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As winter nears, we look for ways to be warm and comfortable. One of the best ways to do that, says food writer Nigella Lawson, is to indulge in rich, tasty foods that some might call guilty pleasures. For instance: Why not make French toast that tastes like a doughnut?

Pearl Fryar's yard in Bishopville, S.C., has made him something of an art-world star. He's trimmed 400 plants and trees into fantastical shapes — diamonds, mushrooms, hearts and even a square. At 69, Fryar mulls his legacy and is looking to pass on his clippers.

Fine French cuisine doesn't have to mean waiters in tuxedos ferrying trays of oysters or silver-domed serving dishes. Chef Christian Constant is leading a mini-revolution in Paris; he's opened four small, lively restaurants that are comfortable, welcoming — and delicieux.

The news of Mexico's bloody cartel war is reflected in a controversial folk-music genre called narcocorridos, or drug ballads. They're like journalism put to song — telling stories of drug lords, arrests, shootouts, daring operations and betrayals. But, like the cartel war itself, writing corridos about drug traffickers can be risky business.

Paul Shaffer is much more than just David Letterman's sidekick, his memoir reveals. We'll Be Here For the Rest of Our Lives details Shaffer's appearances on Saturday Night Live, his extended stint living in a hotel in Manhattan and the surprising place where he got his start in music.

A British publisher launched an unusual book Monday — an authorized history of MI5, the British domestic intelligence agency. It's the first authorized history of any Western intelligence agency, and allowing an academic to write it and comb through the agency's files has raised some questions about why the agency's secrets shouldn't be kept secret.

Although the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist says working in an office is his idea of hell, he admits loving fictional portrayals of the workplace. He talks with Steve Inskeep about some of his favorite literary takes on office life.

The meat turnovers were brought to Michigan's Upper Peninsula by immigrant miners from Cornwall, England. "Yoopers" — the local population — are very opinionated about them. A pasty isn't just a meal — it's a heritage. Here's the recipe, too.

Rusty Lovell was diagnosed with leukemia eight years ago. Luckily, through his wife's plan he has "gold-plated" insurance that has paid millions of dollars for his care since then, at a low monthly cost to them.

Six months after Bernard Madoff pleaded guilty to running a multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme, six books have already been published about the scandal. Four came out just last month. They cover much of the same ground — with some exceptions.