Carb Country

Hello and welcome to Five Weeknight Dishes. If you ever cook to meet your mood, then next week could be quite a ride in the kitchen — a time for drink mixing and nacho making? Maybe you embrace noodles in uneasy times, or pasta, or stew? Are you an anxiety baker? When I sat down…

Looking for Comfort? Turn to This Beef Stew

A few weeks ago, as the temperature decreased and my pandemic fatigue increased, I did something I hadn’t done in years: I simmered up a homey beef stew. I’d forgotten all about beef stew, seduced by the likes of wine-braised short ribs and fancy Bourguignon. But while braises and Bourguignons may be more impressively company-worthy…

You’re Not Too Old to Talk to Someone

Three years ago, Janet Burns felt herself sliding into depression, a too-familiar state. Ms. Burns, a retired federal worker living in Rockville, Md., grew up in a home she described as abusive, with an alcoholic father. Sometimes, she said, “I get into a slump and can’t get out.” Several times, psychotherapy had helped her regain…

Acupuncture Helped People With Back Pain Walk and Bend Better

A double-blinded randomized trial of electroacupuncture found it may result in a modest improvement in daily functioning for those with chronic back pain, though it provided little pain relief. Electroacupuncture uses a small electric current passed between needles, a practice some believe provides additional pain relief compared with regular acupuncture. Researchers tested the procedure by…

A SoHo Triplex Sells for a Record $35.1 Million

In the final weeks before the presidential election, real estate closings slowed in New York City, but there were still several big transactions, including a record purchase in SoHo and another king-size sale at 220 Central Park South. An anonymous buyer paid $35.1 million for a meticulously renovated triplex atop 419-421 Broome Street, the 19th-century…