Connecticut

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Cookies in the past were homemade by Mom with real butter in a KitchenAid mixer and baked until they “smell done.”

Today, baking homemade cookies often means rolling dough from a package into balls, or placing pre-formed cookie shapes onto a baking sheet. If the house smells like cookies, then you’ve made “homemade cookies.”

We can’t taste much difference between from-scratch and from-dough cookies. But it could be that we can’t remember how a true old-fashioned cookie tastes because it’s been so long since we had one.

Melanie Barnard, author of “Ready, Set, Dough!”, takes prepared doughs one step further.

(Read the full post about ‘Baking ready-made doughs — 1 step further’…)

It’s that time of year again, and the big question this season is: Who will you endorse?

Maybe you like the smooth candidate (which might make you a Tagalong fan). Or perhaps you prefer one with zest (in which case you may belong to the Lemon Chalet Creme party).

Wherever your allegiances lie, this campaign — being run by the Girl Scouts — is bound to be a tasteful one.

Coinciding with what many pundits are calling the earliest and most-scrutinized presidential election cycle in years, the Girl Scouts have pit Tagalongs against Do-Si-Dos in a contest to determine Connecticut’s favorite cookie.

The state’s 55,000 Girl Scouts last week set out campaigning for all cookies, which they will peddle through March.

(Read the full post about ‘Vote with your taste buds’…)

The pickup lines are the same. But they’re delivered with a mommy twist.

“Do you come here (the playground) often?”

“Do you want to come to my place, or shall we go to yours?”

Mothers of young children, who a few years ago may have been looking for Mr. Right in a bar, now are seeking Mrs. Right and her kids in between the swings and the slides at the local playground.

Women also are going online to find moms who match their personality and interests, much like singles use an online dating service.

“You scope ‘em out,” says Magalie Belanger, 31, about prospective mommy-friends in Helena, Mont.

(Read the full post about ‘Moms’ search for friends can resemble dating’…)

A few weeks ago, we ran a story exploring whether or not nude sheer panty hose are out of style.

Most fashion insiders say hose are a no-no, but one industry expert said they are ripe for a comeback. We put readers to the test and asked them to vote for their favorite leg wear (nude sheer hose, black sheer hose, bare leg or black opaque tights) with four different shoes (gray ballet flat, black low heel, black casual sandal and black dressy sandal).

Answers were across the board with no clear winners. But bare legs for both the casual and dressy sandals were shoo-ins.

Here’s what a few women had to say:

“I was born in 1950, so my idea of what looks good may be way off from the preferences of, say, a woman in her 20s or 30s.

(Read the full post about ‘We heard you …’…)

NEW YORK — The stars in the clear winter sky are aligned for a Nordic moment in fashion: It’s cold outside. We’re conscious about the environment. People crave luxury but are also demand practicality.

These are ideas that people in the countries of northern Europe on the Baltic Sea have lived with for years, and they hold a lot of appeal for those across the Atlantic right now, where Nordic designers are getting new attention.

“They have a natural tendency to work with natural materials,” says Ann Watson, fashion director at New York’s Henri Bendel of Nordic designers. She singles out Phi and Elise Overland as labels that insiders have their eye on.

“Without pillars around seasons anymore, the idea of being better at layering is so important,” Watson adds.

(Read the full post about ‘Warm Nordic looks: the latest in cool’…)

OCALA, Fla. — Wesley Snipes has made his first public comments since his tax evasion trial began.

Snipes said that he has “always been paying” his taxes and trying to comply with federal tax rules.

But the actor claims the problem has been with the IRS, not with him.

“The question is if they tell you what you’re supposed to do,” Snipes said. “We need to go to our government and get clear answers.”

Snipes’ attorneys have claimed Snipes tried to get the IRS to clarify his claim that he isn’t liable to pay income taxes, but didn’t get a response.

Snipes and two co-defendants are charged with seeking millions of dollars in refunds for taxes they’d already paid. (Read the full post about ‘Snipes Speaks Publicly About Tax Fraud Charges’…)

NEW YORK — Veteran CBS newsman Bob Schieffer said that he plans to step down as “Face the Nation” anchor next January when a new president is inaugurated.

Schieffer said that the start of a new administration provides a natural transition. But he still hopes to have some relationship with CBS.

CBS News President Sean McManus said that Schieffer can work at CBS News “as long as he wants to,” adding that he hopes that’s a long time.

But there’s always a chance of a second career. He plays guitar in the country band Honky Tonk Confidential.

He said if he ever gets to the Grand Ole Opry, he’ll move right into country music.

Schieffer turns 71 next month. (Read the full post about ‘Schieffer To Step Down From ‘Face The Nation’’…)

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County authorities said that an autopsy on Christian Brando did not immediately determine what killed the eldest son of the late actor Marlon Brando.

Coroner’s official Ed Winter said the cause of death was listed Tuesday as deferred pending results of toxicology tests that may determine whether Brando had prescription or other drugs in his system and whether a medical condition was involved.

Results should be available in six to eight weeks.

Christian Brando died Saturday at a Los Angeles hospital. (Read the full post about ‘Coroner: More Tests Needed On Christian Brando’…)

WASHINGTON — Sometimes the Super Bowl and the ads are all about noise. But one humorous Pepsi ad will be silent.

Video: Watch Pepsi Ad

The 60-second spot is in American Sign Language with captions. The actors are really Pepsi employees who are deaf or hard-of-hearing and who are members of EnAble, an employee network whose mission is to promote a more inclusive environment for people with disabilities.

It shows a couple of guys in a car driving down a residential street in the evening looking for their friend’s house. Both of them forgot to bring the address. So they think up a quick and funny way to narrow down which house does “not” belong to their friend, who’s also deaf. (Read the full post about ‘Pepsi Lauded For Silent Super Bowl Ad’…)

NEW YORK — For rabid fans of the New York Giants and New England Patriots, this Sunday’s Super Bowl won’t be just a game. It may be a health hazard.

More: Super Bowl Section

Heart attacks and other cardiac emergencies doubled in Munich, Germany, when that nation’s soccer team played in World Cup matches, a new study reports.

Doctors think there are some valid warnings to be shared.

“I know a little bit about the Super Bowl,” study author Dr. Gerhard Steinbeck of Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich said in a telephone interview. “It’s reasonable to think that something quite similar might happen.”

He and his colleagues present their results in Thursday’s New England Journal of Medicine. (Read the full post about ‘Will Super Bowl Cause More Heart Problems?’…)