Don't Bogart My Blog: Sunday Best: Seven easy winter casseroles that won’t fix politics

But these weekend reads might help you escape.

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Sunday, November 4, 2018

NYTimes.com/Opinion »

How does a Democrat beat President Trump in 2020? Do politicians' words — particularly hate speech — contribute to a "climate of hate"? Going into the midterm elections, we have many more questions than we do answers. One thing we do know: the reasons we plan to cast our ballots on Tuesday.

What issues are driving you to the polls this week? Tell me at Op-reads@nytimes.com. Please note your name, age and location; we may publish a selection of the responses. Now go forth and escape into these stories as you take a moment to ignore politics. — Alexandra March

Seven Easy Winter Casseroles That Won't Fix Any of This

Jeremy Sorese

By SARAH HUTTO

Skillet Mac and Cheese. Ahh, an old standby. Leave it to familiar things, like the scent of pine, a gentle rain or the lack of a constant feeling of dread to bring you back to childhood. There's nothing like a home-style dish to deliver the quaint sensation of being filled with melted cheese and carbohydrates while falling asleep on a couch and not thinking about the next world war.

There Are Two Kinds of People in This Country. Which Are You?

Mark Makela for The New York Times

By MARGARET RENKL

There are those who are pro-daylight saving time and those against it. Margaret Renkl, for one, will miss the bewitching autumn light, that kind that sets the sky on fire and fuels the energy of neighborhood children.

Bake Sales Are Ruining Your Feminist Agenda

Klara Nordin Stensö

By DEB PERELMAN

Thinking about taking a store-bought confection to your child's next bake sale? Don't you dare. How taboo. How uncouth. The cookbook author Deb Perelman explains why it's frowned upon (and why it shouldn't be): "Women who lack the time or inclination to bake at home and who bring packaged cookies (gasp!) are seen as stomping on a Great American Tradition."

In the Back Streets of Istanbul

Nightfall in the Istanbul district of Zeyrek, 1960. Photographs by Ara Guler/Magnum Photos

By ORHAN PAMUK

"Are beauty and memory separate things? Are things not beautiful because they are slightly familiar and resemble our memories?" These are the types of questions Orhan Pamuk would ask his late friend, Ara Guler, whom he called the "greatest photographer of modern Istanbul."

Cheating Death Through Time Zones

Jon Han

By LAUREN DEPINO

In southern Malaysia, Lauren DePino exists 12 hours ahead of her family in Philadelphia. When it's morning for her, it's evening for them. With that overlap comes peace, even a quixotic thought that during that sliver of time, nothing bad can get them — not even death.

Send your thoughts on this week's selections, suggestions and favorite reads from the section to me at Op-reads@nytimes.com. If you're enjoying this email, please send it to friends. They can sign up here.