Life Kit

Items from NPR Life Kit host Marielle Segarra's ancestral altar, clockwise from right: a Julio Iglesias cassette tape, an address book, a crucifix, a mango candy, a card with a rose depicted on it, eyeglass lenses and a ring. Malaka Gharib/ NPR hide caption

"A bone-in turkey breast is significantly easier to cook than a whole bird, it takes a fraction of the time and it still feeds a group comfortably," says New York Times food writer Eric Kim. Photograph by Bryan Gardner for The New York Times; Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne; Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks. hide caption

Mikki Smith lets out a cry as she adjusts to the frigid water. It was her first time with the Puget Sound Plungers in Seattle, Washington. Mike Kane for NPR hide caption

In Lan Lam's recipe, the turkey is cooked in a preheated roasting pan placed on top of a preheated pizza stone or pizza steel to deliver more heat to the legs and thighs. "By the time the breasts hit 160 degrees, the legs are done and you don't have to go in and do much to the turkey," she says. America's Test Kitchen hide caption

Buying appliances and vehicles that run on electricity, not fossil fuels, can help reduce our carbon footprint. Making these upgrades will cost money — so you will need to plan ahead, says Joel Rosenberg of the nonprofit group Rewiring America. Clockwise from top left: Bloomberg via Getty Images, Schon/Getty Images, Jackyenjoyphotography/Getty Images, Juan Algar/Getty Images; Collage by Kaz Fantone hide caption