By J.M. Hirsch THE ASSOCIATED PRESS It’s the malleability of Christmas dinner that can make it so challenging to plan. Which is to say, choice can be intimidating. At Thanksgiving, it’s about the turkey. Valentine’s Day demands chocolate. Easter? Ham or lamb. And Fourth of July is all burgers and […]

By Alison Ladman THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Salad: The least loved side of holiday dinners. But it doesn’t have to be. The problem with most of the salads served at holiday meals is they tend to lack inspiration and usually are made from lacklustre ingredients. Fair enough. Our focus usually is […]

By Meera Sodha The Associated Press Indians love a festive celebration. In fact, my family loved them so much that not only would we celebrate Diwali and Holi, we’d also throw ourselves into Easter and Christmas. I even remember my mum getting excited about Chinese New Year. Christmas often was […]

By Nicole Winfield The Associated Press VATICAN CITY Pope Francis on Tuesday pushes open the huge bronze Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica to formally launch his yearlong “revolution of tenderness” amid unprecedented security aimed at thwarting the threat of a Paris-style attack at the Vatican. Hundreds of extra police, […]

The Associated Press PALM BAY, Fla. Authorities say a man who may have hidden as officers investigated reports of two suspicious men in a Florida community targeted by recent burglaries was killed by an 11-foot alligator. Brevard County Sheriff’s Maj. Tod Goodyear says 22-year-old Matthew Riggins told his girlfriend he […]