The Salem News (Salem, MA)

1 day ago | salemnews.com | Beth Dooley

It’s no secret that butter makes everything taste better. Adding unrivaled flavor, depth and structure to a range of dishes, butter is wonderfully versatile as both a sauce itself and the foundation for one. Butter emulsifies soups and stews while adding a boost of umami. It is a bread basket essential and the best spread for toast, bagels, scones and muffins. When creamed for a cake or cookie batter, butter increases the loft and intensifies the sweetness.

1 day ago | salemnews.com | Phil Stacey

DANVERS — Hit the ball deep ... and keeping hitting it deep so that it becomes muscle memory. Practice for the unbeaten and top seeded St. John's Prep tennis team has been centered around this very tenant. The thinking is if they're constantly keeping their respective opponents beyond the baseline with efficient groundstrokes, it's going to make it that much harder for them to fight back. When short balls come up, change direction and go for the kill.

1 day ago | salemnews.com | Phil Stacey

Corey Lowe wasn't one of those basketball players who knew he wanted to get into coaching when his own playing days were over. Thankfully, other people saw he had the gift — not only on the court at Newton North High School, then four years at Boston University and playing pro ball overseas — but also his ability to think and see the game while directing others from the sidelines.

2 days ago | salemnews.com | Don Lindich

Full-featured headphones for $34.99: When I wrote about Cambridge Audio's Melomania P100 headphones last week I knew not everybody would want to spend $239, no matter how good they are. The EarFun Wave Life headphones are a solid budget buy for everyone else, and those who already own pricey headphones may find them perfect for the gym, for kids or to give as gifts.

2 days ago | salemnews.com | Michael McHugh

Salem native Beverly Cooper Pierce has published her debut historical novel about the daily lives of Massachusetts women in the 18th century as they navigated the period’s culture of religious intolerance and rigidity. The novel, which is called “The Rowans,” is the result of Pierce’s seven years of writing and deep research into the language, landscape, technology, foods, habits, and herbalism of the pre-Revolutionary period. kAm!:6C46 :D 2?