Flu season is here! While the flu shot and good hygiene are the first line of defense against the flu, tea can also boost your immune system.

On a narrow stab of Pismo Beach the waves come in a palm-flat wash, all gold in the tops, where the green sea meets a dazzle of sand.

We all spend too many hours a day in front of a screen — whether it’s a computer, smartphone or tablet.

IVORYTON — The Ivoryton Playhouse opens its doors for a new season March 18, offering a year full of exciting, affordable, professional theatre. From the First Family of Country to the First Lady of Mystery; from battles among the rose beds to love that lasts forever, the 2020 season has a l…

CENTERBROOK — In these cold, drab winter months, with the crush of the holidays over and spring far off, we need color, warmth and light. And to slow down and recognize what we may not have noticed as we’ve rushed from one place to another.

I have learned a lot from teaching yoga over the last decade, but I have learned the most from teaching Baby Yoga! Babies have a way of making everything so pure and simple.

How about this for a New Year’s goal? Looking up from your cell phone more often and being more engaged in the world in front of you.

Some time ago, the Rosca da Rainha had an exclusive audience in Brazil; the scrumptious sweet bread belonged to the upper-class individuals with refined taste and pedigree. Its name accounted for its attitude: the queen’s biscuit.

Like a siren, the pão de queijo’s scent announces its presence loudly throughout the house. Louder than a doorbell, a phone ringing or an alarm clock, the pão de queijo’s warnings cannot be ignored.

GUILFORD — Guilford Art Center is inviting all community members to the free Open Arts Day 1-3 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 5.

In the narrowed channel, slack tide, a mat of kelp, or weed, or salt grass floats along the surface without a notion of its own, captured by the absent-minded tug and turn of eddies between the bars. It drifts, closer. Then, further. Catching in a spiral of water turning, turning, and… Recognition!

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah! As a child, and to this day, I like it when Hanukkah overlaps with Christmas as is the case this year.

Red-tail faces the sunrise. Hawks in winter always do. Her bright and speckled breast a beacon against the gray of early morning. The land beyond is empty. The hills in silence hug themselves. Even the pallid sun is shivering. But Red-tail is not. Perched high in the blank scrawl of limbs sh…

The final weeks of December are the time when thoughts of New Year Resolutions start to pop up.

Owner and city transplant Ericka Whalen works to take the guesswork out of shopping.

If you find yourself browsing the aisles of your local pet store picking up goodies for your favorite fur person’s Christmas stocking, you’re not alone.

You can catch a versions of “A Christmas Carol” in various places during holiday season (Goodspeed’s at Terris Theater, Hartford Stage), but the one at Ivoryton Playhouse is as intriguing as any, partly for its pedigree and humor.

The sights, shopping stress and especially the smells that make up the “most wonderful time of the year” can make it a real challenge to keep up with your fitness goals. While we might all want to act like Santa, come Dec. 26 - stuffed with cookies, napping in a big recliner - instead, chall…

I loved “meeting” the Feijão tropeiro in New York City, in one of those chic churrascarias at Central Park West.

“I’m so against retirement. I hate retirement and I never considered myself a candidate for it,” said Foster, 69. But “I’m getting up in years and when you reach this age, anything can happen.”

Every new business starts with a dream, but as consumers we generally only see the finished product.

It’s a good idea to prepare yourself if you plan to see both parts of Mr. Lopez’s play at matinee and evening in the same day. It can be done at 1 p.m. and again at 7 p.m. Make certain you’ve had sufficient nourishment to get you through, and you might consider a visit to the rest room befor…

“One Pot Gluten-Free Cooking,” by Amy Rains

“How the Hot Dog Found Its Bun: Accidental Discoveries and unexpected Inspirations That Shape What We Eat and Drink,” by Josh Chetwynd

Cranberry Pecan Loaf from Cape Cod, Mass. (for this recipe, visit https://bit.ly/2OV1jkp)

“The Beer Pantry: Cooking at the Intersection of Craft Beer and Great Food,” by Adam Dulye with Michael Harlan Turkell

Crazy Candy Cane Cake

Chocolate Avocado Pudding

I am asked by many people, “What cookbooks do you recommend for my foodie friends and relatives?” It isn’t easy to pick just a few suggestions.

To get right to it — there is an anticipatory glow, even as we settle into our seats, that shouts at us from the house curtain with the musical’s title splashed across it in all its gory glory.

If you thought Part One had an array of awesome finds, check out even more in Part Two.

If you’re a guitar lover then you don’t want to miss Robert Messore's Fabulous Guitar Night, 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 7 at St. John's Episcopal Church, 400 Humphrey St., New Haven.

GUILFORD — On Thursday, Dec. 12, the Guilford Poets Guild will celebrate the publication of its 20th Anniversary Anthology, Our Changing Environment, with a special reading by 12 members of the Guild.

Joseph Pilates, the creator of Pilates which he originally called Contrology, was the ultimate master in body movement.

Music at the Meetinghouse presents Shoreline Soul in a Holiday Gospel Concert directed by professional recording artist Angela Clemmons Sunday, Dec. 15 at 3 p.m. Doors will open at 2:30 p.m.

OLD SAYBROOK — To kick off the holiday season, The Meadows Brothers, the Chester-born-and-bred rising stars of Americana and roots music, will join their majestic vocal harmonies with the Ebin-Rose Trio, Moving Target, Hugh Birdsall, Lauren Agnelli & Friends, and Carter Gowrie & Frie…

There’s nothing like the smell of cookies baking to spark thoughts of Christmas! All the senses are connected with memories, but the sense of smell, in particular, sparks a flurry of emotional memories.

In 1967 we were college students living in Southern France when I embarked on preparing my first Thanksgiving meal as a newlywed, and decided to invite several of our American college friends to join us.

Arriving in Brazil among so many Italians after the Second World War, this dish spread across the country faster than the expats.

ESSEX — Essex homeowners will open their homes to support Child & Family Agency of Southeastern CT Saturday Dec. 7 for a special holiday house tour in the heart of the village’s historic district.

ESSEX — Spectrum Art Gallery and Artisan Store of Centerbrook kicks off the season with its 2019 holiday show, Let’s Celebrate! on Friday, Nov. 22 at 61 Main St., Centerbrook.

It’s not too soon to talk turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie.

Ahhh, fall. Time for flannel shirts, body warming soup and coming indoors. For many of us though, this is a time to mourn the joy and freedom of summer.

NEW LONDON — Four world-class dancers from New York City Ballet will bring extra “star power” to The Nutcracker at the Garde Arts Center in New London this December.

With my mother and five sisters fussing over the stove, and skillfully creating potions of accomplished taste, my Brazilian kitchen was the safest place of my youth. I learned to cook as naturally as I learned to tie my shoes and comb my hair; it was part of growing up. Today, my kitchen is …