeleb: Rapper and record producer Busta Rhymes.Cause: Rhymes calls prison sentencing reform his passion and advocates against mandatory minimum sentencing laws.“The punishment should fit the crime, but in America today, people are being sentenced to exorbitant sentences for nonviolent crimes, even minor drug offenses,” he said.Read full article >>
Reliable Source: This congressman wore a half-century-old suit to a fashion partyDare we call Rep. Don Young a “lumbersexual?”The 82-year-old Alaska Republican probably isn’t familiar with the term, even though he embodied the hipster label (definition: a cool, bearded type often sporting rugged vintage threads of a certain provenance) at a party Thursday at the D.C. outpost of Filson on the trendy 14th Street corridor. Filson is the Seattle-based heritage brand that got its start outfitting miners in 1897.Read full article >>
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