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With guidance from his mother and grandmother, chef Alton Brown developed an flair in the kitchen early. In the final installment of our holiday baking series, he offers some last-minute tips. And NPR's Jennifer Ludden gets some kitchen wisdom from her own grandmother, Marion Otte.

Pulitzer prize-winning author Michael Chabon's new book follows the sleuthing adventures of an elderly Sherlock Holmes. It's called The Final Solution: A Story of Detection. Chabon explains how the Sherlock Holmes mysteries inspired him as a child and how writing a mystery novel is similar to creating his other works. Hear Chabon and NPR's Steve Inskeep.

Drawing on the centuries-old tradition of female vocal music from Eastern Europe, the women's ensemble Kitka has won wide acclaim for their lush harmonies. Their latest CD, Wintersongs, features Slavic and Balkan carols and hymns. NPR's Jennifer Ludden talks with members of the ensemble.

Rock critic Ken Tucker gives us his top picks in pop for 2004. He runs down his 10 best albums, and then talks about some trends of 2004, such as the return of punk, the year of the hip-hop producer, crunk music, and the potential end of an era as iPods and single song downloads replace album purchases. Ken Tucker is also a film critic for New York magazine.

In a series of commentaries for All Things Considered over the past 18 months, Holly Rossi described what life was like for the wife of an Army reservist deployed in Kuwait.

In over 30 years of traveling, writer Eric Hansen has met some odd characters. He details some of his most memorable explorations in a new book of essays called The Bird Man and the Lap Dancer.

Two police officers involved in a videotaped beating of a black teenager in Inglewood, Calif., have been awarded $2.4 million by a jury that found they were unfairly disciplined. We speak with Gregory Smith, the attorney for officer Jeremy Morse, who was given the larger jury award of $1.6 million. We also hear from Inglewood Mayor Roosevelt Dorn.

NPR's Alison MacAdam tells the story of getting in touch with her best friend from kindergarten, Scott Hoffman, who is now a sensation in a disco-rock band called The Scissor Sisters. Hoffman explains how he uses music to fill the voids he felt growing up in Lexington, Ky.

A powerful congressional chairman announces he is dropping his opposition to the White House-backed intelligence reform bill. A vote on a legislative compromise could come Tuesday in the House of Representatives, even though another key chairman remains opposed. Hear NPR's David Welna.

Making-up 60 percent of Iraq's population, Shiite Muslims look to be big winners in the Jan. 30 elections. Some worry the Shia community is too close to Iran and could push the country toward a more theocratic model. But some experts believe the Shia may be democracy's best hope in a new Iraq. Hear NPR's Mike Shuster.