• Like a group hug
In this peculiar, historic, bumpy, capricious and unpredictable year, one of the most remarkable developments is that American consumers are not consuming. Who knew that could ever happen? Car sales are down, travel is down, even purchases of luxury goods are down.

• 'Soul' and the city
You can tell that "Soul Cities," a unique cable-TV travel series making its way to New Orleans tonight, is generously defining the term "soul" when you watch the San Francisco Bay Area episode, which repeats, conveniently enough, right after the 8 p.m. premiere of our turn.

• TUESDAY'S CALENDAR
SPECIAL EVENTS

• Nell Nolan: Another set of photos coming
Bring on the B's. And, all on the same night, they came in as the Boy Scouts, Bar Association and Beaujolais.

• Dave Walker: 'Soul' and the city
You can tell that "Soul Cities," a unique cable-TV travel series making its way to New Orleans tonight, is generously defining the term "soul" when you watch the San Francisco Bay Area episode, which repeats, conveniently enough, right after the 8 p.m. premiere of our turn.

• And may all your Christmases be wired
I've had my Kindle for almost half a year and though I haven't yet used it to surf the Internet, get unlost via Google Maps or upload text documents from my PC -- all possible -- I have used it to read thousands of words from books, magazines and newspapers.

• Prospectus
The Ratings:

• PARENTS & CHILDREN CALENDAR
STUFF FOR KIDS

• MONDAY'S CALENDAR
SPECIAL EVENTS

• Nell Nolan: Festive forces rally for annual fundraisers
Patriotism and patrons underscored a series of social rounds. The Louisiana Commandery Military Order of Foreign Wars of the United States held its annual meeting and dinner at the New Orleans Country Club; for the high school's annual auction, "De La Salle Wants You" bannered the invitation that depicted the familiar image of the red-white-and-blue garbed Uncle Sam and announced the National World War II Museum as the venue; and Crimestoppers rallied its throng for the 2008 Carnivale at Blaine Kern's Mardi Gras World. The preceding evening, 150 patrons assembled in the penthouse home of Stewart and Juli Juneau. It's atop the Ritz-Carlton.

• PARENTS & CHILDREN CALENDAR
STUFF FOR KIDS

• Fiddler on the roof
For most people, a roof is a prosaic thing, not worthy of much consideration. But Bo Anderson is a connoisseur and his take on the matter is more in the realm of poetry.

• Holidays in our hometown
Happy Holidays. It's time to hit the road.

• Trip Tips
--- Vacation rentals ---

• Where will we find you next?
Pack a Travel section on your next trip and e-mail a photo -- be imaginative -- of you and the Travel section to Papertrails@timespicayune.com (put destination in the subject line) or snail mail a print to Paper Trails, Travel, The Times-Picayune, 3800 Howard Ave., New Orleans, LA 70125-1429.

• Pat O's story
Writers through the years have called it "the Mount Rushmore of bars," "the house that hooch built," "Disneyland for serious drinkers," "the most famous bar in the whole world," and "the answer to posterity and the future of Western civilization."

• Prospectus
The Ratings:

• Holidays in our hometown
Happy Holidays. It's time to hit the road.

• SUNDAY'S CALENDAR
SPECIAL EVENTS

• Trip Tips
--- Vacation rentals ---

• Where will we find you next?
Pack a Travel section on your next trip and e-mail a photo -- be imaginative -- of you and the Travel section to Papertrails@timespicayune.com (put destination in the subject line) or snail mail a print to Paper Trails, Travel, The Times-Picayune, 3800 Howard Ave., New Orleans, LA 70125-1429.

• Angus Lind: Pat O's story
Writers through the years have called it "the Mount Rushmore of bars," "the house that hooch built," "Disneyland for serious drinkers," "the most famous bar in the whole world," and "the answer to posterity and the future of Western civilization."

• Curiosity comes to town
A handful of lucky locals finally can stop being curious Monday about the locally shot "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," as Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. host an invitation-only, red-carpet local screening expected to draw at least a handful of Hollywood insiders.

• DRESSED FOR THE HOLIDAYS
--- ALL NEW IN ST. BERNARD ---

• Have yourself a drunken Irish Christmas
Conor McPherson's "The Seafarer" at Southern Rep is the most unusual Christmas play you will ever see -- and probably the best.

• Sweet sounds of success
In a season dominated by bleak news about crime and the economy, New Orleanians can still give thanks for a vibrant music community with growing institutions. I had a chance to reflect on those positives after talking with a couple of noted arts administrators:

• SATURDAY'S CALENDAR
SPECIAL EVENTS

• A VERY BEARY HOLIDAY ON DUFOSSAT STREET
The neighborhood: Jefferson City, a large area of the Uptown Historic District that was added to the national register in 1985. Like the town of Carrollton, Jefferson City as of 1850 was an incorporated municipal entity of Jefferson Parish, before being annexed by New Orleans in 1870. Jefferson City was made up of seven faubourgs -- Rickerville, Avart, Bouligny and others -- which had all been plantations in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Jefferson City was bounded on the north by swampy areas situated about where South Claiborne Avenue is today, and by the Mississippi River on the south. Its eastern boundary was Toledano Street, and it extended past State Street on the west.

• CLEANING FRAGILE FABRICS TAKES REAMS OF PATIENCE
CLEANING 101: Diana Parham of New Orleans wrote for advice on the best way to clean the velvet upholstery on a small antique arm chair, as well as how to remove age spots from a set of hand-embroidered kitchen towels.

• Letters to Dan Gill: Dan Gill's mailbox
Please help! I recently repotted a ficus tree and kept it outside for a few months. I just moved it back indoors and noticed many leaves are folded up. At first glance, I thought it was some sort of leaf gall, but on closer inspection, it was just leaves folded in half. When I forced open the folded leaves, there were eggs (they look kind of like sawdust) inside. Now I have tiny black bugs hatching all over! What are these and what should I do about this?

• EAST JEFFERSON REAL ESTATE TRANSFERS
E. JEFFERSON

• Home and garden happenings
THIS WEEK

• HOUSE A LIVING LESSON IN FITTING THE CLIMATE
LaHouse, the LSU AgCenter's showcase demonstration home, is open for visitors interested in seeing the latest innovations in home design specifically for Louisiana's subtropical climate. Hours of operation are Wednesdays, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Thursdays and Fridays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; and Saturdays, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. During the holiday season, LaHouse will be closed today and Dec. 24 through Jan. 1.

• This Mold House: KEEPING IT ALL IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Stewart is a more thankful person than me.

• Long Road Home: LONG ROAD HOME
Greta Gladney thought she had avoided what everyone dreads this time of year -- the flu. Her husband, Jim Randels, was felled a few weeks ago. Just as he was beginning to recover , her symptoms began.

• MERCURY TEST IS BONUS WITH HOLIDAY HAIRCUT
Women getting their pre-holiday haircuts at an Uptown salon last week were offered an unusual gift by local environmental advocates: a free mercury test on their hair.

• NEW ORLEANS REAL ESTATE TRANSFERS
NEW ORLEANS

• Nell Nolan: On the high C's: Carnivale and 'Catsby'
Concurrently, cuvee and "Catsby" rounded up their lively lots with features galore at the two festivities.

• Dan Gill: PEST PATROL
PEST PATROL: Check regularly for pests on bedding plants and vegetables. Control aphids with insecticidal soap, light horticultural oil or pyrethrin; caterpillars with Sevin or Bt; and snails and slugs with iron phosphate commercial slug and snail baits or traps.

• ST. BERNARD REAL ESTATE TRANSFERS
ST. BERNARD

• ST. CHARLES REAL ESTATE TRANSFERS
ST. CHARLES

• ST. JOHN REAL ESTATE TRANSFERS
ST. JOHN

• ST. TAMMANY REAL ESTATE TRANSFERS
ST. TAMMANY

• Dan Gill: THE BIG CHILL
The weather turned cold unusually early this year: A killing frost occurred on the north shore back in late October. That doesn't necessarily portend an unusually cold winter, but it does mean it's time to prepare to protect tender tropicals in our landscapes, both in the ground and in containers.

• TRIPLE THE SPACE FOR HOLIDAY DINING
FOODIES AT HEART: You would think that running a fine New Orleans restaurant would offer more than enough culinary creativity for any foodie family. Not so for Broussard's chef/owner Gunter Preuss and his wife, Evelyn.

• WEST JEFFERSON REAL ESTATE TRANSFERS
W. JEFFERSON

• The holiday stress test
"I can't compete with your mother's turkey, Ray -- the woman has giblets in her blood," television's Debra Barone told her sitcom husband in a holiday episode of "Everybody Loves Raymond."

• THE BEST REVENGE
MELISSA GIBBS

• The holiday season officially begins today
My rule of thumb has always been that the Christmas season begins today -- the Friday morning after Thanksgiving.

• THE RIGHT TONE: A weekly guide to being fit
If you need a fast way to tone your legs, tighten your thighs, and lose pounds during the busy holiday season, try one of my fat-burning jump rope workouts. Each workout is guaranteed to blast fat and strengthen your muscles in under 30 minutes.

• Put a little pep on your plate
Mid-afternoon energy dips are practically universal. As four o'clock approaches, it takes every bit of effort to keep from nodding off, and full focus on your work is out of the question.

• Shopper opportunity
With the nation's economic woes hanging over the holidays like a souring clutch of mistletoe, I almost expect to see shoppers heading to the mall today in sack cloth.

• After 25 years, nothing else matters but Metallica
Sunday at the New Orleans Arena featured metal detectors at the doors, epic lines at the beer booths and men's rooms, a preponderance of black attire and stupefying volume.

• Put a little pep on your plate
Mid-afternoon energy dips are practically universal. As four o'clock approaches, it takes every bit of effort to keep from nodding off, and full focus on your work is out of the question.

• THE BEST REVENGE
MELISSA GIBBS

• The holiday stress test
"I can't compete with your mother's turkey, Ray -- the woman has giblets in her blood," television's Debra Barone told her sitcom husband in a holiday episode of "Everybody Loves Raymond."

• THE RIGHT TONE: A weekly guide to being fit
If you need a fast way to tone your legs, tighten your thighs, and lose pounds during the busy holiday season, try one of my fat-burning jump rope workouts. Each workout is guaranteed to blast fat and strengthen your muscles in under 30 minutes.

• Pumpkin pie-zazz
Peter Peter pumpkin eater,

• Pumpkin pie-zazz
Peter Peter pumpkin eater,

• And speaking of pies . . .
Happy Thanksgiving! Frequent contributor B.L. of Belle Chasse sent this recipe just in time. Her healthy sweet potato pecan pie has no butter, salt, white sugar or egg yolks.

• And speaking of pies . . .
Happy Thanksgiving! Frequent contributor B.L. of Belle Chasse sent this recipe just in time. Her healthy sweet potato pecan pie has no butter, salt, white sugar or egg yolks.

• A Southern gothic screwball comedy
Is it any wonder that the three MaGrath sisters are a scandal to the jaybirds? Why, their individual and collective notorious behavior almost kept their cousin Chick Boyle out the Hazlehurst, Miss., Ladies' Social League.

• FOOD BRIEFS
PARTY FOR THE PIG: Chefs Donald Link, Frank Brigtsen, Adolfo Garcia and Steven Strejewski will cook a Slow Food "Party for the Pig" benefit on Dec. 13 at Savvy Gourmet for Arie McFarlan of Dell Rapids, S.D. A fire burned a 100-year-old barn at her Maveric Heritage ranch, taking with it about 40 rare hogs, including a Wessex Saddleback boar, one of only 14 known to exist in the U.S., along with all the winter feed and equipment. Event organizer Poppy Tooker said details are evolving; the chefs have all served McFarlan's pork.

• FOOD BRIEFS
PARTY FOR THE PIG: Chefs Donald Link, Frank Brigtsen, Adolfo Garcia and Steven Strejewski will cook a Slow Food "Party for the Pig" benefit on Dec. 13 at Savvy Gourmet for Arie McFarlan of Dell Rapids, S.D. A fire burned a 100-year-old barn at her Maveric Heritage ranch, taking with it about 40 rare hogs, including a Wessex Saddleback boar, one of only 14 known to exist in the U.S., along with all the winter feed and equipment. Event organizer Poppy Tooker said details are evolving; the chefs have all served McFarlan's pork.

• Trey McIntyre's 'Ma Maison' is a unique artistic triumph
I could almost hear the clatter of bones as nine skeletons, dressed in Carnival motley, shimmied to the wailing clarinet, dangled loose-limbed arms to the thrum of the banjo, and jerked their heads as if nagged by the long, steady roll of the snare. When a downbeat came, they let loose with fluttering steps and whiplash turns from the world of ballet, moving with the singular purpose of schooling fish chased by a shark.

• THURSDAY'S CALENDAR
BENEFITS

• Marcel Bienvenu: Pumpkin pie-zazz
Peter Peter pumpkin eater,

• Nell Nolan: Spirit of giving celebrated
Gratitude and gallivanting underscored three recent events in this Thanksgiving season.

• Season's screenings
Movie-goers heading to see the romantic comedy "Four Christmases" might want comedy, Christmas cheer and chemistry, but nobody gets everything on his wish list.

• Can you transport me out of the theater?
After two previous outings, it would seem French filmmaker Luc Besson's high-octane "Transporter" series finally has run out of what little fuel it had.

• Ms. Fitz's Boys
When more than 160 former Tulane University football players from all over the country gathered at the Wilson Athletic Center one recent Friday evening, they represented more than 730 who played for the Green Wave during the 35 years football secretary Lurlyn Fitzpatrick worked for 13 head coaches.

• Prospectus
The Ratings:

• WEDNESDAY'S CALENDAR
LITERARY EVENTS

• Angus Lind: Ms. Fitz's Boys
When more than 160 former Tulane University football players from all over the country gathered at the Wilson Athletic Center one recent Friday evening, they represented more than 730 who played for the Green Wave during the 35 years football secretary Lurlyn Fitzpatrick worked for 13 head coaches.

• Caught in the act of reading
I love to see people reading, and they are everywhere -- on planes, in coffee shops, settled on porches or in parks, waiting at bus stops or sitting on benches.

• Hot reads
--- HARDCOVER ---

• Shelf Life
BERNIE AND MARLENE JAFFE

• Suited to the season
W

• A compelling contemporary 'Cain'
Bible stories have such a hold on our imaginations and have provided such rich inspiration for writers throughout history. In "Cain's Version," his first novel, retired Tulane University physics professor Frank Durham provides a contemporary Southern gothic version of that Old Testament tale of two brothers.

• Postcards from the edge
The series finale of "The Shield" opens with Vic Mackey driving in Los Angeles, the sordid street life of the neighborhoods where he's spent his professional career flickering past like a nightmare inversion of the "Entourage" credits.

• This week
SPOTLIGHT ON: FRANK DURHAM

• TUESDAY'S CALENDAR
SPECIAL EVENTS

• Caught in the act of reading
I love to see people reading, and they are everywhere -- on planes, in coffee shops, settled on porches or in parks, waiting at bus stops or sitting on benches.

• Nell Nolan: Historic houses are their home bases
Handsome houses generated hardy -- and back-to-back -- hobnobbing. On a recent Wednesday evening, the Laussat Society of The Historic New Orleans Collection held forth most festively at the Garden District home of Mr. and Mrs. Hunter H. White Jr., Lynne and Hunter. The following evening, Mr. and Mrs. William Hugh Hines opened their newly restored residence on Audubon Boulevard for the Historic Houses Society of the Hermann-Grima/Gallier Historic Houses, with Kristen (Mrs. Gene Raymond) Dry and Joyce (Mrs. Sidney) Pulitzer as Historic Houses chairwomen.

• Dave Walker: Postcards from the edge
The series finale of "The Shield" opens with Vic Mackey driving in Los Angeles, the sordid street life of the neighborhoods where he's spent his professional career flickering past like a nightmare inversion of the "Entourage" credits.

• Shelf Life
BERNIE AND MARLENE JAFFE

• This week
SPOTLIGHT ON: FRANK DURHAM

• Toys spring eternal
Recessions come and recessions go, but there never has been a Christmas when toys didn't sell.

• Toy Wish magazine's Hot Dozen of 2008
U-DANCE

• House of stories
You never know what might happen when you decide to turn a storied New Orleans funeral home into a bookstore.

• House of stories
You never know what might happen when you decide to turn a storied New Orleans funeral home into a bookstore.

• Prospectus
The Ratings:

• PARENTS & CHILDREN CALENDAR
STUFF FOR KIDS

• PARENTS & CHILDREN CALENDAR
STUFF FOR KIDS

• MONDAY'S CALENDAR
CHILDREN'S ACTIVITIES

• Nell Nolan: A Crusade and an Odyssey
Grand galas parlayed into purposeful partying when the Cancer Crusaders organization toasted its throng with "Classic Cocktails" and the board of trustees and the Volunteer Committee of the New Orleans Museum of Art staged the annual Odyssey Ball. Underwritten by the Lupin Foundation, the NOMA gala was bannered "Objects of Desire: Faberge From the Hodges Family Collection."

• Angus Lind: House of stories
You never know what might happen when you decide to turn a storied New Orleans funeral home into a bookstore.

• Angus Lind: House of stories
You never know what might happen when you decide to turn a storied New Orleans funeral home into a bookstore.

• PARENTS & CHILDREN CALENDAR
STUFF FOR KIDS

• PARENTS & CHILDREN CALENDAR
STUFF FOR KIDS

• Just another manic Monday
Martin Gramatica missed, Ryan Longwell didn't, and the Minnesota Vikings narrowly defeated the New Orleans Saints on the Oct. 6 edition of "Monday Night Football."

• Trip Tips
--- Holiday travel ---

• Where will we find you next?
Pack a Travel section on your next trip and e-mail a photo -- be imaginative -- of you and the Travel section to Papertrails@timespicayune.com (put destination in the subject line) or snail mail a print to Paper Trails, Travel, The Times-Picayune, 3800 Howard Ave., New Orleans, LA 70125-1429.

• A Charleston chef at the New Orleans Grill
The Windsor Court Hotel is steeped in Anglophilia, and its restaurant, the New Orleans Grill, has long aspired to approximate the sophistication and elegance of the grand Michelin-starred restaurants of Europe.

• A man and his dog -- and the Mouse
For those unconvinced that an old dog -- or, more appropriately, an old mouse -- can learn new tricks, Disney offers "Bolt."

• N.O. Opera's noir 'Giovanni' is wickedly entertaining
The New Orleans Opera Association presented an inventive new production of Mozart's "Don Giovanni" this past weekend, foregoing seductive allure amid swordplay and instead focusing on the darker, more intensely wicked nature of the title character.

• Prospectus
The Ratings:

• Are AARP deals better than other discounts?
Just two months after my last update, AARP made some changes in its travel program. For the most part, the best deals are still for hotels and rental cars -- and even then, many of the same deals are available to travelers of any age.

• Dogs lead way in stem cell therapy
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- It was the house call that changed everything for Dr. Keith Gordon.

• Excessive car rental charge hurts The problem: I recently booked a car through Hertz to drive my family to San Diego for a holiday weekend. Two weeks after I returned the rental, I discovered an additional $66 charge from the company.
I called Hertz to find out why they had increased my bill, and was told that I had brought my car back two hours late. That's true. My son had gotten sick on the trip, and we made multiple stops along the highway.

• SUNDAY'S CALENDAR
SPECIAL EVENTS

• Trip Tips
--- Holiday travel ---

• Where will we find you next?
Pack a Travel section on your next trip and e-mail a photo -- be imaginative -- of you and the Travel section to Papertrails@timespicayune.com (put destination in the subject line) or snail mail a print to Paper Trails, Travel, The Times-Picayune, 3800 Howard Ave., New Orleans, LA 70125-1429.

• A Charleston chef at the New Orleans Grill
The Windsor Court Hotel is steeped in Anglophilia, and its restaurant, the New Orleans Grill, has long aspired to approximate the sophistication and elegance of the grand Michelin-starred restaurants of Europe.

• Dave Walker: Just another manic Monday
Martin Gramatica missed, Ryan Longwell didn't, and the Minnesota Vikings narrowly defeated the New Orleans Saints on the Oct. 6 edition of "Monday Night Football."

• HOME AGAIN
--- THANKSGIVING CENTRAL ---

• 'Magnetic' Metallica
Here's why I never worked for a record company.

• HANDS ACROSS AMERICA
While every New Orleanian has a story from Hurricane Katrina, local rebuilding charities have collected hundreds of them.

• Quirky and outrageous 'Crimes'
"It may seem outrageous, but there is almost nothing in this play that isn't based on reality," said Cassie Steck Worley, the director of "Crimes of the Heart," now playing at Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre.

• McConaughey may return
So this is what we know:

• LPO earns ovations as it plays to strengths
It felt like Easter morning at the First Baptist Church on Thursday, as a joyous, near sell-out crowd leaped to its feet in a pair of standing ovations. They had plenty to celebrate, starting with the near-miraculous resurrection of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra -- a band that might have died after Hurricane Katrina, but which now feels like an emblem of a resurgent city.

• Prospectus
The Ratings:

• SATURDAY'S CALENDAR
SPECIAL EVENTS

• CIGAR STORE INDIAN PLAQUE RECALLS TIME WHEN TOBACCO WAS KING
THE PIECE: American Indian head plaque, probably from the late 18th or early 19th century

• Nell Nolan: Citizens, Friends and Stars
Movable merriment!

• Letters to Dan Gill: Dan Gill's mailbox
After building new beds and adding commercial garden soil, we have a serious infestation of dollar weed. At this point, we have only put crape myrtle trees in these beds and plan to add other flowering plants later. What is the best way to get rid of the dollar weed? It's a major problem. As fast as we dig it out, it comes right back. We are concerned that if we use a herbicide, we won't be able to get the new plants to grow.

• DUBLIN HOUSES DRESSED FOR PO-BOY FEST
A friend started talking months ago about the Oak Street po-boy festival. Maybe it's because he's from Boston, where the hungry have to settle for subs. Or maybe it's because he lives in Carrollton, and events like the Po-Boy Festival fill him with neighborhood pride. Whatever the case, he has anticipated the po-boy festival almost as keenly as a Red Sox game.

• EAST JEFFERSON REAL ESTATE TRANSFERS
E. JEFFERSON

• GREEN BUILDING NOTES
The National Association of Home Builders announced this week that the number of national Certified Green Professionals has hit the 1,500 mark. The CGP designation recognizes builders, remodelers and other industry professionals who understand how to incorporate green building principles into homes and provide green-building expertise for consumers. Certification is done through the NAHB National Green Building Program.

• Home and garden happenings
THIS WEEK

• Long Road Home: LAKEVIEW FAMILY HOPES TO BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS
NOTE: Work continues at a blistering pace on the Lakeview house of Karina Gentinetta and A.J. McAlear. Will they really be in their home for Christmas?

• NEW ORLEANS REAL ESTATE TRANSFERS
NEW ORLEANS

• REBUILDING BROADMOOR, LITERALLY
THE HOME: A three-bedroom Arts and Crafts cottage in Broadmoor

• REPAVED STREETS WILL HAVE LANES FOR BICYCLING
If the Department of Public Works' recent increased budget request is any indication, then New Orleans could be heading toward more roadways that cater to both motorists and cyclists.

• Dan Gill: SPRING BLOSSOMS FOR THE HOLIDAYS
"Forcing" is a gardening term that refers to making plants bloom out of season. Forcing is done by manipulating a plant's environment, primarily light and temperature, and it's not so much a matter of forcing plants as fooling them into blooming at the desired time.

• ST. BERNARD REAL ESTATE TRANSFERS
ST. BERNARD

• ST. CHARLES REAL ESTATE TRANSFERS
ST. CHARLES

• ST. JOHN REAL ESTATE TRANSFERS
ST. JOHN

• STRAPPY CHAIR WINS HOME FASHION CONTEST
Here are a few recent odds and ends from the InsideOut mail basket:

• ST. TAMMANY REAL ESTATE TRANSFERS
ST. TAMMANY

• This Mold House: TANKLESS WATER HEATERS RIDE A CONSTRUCTION WAVE
"There's no hot water," Christina told me the day after we returned from evacuation for Hurricane Gustav.

• Dan Gill: Tips for gardeners
WEED WHACKER: If you do not plan to put cool-season plants in your vegetable garden, pull all weeds and add at least 4 inches of mulch. This will make it easier to plant in spring, as you will simply need to remove the mulch and prepare the soil.

• VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR HISTORIC COOKING DEMOS
The Hermann-Grima Historic House at 820 St. Louis St. is looking for occasional cooks for its 19th-century-cooking program. History buffs who are willing to demonstrate open-hearth cooking every now and then -- for an evening event, school program, public relations opportunity, holiday activity or the like -- can contact the historic home at 504.525.5661.

• WEST JEFFERSON REAL ESTATE TRANSFERS
W. JEFFERSON

• Feat of feet
Dwight D. Eisenhower was president, gasoline was 25 cents a gallon, Mattel's Barbie was born, and Alaska became the 49th state in 1958, the year Albert E. Briede ran his first Turkey Day Race. At 86, Briede will participate in his 50th race next week.

• CNN to show weekend in the life of NOPD
Soledad O'Brien and a CNN crew came to town in the spring to report on violent crime.

• 'Swimming Upstream' onstage and off
After Tuesday night's performance of "Swimming Upstream," activist and playwright Eve Ensler, who co-produced the piece, came out to give kudos to the "Katrina Warriors" on stage -- and to acknowledge some serious technical difficulties.

• THE BEST REVENGE
GLENN HARRIS

• THE RIGHT TONE: A weekly guide to being fit
No matter where you exercise, step-ups are a great way to shape and tone your legs and lift your buttocks. If you're enjoying our perfect fall weather while walking in the park, stop two or three times and do step-ups on a park bench. If you're partial to exercising at home, use stair steps, a milk crate, or anything sturdy and right below knee level or lower. If you're at the gym, use an aerobic step bench.

• Avoid the dinner roll
It happens every Thanksgiving: After dinner, someone savors the last bite of pecan pie, leans back from the table, lets out a huge sigh and says, "I'll bet I gained five pounds today!"

• Avoid the dinner roll
It happens every Thanksgiving: After dinner, someone savors the last bite of pecan pie, leans back from the table, lets out a huge sigh and says, "I'll bet I gained five pounds today!"

• Dave Walker: CNN to show weekend in the life of NOPD
Soledad O'Brien and a CNN crew came to town in the spring to report on violent crime.

• Feat of feet
Dwight D. Eisenhower was president, gasoline was 25 cents a gallon, Mattel's Barbie was born, and Alaska became the 49th state in 1958, the year Albert E. Briede ran his first Turkey Day Race. At 86, Briede will participate in his 50th race next week.

• THE BEST REVENGE
GLENN HARRIS

• THE RIGHT TONE: A weekly guide to being fit
No matter where you exercise, step-ups are a great way to shape and tone your legs and lift your buttocks. If you're enjoying our perfect fall weather while walking in the park, stop two or three times and do step-ups on a park bench. If you're partial to exercising at home, use stair steps, a milk crate, or anything sturdy and right below knee level or lower. If you're at the gym, use an aerobic step bench.

• Tips from the teachers
--- Poppy Tooker ---

• Tips from the teachers
--- Poppy Tooker ---

• Bound for Iraq
L.H. wrote recently that her neighbor wanted to send chocolate pralines to her nephew in Iraq for Christmas, but the recipe was lost due to Hurricane Katrina. What she remembers is: 3 cups sugar, 3 cups brown sugar, 1 can evaporated milk, 1 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips (she's not sure about this), butter and vanilla.

• Bound for Iraq
L.H. wrote recently that her neighbor wanted to send chocolate pralines to her nephew in Iraq for Christmas, but the recipe was lost due to Hurricane Katrina. What she remembers is: 3 cups sugar, 3 cups brown sugar, 1 can evaporated milk, 1 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips (she's not sure about this), butter and vanilla.

• The cheese factor
I fell in love with cheese when I was about 5 years old. My mother was making macaroni and cheese to go with fried catfish. She cut off a chunk of Velveeta and dropped it into my chubby palm. I rolled it around my mouth, allowing it to melt on my tongue. Yum! I asked for another piece. I was smitten.

• Big Easy upbringing
For musician "Deacon" John Moore it's the sound of recited Latin.

• FOOD BRIEFS
NEXT SIGNING FOR OUR NEW COOKBOOK: Marcelle Bienvenu and Judy Walker will sign "Cooking Up A Storm: Recipes Lost and Found from The Times-Picayune of New Orleans" Saturday, 2-4 p.m. at A Tisket A Tasket, 910 Decatur St.

• FOOD BRIEFS
NEXT SIGNING FOR OUR NEW COOKBOOK: Marcelle Bienvenu and Judy Walker will sign "Cooking Up A Storm: Recipes Lost and Found from The Times-Picayune of New Orleans" Saturday, 2-4 p.m. at A Tisket A Tasket, 910 Decatur St.

• Tips from the teachers
--- Poppy Tooker ---

• Dave Walker: Big Easy upbringing
For musician "Deacon" John Moore it's the sound of recited Latin.

• Nell Nolan: TGIF for three party packs
Friday fetes imprinted the party circuit, thanks to the annual Marine Forces Reserve Birthday Ball, Ursuline Academy's "A Recipe for Success," and the Magnolia School's "Moonlight on the River." The latter two unfolded on the premises, while the Marines enjoyed their "Semper Fidelis"-meeting and greeting at the New Orleans Marriott.

• Marcel Bienvenu: The cheese factor
I fell in love with cheese when I was about 5 years old. My mother was making macaroni and cheese to go with fried catfish. She cut off a chunk of Velveeta and dropped it into my chubby palm. I rolled it around my mouth, allowing it to melt on my tongue. Yum! I asked for another piece. I was smitten.