Chevrolet versus Ford. Regardless of the vehicle type, car shoppers often find themselves comparing choices from these iconic American brands. And if you’re thinking about buying a new three-row crossover SUV, you could very well end up cross-shopping the 2026 Chevrolet Traverse and 2026 Ford Explorer. Both vehicles can work out well as a do-it-all family vehicle. But which one is the better choice for your needs? Edmunds’ auto experts tested them both to find out.

Space and comfort
If you want the most passenger and cargo space possible from a three-row crossover SUV, the Chevrolet Traverse is a go-to choice. Its rear seats are a bit hard and flat, but there’s no arguing about the room that’s back there. Even adults can fit in the third row, and you’ll be able to fit a lot more luggage behind that third row than in the Explorer. It can also seat up to eight people.

The Explorer can’t match the Traverse in this regard. Its second-row seats lack legroom compared to the Traverse, and its third row is only suitable for children and teenagers. Maximum seating capacity is only seven. The Explorer’s cargo area is actually pretty good for a three-row crossover — the underfloor storage area behind the third row expands the available space beyond what the specs might indicate — but ultimately you’ll be able to fit more of your stuff in the Traverse.

Advantage: Chevrolet Traverse

Technology
Edmunds scores the Explorer’s in-car technology higher, but it’s a tight gap, and there’s certainly a chance you’ll prefer the Chevrolet’s 17.7-inch touchscreen to Ford’s 13.2-inch touchscreen. That said, size isn’t everything, and we slightly prefer the look, layout and functionality of the Explorer’s latest tech interface. Both systems feature Google Built-in capability, which includes integrated Google Maps and Google Assistant, the latter of which you can effectively use for voice commands of various vehicle functions. Both SUVs have wireless connectivity for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration.

The Explorer also comes with a few more driver assistance tech as standard, including lane-centering steering assistance for the adaptive cruise control system. To get that in the Traverse, you have to step up to the full hands-free highway driving assist system known as Super Cruise. That works very well, but the Explorer matches it with Ford’s similar BlueCruise hands-free driving system.

Advantage: Ford Explorer

Driving and fuel economy
If you’re asking which of these is more enjoyable to drive, the answer is the Ford Explorer, and it’s not even close. It accelerates more quickly and is more stable and secure when going around corners or performing emergency handling maneuvers. That’s true for the Explorer with its standard 300-horsepower engine or its available 400-horsepower V6 found in the Explorer ST. The Explorer is surprisingly agile yet also smooth and comfortable.

Superlatives are much harder to scrounge together for the disappointing Traverse. It may be more powerful with its 328 horsepower than the base Explorer engine, but its acceleration was slower in Edmunds’ testing. Its overly firm ride and ponderous handling don’t do it any favors either.

The Traverse’s fuel economy is more competitive, but it still trails the Explorer. The Ford’s standard engine gets an EPA-estimated 24 mpg combined with standard rear-wheel drive and 23 mpg combined with all-wheel drive. The Traverse gets an estimated 22 mpg combined with front-wheel drive or 21 mpg combined with all-wheel drive.

Advantage: Ford Explorer

Pricing and value
The Traverse’s size advantage can’t be discounted when talking about value — you’re literally getting more SUV for the money. The Explorer starts at $42,280, and the Traverse starts at $42,695. Adding all-wheel drive costs $2,000 on both SUVs. So, they’re similar to start and comparably equipped, too. Pricing remains close when comparing midgrade models, but the Traverse’s top trims are far pricier than the Explorer’s despite comparable equipment. Even the 400-horsepower Explorer ST costs less to start than the loaded Traverse RS, which is sportier in appearance only.

Although the Traverse’s size advantage certainly counts toward its value, so do all of the Explorer’s various advantages.

Advantage: Ford Explorer

Edmunds says
A big interior is a key attribute for a three-row SUV, and the Chevrolet Traverse certainly delivers on this front. But the Ford Explorer’s advantages in nearly every other aspect make it Edmunds’ recommended choice.

^{This story was provided to The Associated Press by the automotive website Edmunds. James Riswick is a contributor at Edmunds.}

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In Tuscany, schiacciata — which is pronounced skee-ah-CHA-tah and roughly means “crushed,” “flattened” or “squashed” — is a versatile word applied to a variety of breads and bread-like things, from a piece of sweet focaccia studded with roasted grapes around the autumn harvest to a savory situation that more closely resembles a panino and comes stuffed with your choice of cured meats and cheeses.

In this recipe from my cookbook “Stuzzichini,” instead of the flour-based, focaccia-like traditional schiacciata, the base is made of blended root vegetables that get a boost from baked-in cheese. There’s a slight tang from beets, an earthy sweetness from carrots, and balancing saltiness and chew from pecorino.

They can be served in small bites bursting with flavor on their own and make a colorful, gluten-free alternative to classic crostini.

These are great with just about any cocktail, but I especially love them with a Garibaldi — the orange juice-based drink is a perfect sweet-tart counterpoint.

Pecorino and Root Vegetable Flatbread

Servings: 6 to 8

Ingredients

1 pound (450 g) beets and carrots (combination and ratio are up to you)

¾ to 1 cup (180 to 250 ml) water, room temperature

1 large egg

2¼ cups (225 g) grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano

Fresh-cracked black pepper

Spices (optional)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375°F / 190°C and line a sheet pan with Silpat or parchment.

Wash, peel, and dry the vegetables. Chop and then run through a food processor until well combined and nearly pureed, adding water as needed to facilitate the process. (If your food processor isn’t especially powerful, you can facilitate the process by first roasting the chopped vegetables in a 375°F / 190°C oven for about 10 minutes, then pulsing through the food processor until creamy. Don’t be tempted to boil first, though, as the additional moisture will make them too wet later in the process.) If you don’t have a food processor, you can use the finest side of a box grater for both beets and carrots and then combine; this will result in a slightly more rustic texture.

In a large bowl, mix the pureed or shredded vegetables with the egg and cheese until well combined using a rubber spatula or by hand. Spread on the lined pan into a layer about ¼ inch thick, using a spatula (or smoosh with clean hands). Season to taste. Black pepper is all I reach for most days, but these also work well sprinkled with cumin, cinnamon, caraway seeds, paprika and red pepper flakes, to name a few.

Bake for about 40 minutes, until browned and slightly crisp. Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to slice into preferred shapes and sizes. Allow to cool completely, gently remove from sheet pan, and serve. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

—-

^{Stef Ferrari is the author of “Stuzzichini” and has received three Emmy awards and a James Beard Award nomination for the PBS docuseries “The Migrant Kitchen.”}

^{Excerpted from “Stuzzichini” by Stef Ferrari. Copyright (copyright) 2024 by Stef Ferrari. Photograph by Deepi Ahluwalia. Used with permission of Voracious, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company. New York, NY. All rights reserved.}

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If you’re in the market for a new vehicle, the remaining weeks of December could very well be a great time to buy. Several recurring industry trends converge at year-end, creating favorable conditions that can help you save money. The auto experts at Edmunds have come up with three key reasons why December often delivers the opportunity for better deals — and what to know to ensure you get the best one.

Year-end sales quotas and dealership incentives
Manufacturers and dealers operate under annual targets, and December is when they make their most concerted effort to meet them. According to Edmunds transaction data, December has historically delivered the highest average discounts off the manufacturer’s suggested retail price for both new and used cars. The pandemic somewhat upended that, sending new car prices skyrocketing year-round as demand exceeded supply, but that blip has largely stabilized since 2022.

Typically, as the calendar year draws to a close, automakers and their dealer networks shift into high gear, deploying cash-back incentives, financing specials and price cuts to help them meet sales goals and finish the year strong. As a car shopper, you can take advantage of this year-end push. By choosing to buy a vehicle in December, you are more likely to encounter a dealership willing to make a deal, even if it’s less profitable.

It can get even sweeter for you if you can wait until the final week of the month. Edmunds data shows that the last few days of December — when dealerships are truly up against the wall of both monthly and annual deadlines — tend to produce the deepest discounts of the year. Think of it as the auto industry’s version of a clearance countdown when every sale counts a little extra.

Outgoing model year inventory and clearance deals
As new-model-year vehicles begin to arrive, many dealerships find themselves with previous model-year vehicles still on the lot. These outgoing models become ripe for discounts because they’re taking up space and declining in value. In a handful of states, dealerships are also required to pay a tax on the value of their inventory on the lot as of January 1. This is a massive hidden motivator that drives desperation on December 31, specifically for vehicles that have been on the lot for 90 days or more.

Edmunds highlights that vehicles from the outgoing model year or those undergoing minimal changes often get steeper incentives. While new models are launched year-round these days, December is when current-year models still on the lot are targeted by sales managers as “must-move” inventory. Currently, that means 2025 vehicles will receive the largest discounts.

Accordingly, you can also maximize your savings if you can be flexible on features, trim or color, so the deals on carry-over models can be substantial. If the vehicle you want hasn’t changed dramatically from year to year, you may be able to purchase a car that’s essentially the same as a new model at a lower price.

More financing leverage in December
Beyond price reductions, December offers an advantageous backdrop for better financing terms on new vehicles. Edmunds’ research shows that automakers and their financing arms often bundle lower interest rates, longer promotional terms or enhanced lease offers at year-end in tandem with their clearance efforts. For example, an automaker might offer special 0% financing on certain vehicles for well-qualified buyers. Getting 0% financing, or even 2%, is a big savings over the standard financing rate of 6%-7% currently.

Dealers eager to clear out their new vehicle inventory before the end of the year may be open to negotiation on specific vehicles — especially those that have been on the lot for a while. You can check the days on the lot when you browse Edmunds inventory.

For shoppers who have done their homework — secured preapproval, identified the trims they’re willing to consider, and are ready to sign — this timing can offer both a lower purchase price and a lower cost of borrowing. Buyers can gain even more leverage by being strategic: a dealer may have several examples of the same model, some of which have been in inventory for an extended period. Each day a car sits unsold costs the dealership more. That creates extra motivation to discount older inventory or specific vehicles.

In short, it’s not just about when you buy, but which specific car you target. The right combination of timing, financing and flexibility can make December deals even more rewarding.

Edmunds says
December packs together three powerful forces for buyers seeking the best deals: dealer urgency to hit quotas, clearance of outgoing-model stock and enhanced financing leverage. Make sure to get an early start on the shopping so that you have a better selection and don’t feel pressured to make a hasty decision.

^{This story was provided to The Associated Press by the automotive website Edmunds. Josh Jacquot is a contributor at Edmunds.}

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NEW YORK (AP) — As a child growing up in Italy, Lidia Bastianich recalls seeing one particular cookbook in just about everyone’s kitchen. It was called “The Talisman of Happiness” and it was often given as a wedding present to couples starting new lives together.

“It has all the basic recipes. And it says the basic thing — that food is a connector, that food is happiness,” she says.

The book by Ada Boni — its Italian title is “Il Talismano della Felicita” — was first published in 1929, and became a go-to place to find the recipe for spaghetti carbonara or pork galantine. Its simplicity and accessibility got it compared to “The Joy of Cooking,” but it predated Irma S. Rombauer’s iconic work.

This fall, the first English edition of the complete work — with nearly 1,700 recipes — arrives on shelves, thanks to years of dogged pursuit by Voracious publisher Michael Szczerban.

The hunt is on
He first heard about it from Samin Nosrat, author of “Salt Fat Acid Heat,” and that, combined with his love of Italy, led him on a more than decade-long journey to get the rights to publish it in English. “Just the poetry of that name — ‘The Talisman of Happiness’ — it felt timeless and also like it was from so long ago,” Szczerban says.

Boni, who died in 1973, was one of Italy’s first food writers, and the seeds of “The Talisman of Happiness” grew from a magazine. She codified and tested dishes that have remained the backbone of Italian cooking and reflect regional differences. There are 10 gnocchi recipes, 12 minestrones and 20 risottos.

“This is a cookbook that’s really meant for cooking. It is a book for cooks. It’s a book that’s intended to be used, not just to sit on a coffee table or on a shelf, but to become yours,” says Szczerban.

There’s no frilly language or stories. Each entry includes ingredients, and the directions are usually just a few paragraphs, telling the home cook to look for the meat to be “done” and the vegetables to be seasoned “to taste.”

Unlike recipes from Milk Street, Bon Appetit or America’s Test Kitchen, Boni didn’t weigh things to the gram or even dictate oven degrees. Her Cod with White Wine only specifies “a few spoons” of wine. Elsewhere, she calls for a “finger of oil” or “a few leaves of rosemary.”

“I think that there was a very specific editorial vision for these recipes, which was to give you enough to make it, but not so much that you couldn’t make it your own,” Szczerban says.

A 12-year sleuthing adventure
The more Szczerban learned about “The Talisman of Happiness,” the more intrigued he became. What at first was an impulse to find a copy for himself grew into something larger.

“As I began to understand more of what it was — the place that it seemed to have had in Italian history and culture, and then the spread of Italian cooking throughout the world — I thought, ‘I don’t need just a copy of this. I need to be able to use my position as a publisher to bring this to the rest of the English-language world,’” he says.

The book had been updated regularly in Italy and there had been a few stabs at an English version, but the recipes were changed in order to tailor them to American tastes and heavily abridged. “Nobody had translated the full beast,” Szczerban says.

Szczerban started a sleuthing adventure that took some 12 years — calling random numbers at the Italian publisher with a script created from Google Translate, poring over bankruptcy reports to see who might have inherited the intellectual property rights, and talking to every Italian book figure and agent he could.

A breakthrough came when he contacted a book packager — like a movie producer, but for books — who knew somebody who knew someone else who maybe could locate a relative. A few months later, they found a great-nephew. “I think you needed somebody on the ground in Italy to unlock the relationship of trust,” says Szczerban.

He decided to use the 1959 Italian edition as the model, tapping eight translators. He removed only recipes that were completely unworkable and sections on Italian etiquette that were dated. The original edition was constantly consulted.

“We wanted it to be Ada’s book, still. We weren’t trying to modernize it. We were trying to preserve it and to keep it intact,” he says. “The word talisman, to me, has such power. I wanted it to be the talisman it was back when it was first published.”

Bastianich wrote a forward for the English edition and says it captures the culture, religion, topography and climate of Italy. “Italians really, really cherish their cultural heritage,” she says.

Szczerban has already seen it in effect. For an office potluck, a sales rep who liked the book decided to make Baked Wine Donuts — a sort of shortbread cookie with wine mixed into the flour.

“She’s not a baker. She’s never seen this thing before. But there was something intriguing about it that got her into the kitchen and, I’ll tell you, these were amazing,” he says.

“They turned out the first time, and going out a little bit beyond her comfort zone gave her the confidence to take on the next recipe and the next recipe. To me, that is kind of the magic of a book like this: It can seduce you in some way, but then it gives you something back.”

Baked Wine Donuts
Makes 36

Ingredients
3⅓ cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup olive oil

½ cup sugar

¾ cup wine

Oil for greasing

Directions
Put the flour in a heap and add the oil, sugar, and a glass of light wine, white or red, in the well in the middle. You need a paste that is neither too hard nor too soft. Make it into a ball, let it rest for a few minutes, and then divide it into 4 or 5 pieces.

Take one piece at a time and stretch it over a lightly floured board to make a roll the width of your thumb. Cut this into pieces of about 8 inches and make a donut out of each one, pressing the ends together so that they do not then open. Proceed in the same way until all are used up.

Line up the donuts on a lightly oiled baking sheet, sprinkle them with sugar, and bake them for about 20 minutes in a preheated oven at a good heat.

Excerpted from “The Talisman of Happiness” by Ada Boni. Copyright (copyright) 2025 by Elwin Street. Used with permission of Voracious, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company. New York, NY. All rights reserved.

MARK KENNEDY
Kennedy is a theater, TV, music, food and obit writer and editor for The Associated Press, as well as a critic for theater, movies and music. He is based in New York City.

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When people talk about baking, they often focus on the final product. The tender cookies, the domed muffins, the rich brownies. But the real draw of baking starts long before you roll out the pie crust.

Baking can be many things: an act of creation, connection, control. There’s something comforting about the structure of it: the measuring, the stirring, the transformation of a handful of ingredients into something delicious.

Even if life doesn’t always feel orderly, follow the recipe and things should turn out as planned. It’s like therapy, with a present at the end.

“Baking is how I best connect with the world around me — making something wonderful and sharing it with others and seeing how much joy they receive from something I made with my own hands,” says chef Joanne Chang, co-owner of Flour Bakery in Boston and an author of baking cookbooks.

“It’s a way to make the world a bit sweeter one cookie, cake, pie at a time.”

An outlet for all kinds of emotions
When it’s cold outside, there’s something cozy about a warm kitchen and the aroma of something sweet.

But baking can also be catharsis for more volatile feelings: The term “rage baking” was popularized by writer Tangerine Jones, who turned to flour and sugar to channel her anger at the world’s injustices.

Baking can be about maintaining traditions, or possibly curiosity (what is julekake, anyway?).

Engaging the head, as well as the heart
Hannah Skobe, a doctoral student in astrophysics in Pittsburgh, loves the chemistry aspect of baking — how butter behaves differently at different temperatures, for instance, or why the proteins in egg whites break down when they are over-beaten.

She also finds the process therapeutic, a much-needed break from work.

Ron Ben-Israel, who focuses on elaborate wedding cakes as chef and owner of Ron Ben-Israel Cakes, in New York City, was drawn as a child to “watching as ingredients change through technique” in his mother’s kitchen.

“Especially the process of whipping egg whites into meringue fascinated me,” he said.

Tapping into one’s past
For him and others, there’s an element of nostalgia. A parent’s rugalach recipe, the pie their favorite aunt made every Thanksgiving, the cookies they helped decorate as kids.

Or, it’s a way to mark the calendar: a crunchy, buttery crisp in the fall after an apple picking expedition, Irish soda bread on St. Patrick’s Day, a favorite birthday cake that must be made every year.

The beauty of getting your hands messy
Alex George of the blog Lily P Crumbs finds something satisfyingly tactile and tangible about baking. Cracking eggs, creaming butter — there’s a lot of sensory pleasure to be had, especially in a screen-centric world. Kneading dough for bread, spreading the icing on cinnamon rolls.

Her readers, she says, “love the process as much as the payoff.”

The thrill of discovery
George loves inventing new kinds of baked goods, seeking inspiration whenever she tries a new food: “Savory food is my favorite kind of muse. One incredible French onion soup I had recently inspired my caramelized onion biscuits with French onion soup compound butter.”

Bernard Wong, an avid home baker in New York City, also enjoys delving into new techniques. He has experimented with laminated doughs (think croissants and puff pastry), and has recently played with the East Asian technique — known as tangzhong in China and yudane in Japan — of pouring boiling water over flour to partially cook it, resulting in softer, fluffier breads.

Wong takes pleasure in satisfy a craving for something by making it himself. For instance, he couldn’t find anadama bread, a traditional New England yeast bread, “but I know how to make it.

“It’s economical, I get to control what’s inside of it, and it passes the time when I’m in my apartment and keeps my hands busy,” he said.

He often chooses high-quality ingredients and still saves money compared to buying the finished product. He splurges on expensive chocolate like Callebaut and Valrhona, for instance, and jams as many chips as possible into his cookies.

Speaking the language of sweets
Even better, confections like these are shareable and can be a way of expressing a sentiment. It might be as simple as “I missed you,” or “I thought you might need something sweet to get through this moment.”

Skobe recently made a banana cake with cream cheese frosting for her co-workers: “I loved seeing all of my friends come to my desk to grab a slice.”

As Chang puts it: “I’m grateful I get to do something that I love so much and that others love so much too.”

At its heart, baking feels hopeful. It might be about feeding others, or celebrating, or creating a moment of calm in an otherwise chaotic world, but it’s also about the belief that if you measure the ingredients and follow the steps, something good should come out of it.

Oh, and julekake? It’s a Norwegian Christmas cake.

KATIE WORKMAN
Katie Workman writes regularly about food for The Associated Press. She has written two cookbooks focused on family-friendly cooking, “Dinner Solved!” and “The Mom 100 Cookbook.” She blogs at themom100.com. She can be reached at .

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NEW YORK (AP) — Ralph Lauren revealed Team USA’s Milan Cortina Winter Olympics looks Thursday, complete with Americana knit sweaters and plenty of vintage call-backs.

The formal opening ceremony look pairs a patterned red, white and blue knit sweater with tailored cream trousers and a matching wool coat. Moving sportier, the closing ceremony outfit features a graphic puffer coat inspired by vintage ski kits over a color-blocked sweater.

“We are creating something that we know has to become timeless and has to be something that people will wear forever and appreciate forever,” said David Lauren, the Chief Branding and Innovation Officer at Ralph Lauren. “So in creating jackets like this and creating things, we’re looking at the things that we most cherish. Things that are already enduring parts of the Ralph Lauren lexicon, and then we’ll build on that.”

Beyond the ceremony looks, a Team USA collection, which will also be given to athletes as Olympic village wear, became available to public Thursday.

The collection follows similar design themes as the opening and closing ceremony looks, with classic red, white and blue patterning on lots of knits, and includes Ralph Lauren’s versions of winter staples like bomber jackets and hockey jerseys.

The process of creating these looks is a long one. The Ralph Lauren team, which has been designing Team USA’s Olympic apparel since 2008, starts on each Olympics’ looks about 2 1/2 years out from the Games, meeting with athletes and brainstorming ideas for the kits. As Milan-Cortina’s looks are unveiled, Lauren said the looks for the 2028 Los Angeles games are already months in the making.

He knows the cultural importance each Olympics’ outfits holds, and the attention they garner in the fashion world and among American consumers.

“The fact that we know people will want them and collect them and chase them down across eBay, is just an exciting part of the game,” he said.

Sometimes, even international Olympic athletes are on the lookout for them. Beyond being an addition to an American athlete’s Olympic wardrobe, the pieces are also sometimes used as bargaining tokens in the Olympic village.

Para snowboarder Brenna Huckaby and snowboarder Red Gerard explained to The Associated Press that there’s a tradition of swapping team sweaters and jackets with other nations at the Olympics, if there’s a certain country’s design that catches an athlete’s eye. That’s only if there’s a piece of their collection that they’re willing to let go of, that is.

“I rarely trade, because I almost always love every single piece of Team USA stuff,” said Huckaby, modeling the color-blocked closing ceremony sweater that she said “is going to be on rotation after.”

“But every now and then there will be some random thing that another country has. And it’s so hard to sit with all my bags, all my stuff open, like, ‘OK, what am I willing to part with?’ That is probably, aside from competing, the hardest part of the Games,” she said.

ALYCE BROWN
Brown reports women in sports, from the players on the field to the women behind the scenes. She is based in New York City.

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Cooking with wine always feels elegant and elevated. This Vegetable Bourguignon, from my cookbook “I Love You: Recipes from the Heart” is hearty and satisfying for family dinners or for curling up by a fire on dark, moody days. And it’s always good for leftovers.

Serve it with a mashed vegetable — potatoes, parsnips or celery root (also known as celeriac). In this recipe, I call for celeriac because I enjoy sneaking in new things for my family to try. My dad had no idea he was eating mashed celery root instead of his regular potatoes at a Sunday meal… and almost fainted when I told him. Gotcha!

Vegetable Bourguignon with Mash

Servings: 6

Ingredients

BOURGUIGNON

⅓ ounce (10 g) dried porcini mushrooms

2½ cups (600 ml) boiling water

2½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 large carrots, cut into chunks

2 celery stalks, cut into chunks

Fine sea salt

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 cup (240 ml) red wine

1 pound 10 ounces (750 g) fresh mushrooms (any kind), thinly sliced

6 sprigs thyme

1 sprig rosemary

2 bay leaves

½ small bunch (about 100 g) lacinato kale, center ribs removed, leaves chopped

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Freshly ground black pepper

Chopped flat-leaf parsley, for garnishing

—-

MASH

3½ pounds (1.6 kg) celeriac (about 2)

6 garlic cloves, sliced

¼ cup (50 g) plant butter

3 tablespoons plant sour cream

Fine sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Make the bourguignon:

Preheat the oven to 350° F (180° C). Place the dried porcini mushrooms in a small, heat-proof bowl and pour the boiling water over them. Set aside to soak while you cook the vegetables.

Warm the olive oil in a Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the carrot, celery, and ½ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender.

Stir in the tomato paste and flour and cook for another minute. Pour in the wine, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen any golden bits. Add the soaking liquid from the porcini mushrooms (give the porcinis a quick chop and add them as well) along with the sliced fresh mushrooms. Tie the thyme, rosemary and bay leaves into a little bundle with a piece of twine and add to the pot. Cover the pot and put in the oven to cook until the vegetables are very tender and the stew has thickened slightly, 20 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the mash:

Peel the celeriac and cut into large chunks. Place them in a medium saucepan with the garlic and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook, uncovered, until tender when poked with a fork, about 15 minutes. Drain. Return the drained celeriac and garlic to the pot, add the plant butter and plant sour cream, and mash until smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Remove the bourguignon from the oven. Mix in the kale, cover the pot, and return it to the oven to cook for a final 10 minutes or so, until the kale is tender. Stir in the vinegar and season with pepper and ½ teaspoon salt. Taste and add another little pinch of salt if you like.

Serve the bourguignon garnished with chopped parsley alongside the celeriac mash.

—-

^{Pamela Anderson, author of “I Love You: Recipes from the Heart,” is an actress, activist and lifelong cook and homemaker.}

—-

^{Excerpted from “I Love You” by Pamela Anderson. Copyright (copyright) 2024 by Anderson Media Company, LLC. Used with permission of Voracious, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company. New York, NY. All rights reserved.}

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NEW YORK (AP) — Chanel’s new showman, Matthieu Blazy, took his designs on the road Tuesday — or rather, underground, with a buzzy New York runway show staged on an actual subway platform.

The designer, just weeks after his splashy Paris debut for Chanel in October, took over a decommissioned part of Manhattan’s Bowery station for his first Métiers d’Art collection. The annual show, which takes place in a different city each year, celebrates the craftsmanship of the artisans that partner with Chanel.

In this case, it was two shows — one in the afternoon and one in the evening. And befitting the first Chanel shows in New York since 2018, there were VIPs aplenty: A$AP Rocky, Tilda Swinton, Ayo Edebiri, Rose Byrne, Kristen Stewart, Sofia Coppola, Lupita Nyong’o, Jessie Buckley, Margaret Qualley, Bowen Yang, Jon Bon Jovi and many others.

The location had been a closely held secret. Guests entered via a doorway at 168 Bowery, and at first, it seemed like Chanel had perhaps decorated an event space to resemble a subway station, complete with tiled walls, turnstiles and a newsstand (with its own bespoke newspapers).

But down a flight of stairs was the real platform. Guests settled into bleacher seats resembling subway benches. “Stand clear of the closing doors!” came the announcement on the soundtrack, familiar to New Yorkers. Then a train came rolling in, and out of the cars came the models.

The show was a marked contrast in vibe with the last Métiers d’Art collection in New York in 2018, when the late designer Karl Lagerfeld took over the Egyptian Temple of Dendur at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for what felt like a mini-Met Gala, with clothes channeling the luxury of Egyptian royalty.

Blazy was inspired not by royalty but by ordinary urban commuters, of different ages and types, coming together in a mashup of styles from different eras, from the 1920s onward.

“The New York subway belongs to all,” the designer said in his show notes. “Everyone uses it. There are students and game-changers, statesmen and teenagers. It is a place full of wonderful encounters, a clash of pop archetypes.”

His models strolled the platform, some checking for arriving trains — feigning annoyance at their lateness — or leaning against a post as they waited. Their numbers increased until, by the end, there was a virtual rush hour of fashion, with the eclectic soundtrack playing the “Happy Days” theme song as a finale.

Some of these commuters wore classic Chanel suits — perhaps with an “I (Heart) NY” T-shirt — and others, tweed coats, flowing black capes or brightly patterned skirts. All were intended to show off the craftsmanship involved.

“This felt like breaking the system,” said Stewart, speaking after the afternoon show. “I genuinely had an emotional response to the show. I felt like I just saw so many different versions of a person walking. It wasn’t one woman.”

Stewart, like others, had no idea going in what the show’s theme would be, and thought the subway environment felt like “a flurry of fleeting caught moments.”

“Like, ‘Where is she going?’ I wanted to go with them,” Stewart said. “I believed in it. All of this is artifice, but when you do a really good impression of the truth, you find your own. This felt real to me.”

It was real enough that Chanel had printed its own “newspaper” — called La Gazette — to accompany the show, with articles and interviews. An interview with Blazy quoted the designer as saying the collection was inspired partly by the 1931 visit to New York of Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel.

And he sang the praises of the subway.

“It’s almost like it’s the vortex of the city,” Blazy said. “It connects everything.”

JOCELYN NOVECK
Noveck is an Associated Press national writer specializing in culture and gender, and a film critic.

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MILAN (AP) — The Prada Group closed the purchase of Milan fashion rival Versace in a $1.375 billion cash deal that puts the fashion house known for its sexy silhouettes under the same roof as Prada’s “ugly chic” aesthetic and Miu Miu ’s youth-driven appeal.

The highly anticipated deal is expected to relaunch Versace’s fortunes, after middling post-pandemic performance as part of the U.S. luxury group Capri Holdings.

Prada said in a one-line statement that the acquisition had been completed after receiving all regulatory clearances. Capri Holdings, which owns Michael Kors and Jimmy Choo, said the money would be used to pay down debt.

Donatella Versace welcomed the deal in an Instagram post, which also marked the birthday of the brand’s late founder, her brother, Gianni Versace.

“Today is your day and the day Versace joins the Prada family. I am thinking of the smile you would have had on your face,’’ she wrote in a post that also featured a 1996 photo of Gianni Versace with Miuccia Prada.

Versace’s future
Prada heir Lorenzo Bertelli is set to steer Versace’s next phase as executive chairman, in addition to his roles as group marketing director and sustainability chief.

The son of co-creative director Miuccia Prada and longtime Prada Group chairman Patrizio Bertelli has said he doesn’t expect to make any swift executive changes at Versace, although he also noted that the company, which is among the top 10 most recognized brands in the world, has long been underperforming in the market.

Prada has underlined that the 47-year-old Versace brand offered “significant untapped growth potential.’’

The appeal of the deal is that it combines “the minimalist Prada (with) a maximalist Versace,” said Luca Solca, managing director for the luxury sector at the Sanford C. Bernstein research firm, meaning that the brands don’t compete for the same customers.

Versace is “long past its heyday,” Solca said. ”The challenge and the opportunity is to make it relevant again.. .. They are going to have to invent something which is going to make the brand attractive, desirable and interesting again.’’

Versace already has begun a creative relaunch under a new designer, Dario Vitale, who previewed his first collection during Milan Fashion Week in September. He was previously head of design at Miu Miu, but his move to Versace was unrelated to the Prada deal, executives have said.

The runway show received mixed reviews, but the collection itself — a colorful, revealing riff on the 1980s — got good feedback from buyers. “I think that this seems to be a promising first step,” Solca said.

Breaking from the past
Capri Holdings paid $2 billion for Versace in 2018, but had been struggling to position the brands’ bold profile in the recent era of “quiet luxury.″

Capri Holdings chairman John D. Idol said in a statement that “Prada is the ideal partner to guide this celebrated luxury house into its next era of growth.’’

Versace represented 20% of Capri Holdings’ 2024 revenue of 5.2 billion euros.

Prada said when the deal was announced in April that Versace would represent 13% of the Prada Group’s pro-forma revenues, with Miu Miu coming in at 22% and Prada at 64%. The Prada Group, which also includes Church’s footwear, reported a 17% boost in revenues to 5.4 billion euros last year.

Prada’s in-house manufacturing
The Prada Group has already begun preparations to incorporate crosstown rival Versace into its Italian manufacturing system, a point of pride for the group.

“Making a bag for one brand or another, the know-how is the same,” Bertelli told reporters last week at the group’s Scandicci leather goods factory, which already makes bags for the Prada and Miu Miu brands and will soon add Versace.

Artisans stitched handles onto leather bags, and cut leather with laser machines inside the leather goods factory, where trainees were learning the trade as part of Prada’s 25-year-old academy. It has trained some 570 new artisans in an in-house training program in the Tuscany, Marche, Veneto and Umbria regions.

Last year, Prada hired 70% of the 120 artisans who trained in the academy. The number of trainees rose by 28% to 152 this year.

The Prada Group has invested 60 million euros in its supply chain this year, including a new leather goods factory near Siena, a new knitwear factory near Perugia, as well as increasing production at its Church’s footwear factory in Britain and expanding another Tuscan factory. That’s on top of 200 million euros in investments from 2019-24.

COLLEEN BARRY
Barry covers all things Italy for The Associated Press. Her focus includes fashion and design, overtourism and the environment, politics and sometimes the Vatican.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Melania Trump on Monday unveiled the holiday decorations for her family’s first Christmas back at the White House and her theme is “Home Is Where the Heart Is.”

The decor also nods to next year’s 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and founding of the United States of America.

Several dozen volunteer decorators from across the country helped deck the halls of the Executive Mansion with 75 wreaths, 51 Christmas trees, more than 700 feet (213 meters) of garland, more than 2,000 strands of lights, over 25,000 feet (7,620 meters) of ribbon, over 2,800 gold stars, more than 10,000 butterflies and 120 pounds (54 kilograms) of gingerbread.

But a couple of things are different this year because President Donald Trump tore down the East Wing to build a ballroom he’s long desired.

The official White House Christmas tree, which is always on display in the Blue Room, is doing double duty by also honoring Gold Star families, those that lost a member during active-duty military service.

That tree was an East Wing fixture and the first one visitors encountered after they entered through those doors, but the building and a covered walkway, or colonnade, connecting it to the White House were demolished by Trump in October as part of his ballroom plan.

Tourists can see the decorations
Public tours, which had been suspended because of the construction, are to resume Tuesday but with a shorter route limited to just the State Floor, which includes the East Room; the Green, Blue and Red Rooms; the State Dining Room; the Cross Hall; and the Grand Foyer.

The Library and the Vermeil and China Rooms on the Ground Floor, one level below the State Floor, were cut from the tour because of the construction.

The White House expects tens of thousands of visitors for holiday tours, receptions and parties before Christmas. Visitors will now enter through the North Portico doors on Pennsylvania Avenue using a new, semi-permanent walkway and entrance.

A White House statement said Christmas is a time to celebrate what makes the U.S. exceptional and that, while every home has its own traditions, Americans are united by shared values.

“In every community, we are lifted by simple acts of kindness that reflect the enduring American spirit of generosity, patriotism, and gratitude,” the statement said. “These moments remind us that the heart of America is strong and that Home Is Where The Heart Is.”

The first lady and Usha Vance, whose husband is Vice President JD Vance, met at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington later Monday to spend time with military spouses and join them in assembling care packages of Rice Krispies Treats and other snacks, and writing holiday cards for deployed service members as part of an American Red Cross effort.

Melania Trump said spouses show a resilience that few outside the military understand.

“We speak regularly of the bravery of our service members, and we should,” she said. “But we must also illuminate the bravery of those who walk beside them, the spouses who carry the weight of family life on top of their own dreams.”

Ribbons, lights and bows transform the mansion
The decorations touch every room on the State Floor, transforming it into a holiday wonderland.

Trees in the East Room are trimmed in patriotic red, white and blue and national symbols, including golden eagle tree toppers, to highlight the coming America250 national celebration.

The official White House Christmas tree in the Blue Room is decorated with gold stars to honor families who lost a member during active-duty military service. This tree traditionally recognizes each state and territory in some fashion, and this year’s fir is laden with ornaments showcasing the official bird and flower of each.

The Green Room celebrates family fun, featuring large portraits George Washington and Donald Trump, the first and current presidents, respectively, each made from more than 6,000 Lego puzzle pieces.

Thousands of blue butterflies decorate the Red Room, where the centerpiece tree celebrates young people and pays tribute to Melania Trump’s Fostering the Future initiative, which support people who have been in foster care as part of her Be Best child-focused program.

A holiday highlight, the gingerbread White House on display in the State Dining Room shows off the mansion’s South Portico and offers a special glimpse into the Yellow Oval Room, a sitting room off the Truman Balcony in the president’s private living quarters on the second floor.

It was made using 120 pounds (54 kilograms) of gingerbread, 100 pounds (45 kilograms) of pastillage, a sugar-based modeling paste; over 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms) of chocolate and 5 pounds (2.2 kilograms) of royal icing.

Part of the White House creche is on display in the Grand Foyer while the rest of it is undergoing a restoration overseen by the curator’s office.

DARLENE SUPERVILLE
Superville covers the White House for The Associated Press, with a special emphasis on first ladies and first families.

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