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Mary Ann Esposito’s best baked beans

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:42 GMT

What is a summer cookout without baked beans? Just another cookout. Make yours the talk of the town with these slightly spicy beans.Summer’s Best Baked BeansINGREDIENTS2 cups dried navy beans1 Vidalia onion studded with 10 whole cloves2 whole bay leaves1 meaty ham bone3 cups water2 heaping tablespoons Dijon mustard1/2 cup molasses2 cups ketchup½ cup sweet pickle juiceSalt to tasteGrinding black pepper½ teaspoon cayenne pepperDIRECTIONSPlace beans in a large bowl. Cover with cold water and refrigerate overnight. Next day, drain and rinse them.Place the beans, onion, bay leaves and ham bone in a bean pot or other heavy duty oven pot like a Dutch Oven.In a bowl mix together the water, mustard, molasses, ketchup, pickle juice, salt and cayenne and black pepper. Pour over the beans and ham bone.Cover pot and place in 325F preheated oven for 2 ½ hours or until beans are tender but not mushy.Remove ham bone and onion; scrape any meat off bone and add to the beans; remove the cloves from th...

Cure summer boredom with family crafts to make together

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:42 GMT

Things seem to slow down in summer. Come summer, the hurried pace that dominates much of the year takes a backseat to vacations, lounging around the pool, diving through ocean waves, and setting up tents at campsites near or far. When the weather is accommodating, there’s a seemingly endless list of ways to enjoy time spent outdoors.But as everyone knows, Mother Nature tends to be a bit unpredictable during the hazy days of summer. Thunderstorms can roll in quite suddenly, or rain may persist for a few days as the atmosphere attempts to right itself after an abundance of steamy days.Keep a list of craft ideas at the ready to make the most of time spent inside or out. The following are a few ideas.Friendship braceletsThere have been different iterations of friendship bracelets for every generation. With some general craft supplies, such as embroidery thread, beads, plastic lanyards, or other jewelry-making materials, kids can make and share a variety of friendship bracelets.Sea...

Frazier: Lack of civic education spells failure for future

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:42 GMT

\Disastrous. There’s no other word to describe the state of civic education in the U.S. In the wake of the latest test results released by the National Assessment of Educational Progress it would be hard for anyone to conclude otherwise.According to the NAEP, just one in three eighth grade students can describe the structure or function of government. On the whole, barely more than one out of every ten students scored at or above the proficient level.The good news is that the horrendous results have already caused an appropriate level of panic — headlines covering the dismal results demonstrate popular concern that we’re sowing the seeds of our own democratic demise by leaving the next generation the keys to a governing system they don’t understand.Assuming that this panic increases the educational resources paid to civics, the question is how to introduce students to a system that is undergoing a troubling bout of partisanship and gridlock.Do we emphasize how our democr...

Murphy: Floating recovery hospital an idea well worth launching

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:42 GMT

The state Senate has backed a proposal to explore converting a decommissioned ship to provide mental health and recovery services, and I say it’s a good first step.The Senate plan calls on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s naval construction and marine engineering program to examine the feasibility of a floating hospital to address urgent mental health needs, which would help us address the situation at Mass and Cass.And I support it, because we need to do something. There are people suffering at that intersection, people are suffering across every neighborhood in our city, and to do less than our level best to alleviate that pain is beneath us. Using a ship is the least we can do.I know firsthand the feeling of getting a phone call that Long Island was being shut down while a loved one was being cared for there. While my family was lucky enough to emerge from that trauma, others have had a tougher time. And the chaos and worry of those few hours is lived daily by the love...

Editorial: Safety shouldn’t be stuck in T ‘slow zone’

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:42 GMT

“Slow zones” are not just speed restrictions in place until track repairs at made, they’re part of the MBTA’s mission statement.T riders have followed – and endured – the beleaguered transit agency’s torturous saga of accidents, derailments, delays, special panels, probes and scathing safety reports. We need to trust that actions are being taken in a timely manner and the T is pulling up its collective socks.Shutting down subway lines for repairs was one such move, and while it put a kink in many commutes, it was a visible testament to the agency taking steps to improve safety.However, the MBTA has always had a knack for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, as Federal Transit Administration Chief Safety Officer Joe DeLorenzo learned first hand.As the Herald reported, DeLorenzo wrote to MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng that the agency’s work plan, intended to address right-of-way violations that led to five near-misses and left one empl...

Hayden Wesneski is back from Iowa to bolster a Chicago Cubs bullpen that threw 4 scoreless innings in a 2-1 win vs. the Tampa Bay Rays

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:42 GMT

The Chicago Cubs’ long-term outlook on right-hander Hayden Wesneski hasn’t changed.They believe in his ability to be a big-league starter and potentially an impact arm in their rotation down the line.But the Cubs need more out of their struggling bullpen and are looking to Wesneski to bolster it. They recalled the 25-year-old from Triple-A Iowa before Tuesday’s 2-1 victory against the Tampa Bay Rays and optioned right-hander Michael Rucker.Manager David Ross isn’t defining a role for Wesneski in the bullpen. Multi-inning use or one-inning appearances both could be in play.“We’re trying to get the most talented pitchers we can down there,” Ross said. “He’s going to go out and do him, so I don’t worry about the heart rate, and he’s been in the bullpen before in big moments.“The reason why guys start is usually they’re the best pitchers and have the best stuff to go multiple innings. That stuff could tick up....

Knicks, Scott Perry parting ways after six seasons: reports

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:42 GMT

The Knicks and general manager Scott Perry are parting ways, according to reports.Perry had been GM for the team for six seasons and reportedly will explore other options, as his contract is expiring.Perry was hired by ex-Knicks executive Steve Mills in 2017. Mills was later replaced by Leon Rose in 2020 and the current executive retained Perry as general manager.Perry was part of a front office that helped build a team that achieved its first postseason series win in a decade and just the second postseason series win since 2000. He helped sign RJ Barrett to a $120 million extension last summer, which ended a 23-year streak of the Knicks failing to sign a rookie to a second deal.Perry was also a part of the Knicks signing Mitchell Robinson, Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson, who turned out to be one of the NBA’s most impactful free agent signings last summer. ()

Here’s your new favorite asparagus recipe

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:42 GMT

For a long time, cooking asparagus any way other than the very simplest seemed like gilding the spear to me. Blanching it in boiling water for just a few minutes until just tender and bright green like a spring dream, then eating it as soon as possible — what could be better than this?If you’re going to eat all the local asparagus you can while you are on this earth — which you should — there’s plenty of time to try it different ways.The customizable approach here came about by way of messing around with a New York Times recipe for Butter-Braised Asparagus by David Tanis — his involves chives, parsley or chervil, tarragon and optional dill. But the chives may be substituted at will with shallot, green onion, spring onion, ramps or leeks; garlic seems too forceful in this application to me, but hey, do what you feel.Buttery Braised Asparagus With Fresh HerbsINGREDIENTS1 1/2 pounds asparagus6 tablespoons salted butterKosher salt and fresh-ground pepper2 tablespoons lemon j...

North Korea spy satellite launch fails as rocket falls into the sea

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:42 GMT

By HYUNG-JIN KIM and KIM TONG-HYUNG (Associated Press)SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea’s attempt to put the country’s first spy satellite into space failed Wednesday in a setback to leader Kim Jong Un’s push to boost his military capabilities as tensions with the United States and South Korea rise.After an unusually quick admission of failure, North Korea vowed to conduct a second launch after learning what went wrong with its rocket liftoff. It suggests Kim remains determined to expand his weapons arsenal and apply more pressure on Washington and Seoul while diplomacy is stalled.South Korea and Japan briefly urged residents to take shelter after the launch.The South Korean military said it was salvaging an object presumed to be part of the crashed North Korean rocket in waters 200 kilometers (124 miles) west of the southwestern island of Eocheongdo. Later, the Defense Ministry released photos of a white, metal cylinder it described as a suspected rocket...

‘Smores get an upgrade in a decadent pie

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:42 GMT

S’mores have been a much-loved summer treat ever since the official recipe for the sweet but simple combination first appeared in a 1927 Girl Scout guidebook, “Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts.”They’re often a hot, sticky mess, but roasted marshmallows just go so incredibly well with chocolate and graham crackers, right? The fact that you can make them over a campfire only adds to their crowd appeal.But what if you don’t have a fire pit in your backyard, or aren’t keen about letting your kids cook over hot coals with a pointy stick? Or maybe you just want to impress friends and family with a make-ahead, party-worthy dessert.This decadent pie recipe brings together all the familiar and sugary-sweet flavors of a s’more, only with a bit more flair, which makes it the perfect showstopper for a summer barbecue.S’more PieINGREDIENTSFor crust12 whole graham crackers, broken into pieces2 tablespoons sugar1/8 teaspoon salt6 tablespoon...