A classroom of Charlottesville third-graders wrote songs in a music workshop about the holidays, laughter, daffodils, best friends — and the divisive Occupy protests that have spread across the country. Read full article > >

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Occupy third grade? A song that uses protest rhetoric creates furor in Virginia.

A classroom of Charlottesville third-graders wrote songs in a music workshop about the holidays, laughter, daffodils, best friends — and the divisive Occupy protests that have spread across the country. Read full article > >

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Occupy third grade? A song that uses protest rhetoric creates furor in Virginia.

You might have missed this while you were busy taking the kids to school and preparing for the holidays, but last fall, two U.S. food labeling programs suffered serious legal setbacks that threaten to confuse consumers and thwart the intentions of the “dolphin-safe” tuna and “country-of-origin” labels. Read full article > >

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Tuna, meat labeling disputes highlight WTO control

You might have missed this while you were busy taking the kids to school and preparing for the holidays, but last fall, two U.S. food labeling programs suffered serious legal setbacks that threaten to confuse consumers and thwart the intentions of the “dolphin-safe” tuna and “country-of-origin” labels. Read full article > >

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Tuna, meat labeling disputes highlight WTO control

Whether on purpose or by coincidence, the White House and federal agencies released several notable nuggets of news over the holidays, when most reporters were out of town or preoccupied with college football bowl games and the beginnings of the presidential election campaign. Some might call it the holiday edition of “ Take Out the Trash Day ” — as described in a classic “West Wing” episode — when the White House and federal agencies release potentially embarrassing or politically tricky policy decisions and personnel changes on a day when reporters and the general public are less likely to notice or care. Read full article > >

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A look at the ‘holiday news dump’

A morning mix of entertainment headlines… Aretha Franklin is planning a wedding. The Queen of Soul confirmed to the Associated Press on Monday that she and William “Willie” Wilkerson got engaged over the holidays and are planning a summer wedding, possibly in Miami Beach. It will be the music icon’s third marriage. In her statement, the 69-year-old mother of four jokingly confirmed that she is not pregnant. ( Associated Press ) Read full article > >

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Aretha Franklin engaged; Beyonce has not given birth yet

Whether on purpose or by coincidence, the White House and federal agencies released several notable nuggets of news over the holidays when most reporters and were out of town or preoccupied with college football bowl games and the beginnings of the presidential campaign. Some might call it the holiday edition of “ Take Out the Trash Day ” — as described in a classic “West Wing” episode — when the White House and federal agencies release potentially embarrassing or politically tricky policy decisions and personnel changes on a day when reporters and the general public are less likely to notice or care. (The EPA is most guilty of the practice, according to colleague Emily Heil .) Read full article > >

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What you missed over the holidays

The house will be gone soon. For Jenny and Robert Click, the loss of their Dale City home, scheduled to be sold at a foreclosure auction Jan. 6, has loomed over their holidays. The sense of sorrow was so intense that Jenny Click considered ignoring Christmas and New Year’s, then changed her mind and put up a tree in her living room. Read full article > >

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In Virginia, foreclosures can be ‘the end of year uglies’ for homeowners

NEW YORK — Sears Holdings Corp. plans to close between 100 and 120 Sears and Kmart stores after poor sales during the holidays, the most crucial time of year for retailers. The closings are the latest and most visible in a long series of moves to try to fix a retailer that has struggled with falling sales and shabby stores. Read full article > >

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Sears Holdings plans to close 100 to 120 Kmart, Sears stores as sales disappoint

While you're frying up some eggs and bacon, we're cooking up something else: a way to celebrate today's food holiday. Love it, or love to loathe it – December 27 is National Fruitcake Day ! So maybe you didn't manage to finish off that fruitcake Aunt Betty is always so kind to bring you for Christmas … every single year. The good news is, you still have time to enjoy it! Fruitcake gets its name from the variety of chopped candied fruit and nuts that stud the batter and exterior of the round. The earliest known fruitcake, discovered via an ancient Roman recipe, included pomegranate seeds, raisins and pine nuts. During the Middle Ages, innovative minds tossed preserved fruit, spices and honey into the mix. Recipes have varied over time largely due to what was available, although there was a bit of a kerfuffle when church regulations banned the use of butter because of fasting. But good old Pope Innocent VIII granted permission in the “Butter Letter” of 1490, specifically to use butter and milk in German Stollen fruitcakes. Yes folks, it's that official. When explorers discovered vast amounts of sugar in the Americas in the 1500s, as well as the fact that a boatload of sugar could be used to preserve fruit, our favorite little red and green sugary nubs were born. In the U.S., mail-order fruitcakes began as early as 1913. Traditionally, the cakes are soaked in brandy to preserve them and prevent mold, although many of our mass-produced fruitcakes are free of any alcohol. Although we may ridicule fruitcakes extensively here in the U.S., they aren't always used just for a doorstop or the Great Fruitcake Toss on the first Saturday of January. If you weren't one of the lucky ducks to get a fruitcake for the holidays this year, it's not too late to make your own . Just remember that your neighbors may not feel the same if you want to share.

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Breakfast buffet: National fruitcake day

Recently, I shared a family story on Eatocracy about our attempt to get back our family tradition: the befana cookie . My Grandmother passed away before we learned how to make them. We took these special cookies for granted. My brother tried many different combinations of ingredients. He researched with other members of the family, the internet, even conversations with cousins in Italy to try to make them Nonna's way. But, finally, he achieved cookie perfection. I couldn't disclose the secret recipe for fear of Bernardini excommunication. It has now become a family legacy. When the story was re-posted this year, I quickly from the learned from the comment section that that legacy turned into a fatal flaw. So many people were very disgusted with me. As a form of penance, I want to post another recipe that we do share throughout the year: sugar cookies. The recipe's origin was a mystery to me until I asked my Mom. When I was a child, we lived in an apartment building in Burlington, Vermont. Our upstairs neighbor shared a cookie recipe with her that quickly became the staple of all of our school bake sales and family gatherings. My Mom and my sister are the two who have kept the tradition going. The cookie is the perfect combination of buttery goodness with a sweetness that doesn't overpower. If you make these cookies with margarine, you will get crispier and flatter cookies. If you make them with butter, they will rise more. We always leave the batter overnight in the refrigerator. If you don't, the dough will be harder to roll out in your hand. The cookie dough balls should be about a tablespoon and a half in size. The aim is to have them all the same size on the plate for uniformity. Hopefully, this recipe will make your holiday as well as ours very special. I look forward to the spending all day today with my brother and sister making our Christmas cookies. Ingredients 2 sticks of softened butter or margarine 3 egg yolks 2 cups of sugar 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp cream of tartar 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 cups flour Directions Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Refrigerate the ingredients overnight (this makes it possible to roll the ingredients). Roll into small balls, then roll the balls in sugar. Bake in preheated 325 degree oven. Check cookies after 12 minutes; the length of time will vary depending on if you used butter or margarine. Previously – Have a sweet holiday and save kitchen memories while you can and It's not the holidays without…befana cookies

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A family gives up a secret sugar cookie recipe

Welcome to round six of Spouse vs. Spouse , a series in which a couple of married food freaks, CNN’s Brandon and Kristy Griggs, square off in their Atlanta kitchen for culinary bragging rights – and invite you to weigh in too. In each installment, Kristy and Brandon each make a creative variation on the same ingredient or dish – everything from pasta to seafood to cocktails to desserts. We serve both versions anonymously to our friends, who then judge which one they like better and why. We walk you through our kitchen process, bring the husband-and-wife smack talk and, of course, keep score. We also share our recipes here so that you can try them for yourself. Our theme: Holiday cocktails Kristy: Sure, most people love the holidays. But let's face the truth: it's the drinking part that makes it extra merry. Between office Christmas parties, fighting crowds at the mall, wrapping presents and family “togetherness,” some of us are practically drooling with anticipation at the sweet clink of ice cubes into a glass. (OK, maybe not drooling, that'd be weird.) So after trying our hands with holiday appetizers – the less said about that, the better – Brandon and I attempted to make cocktails that say ho-ho-ho and ease some of that holiday stress. You won't see any champagne in flutes with cranberries hanging out at the bottom-Martha Stewart has her own blog, I think. Unlike my appetizer semi-disaster , I came up with a cocktail idea pretty easily. I knew I wanted it to be refreshing and simple, but something that tasted amazing and captured the essence of the holiday season. What says that better than candy canes? So I decided to rim a tumbler (a double old-fashioned glass, if you're picky) with crushed up candy canes – margarita style – toss in some ice cubes and add a lovely mixture of gin, elderflower liqueur and some homemade rosemary-and-lemon simple syrup (light on the sugar). Knowing what Brandon was dreaming up, I felt fairly confident I'd pull out a win. Brandon: I'm the first to admit I don't know much about winter cocktails. I'm a summer-drink kind of guy. So when I started thinking about cold-weather holiday drinks, my mind ran through all the usual suspects: spiked eggnog, hot spiced cider, hot buttered rum. Tasty enough, but – yawn. I realize that for many drinkers on a cold day, it’s hard to improve on a good bourbon, brandy or Scotch. They’ve got flavor to burn, they warm you up and unlike eggnog, you can drink more than one without feeling sick. But unless I was going to set up a distillery in our two-bedroom apartment, that kind of drink wasn’t going to work as something original. Here’s your glass of Hennessy! I poured it myself! Then I remembered a New York Times recipe I’d saved from last December but never tried. It was for a milk-based drink, which sounded risky but intriguing. So I played around with it, changed a few ingredients, and – blammo – I’d made, well, a risky milk drink. Basically, it’s milk with dark rum, a spoonful of maple syrup, a splash of mint and a sprinkle of nutmeg. To reinforce its white, wintery look, I served it with ice cubes made of milk, which bobbed in the glass like little marshmallows. I called it a Snow Day. Judging: The judges loved Kristy’s Candy Cane, giving it the highest score of the night. Our friend Dori said, “love the rosemary flavor – very original and festive,” while her husband Richard who said he doesn’t normally like gin drinks said it “became better with each sip.” Brandon’s Snow Day also went over well, with judges complimenting the milk ice cubes. Lindsay said, “it felt like something I’d be served in a sled, wrapped in furs.” But Dori said she would have preferred it as a dessert drink and Lindsay’s partner Rich thought it “looked like a glass of milk.” Winner: Kristy’s Candy Cane Overall score to date: Kristy pulls ahead with 3, Brandon has 2, and there's 1 tie Parting thoughts: Brandon: It’s hard for me to admit this, but hers was better. Great job, baby. Your food-photography skills are improving, too – last time your cherry tomatoes looked like they were hiding behind your salmon cake because they were too embarrassed to be seen with that thing. Kristy: Ha, ha. Very funny. I fully admit that photo didn’t do my app any justice, but have you had a good look at your milk-drink picture? P.S.: A milk drink, really? Brandon: I know, I know. I was courting trouble serving a glass of spiked milk to grown-ups. If I had served it warm instead of over ice, we all might have been ready for a nap. Kristy: Good thing there was more of my Candy Cane on hand to combat the fatigue. On to the recipes! Kristy's Candy Cane Makes 8 drinks 1 large peppermint candy cane, crushed into fine powder Double old fashioned glasses 4 cups water 5 sprigs of rosemary Juice of 1 lemon 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup sugar (according to taste) Ice cubes Gin Elderflower liqueur Crush candy cane into fine powder (I found that a mortar and pestle works best). Spread candy cane powder evenly on small plate. Using your index finger, wet the rim of each glass with water and dip the rims into the candy cane like you would for a margarita. Chill in freezer. Combine water and 4 rosemary sprigs in a small pan and bring to a boil. Add lemon juice and reduce heat to medium. Let cook five minutes and taste to make sure both the rosemary and lemon flavors come through. Add more of either if needed. Add 1/4 cup of sugar and cook until dissolved. Taste to determine how much more sugar to add. You don't want it to be too sweet–the candy cane will take care of that. The sugar should compliment the rosemary and lemon, not detract from them. Remove syrup from burner and let cool at room temperature or, if you're in a hurry, pour into a container and chill in freezer. Add ice cubes to the glasses. Ladle 1/2 cup of rosemary/lemon syrup into glasses. Pour 1 ounce gin in each glass. Top with a splash of Elderflower and a sprig of rosemary. Brandon's Snow Day Makes one drink 1 part dark rum 3 parts milk Tray of milk frozen into cubes 1 teaspoon maple syrup Splash mint bitters or peppermint extract 1 small egg white Dash nutmeg Mint leaf, for garnish (optional) Shake all ingredients, minus the milk cubes, in cocktail shaker until frothy. Pour into tumbler or double old fashioned glass over milk cubes. Sprinkle a little powdered nutmeg on top and, if you like, add a mint leaf for garnish. View This Poll Previously: Holiday appetizers and the only holiday drinks guide you need

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Spouse vs Spouse: holiday cocktail smackdown

Click to watch video Previously – It's not Thanksgiving without fruitcake

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1941 fruitcake up for sale – for charity

You think it’s busy and stressful at your office with the holidays just around the corner? Stop by a post office. Today marks the start of a busy stretch of days for the U.S. Postal Service , with Friday expected to be the busiest mailing day of the year for holiday packages, according to postal officials. Read full article > >

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It’s busy season at the Postal Service

With less than two weeks left until the holidays, this is a prime week for making your list and checking it twice. But you don’t have an army of elves doing your bidding for you, so it’s easy for some Christmas purchases to slip through the cracks — and time is running out. Some developers have created apps that will help you keep your list organized, whether it’s for the naughty or the nice. Read full article > >

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Christmas shopping apps organize gift-giving