Brandy

Former teen star Brandy displays a delicate beauty on the cover of this new disc, but there's nothing fragile about the music inside. Brandy has blossomed into a confident singer who has gone far beyond the cooing, breathy stylings with which she hit pay dirt. As she sings on "Finally," "Finally, I'm where I'm supposed to be. " That's just one of the declarations of independence and defiance found in these songs. Clearly, she's hit upon some rocky romantic times; these tracks are about men stepping out on her and treating her indifferently.

If Brandi Chastain could have cried foul, she would have. The world-famous U.S. women's soccer player was in Sacramento on Monday with her Brazilian counterpart Sissi to be honored by the California Assembly as it recognized the 40th anniversary of Title IX. The occasion prompted Assemblyman Chris Norby to reveal that he wasn't a fan of the 1972 federal law chiefly known for mandating gender equity in high school and collegiate sports....

Makes one 10- inch cake At the holidays when I was a child, a large tin in the dining room held a fruit-laden cake that fascinated me. I really wanted to try some right after my family made it at the beginning of December, but the cake was soaking in brandy. This isn’t one of those red-and-green-studded cakes everyone has strong (mostly negative) opinions about. Our family’s is made with select dried fruits (I prefer figs, dates, apricots, currants, and raisins)

Makes 4 6 ounces dark rum (or use white rum if you prefer) 2 ounces Triple Sec 2 ounces apricot-flavored brandy Juice of 1 lime, or more to taste ½ lime, cut into thin wedges 1. In a cocktail shaker, combine the rum, Triple Sec, brandy, and lime juice. Shake well. 2. Strain into 4 cocktail glasses and garnish with lime. Christopher Muther

Makes 4 6 ounces dark rum (or use white rum if you prefer) 2 ounces Triple Sec 2 ounces apricot-flavored brandy Juice of 1 lime, or more to taste ½ lime, cut into thin wedges 1. In a cocktail shaker, combine the rum, Triple Sec, brandy, and lime juice. Shake well. 2. Strain into 4 cocktail glasses and garnish with lime. Christopher Muther

Serves 8 PUDDING Butter (for the dishes) 1/2 cup brandy 1/2 cup golden raisins 6 egg yolks 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger ...

PETERSHAM -- As a tourist stop, Central Massachusetts is something of a soft-focus blur. Unless you're catching an event at the DCU Center in Worcester, the Commonwealth's geographic bull ' s - eye doesn't beckon a visitor like historic Boston and Cape Cod to the east or the woods and waterways of the Berkshires to the west. But the hill country surrounding the Quabbin Reservoir boasts diversions to please everyone , from the outdoorsman to seekers of creature comforts. Falling squarely in the second camp, we spent two mid-autumn nights at the Inn at Clamber Hill.

If Brandi Chastain could have cried foul, she would have. The world-famous U.S. women's soccer player was in Sacramento on Monday with her Brazilian counterpart Sissi to be honored by the California Assembly as it recognized the 40th anniversary of Title IX. The occasion prompted Assemblyman Chris Norby to reveal that he wasn't a fan of the 1972 federal law chiefly known for mandating gender equity in high school and collegiate sports....

This story was reported by Globe Spotlight Team members Jonathan Saltzman, Marcella Bombardieri, and editor Thomas Farragher. It was written by Saltzman. Second of three parts. It's not clear why Caleb Maddaus drove off into the cranberry country of Plymouth County - a picturesque place of deep woods, stone walls, and faded barns - on a late winter night in 2008. But his arrival in a quiet Middleborough neighborhood was nothing short of spectacular.

When George Zimmerman tries to convince a judge or jury that he shot Trayvon Martin in self-defense, the evidence he'll be able to call on appears to be a mixed bag. More than 200 pages of photos and eyewitness accounts released by prosecutors Thursday show Zimmerman and Martin were in a loud and bloody fight in the moments leading up to the shooting and that Zimmerman appeared to be getting the worst of it, with wounds both to his face and...

Makes one 10- inch cake At the holidays when I was a child, a large tin in the dining room held a fruit-laden cake that fascinated me. I really wanted to try some right after my family made it at the beginning of December, but the cake was soaking in brandy. This isn’t one of those red-and-green-studded cakes everyone has strong (mostly negative) opinions about. Our family’s is made with select dried fruits (I prefer figs, dates, apricots, currants, and raisins)

PETERSHAM -- As a tourist stop, Central Massachusetts is something of a soft-focus blur. Unless you're catching an event at the DCU Center in Worcester, the Commonwealth's geographic bull ' s - eye doesn't beckon a visitor like historic Boston and Cape Cod to the east or the woods and waterways of the Berkshires to the west. But the hill country surrounding the Quabbin Reservoir boasts diversions to please everyone , from the outdoorsman to seekers of creature comforts. Falling squarely in the second camp, we spent two mid-autumn nights at the Inn at Clamber Hill.

Serves 8 PUDDING Butter (for the dishes) 1/2 cup brandy 1/2 cup golden raisins 6 egg yolks 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger ...

Former teen star Brandy displays a delicate beauty on the cover of this new disc, but there's nothing fragile about the music inside. Brandy has blossomed into a confident singer who has gone far beyond the cooing, breathy stylings with which she hit pay dirt. As she sings on "Finally," "Finally, I'm where I'm supposed to be. " That's just one of the declarations of independence and defiance found in these songs. Clearly, she's hit upon some rocky romantic times; these tracks are about men stepping out on her and treating her indifferently.

Trayvon Martin was shot through the heart at close range. George Zimmerman had a broken nose, bruises and bloody cuts on the back of his head. The lead investigator in the case wanted to charge Zimmerman with manslaughter in the weeks after the shooting but was overruled. These are among the details revealed in nearly 200 pages of documents, photos and audio recordings released Thursday in a case that's riveted the nation. Yet it's still unclear what exactly happened and whether it was racially motivated.