Growing up, we cut Coca-Cola Cake into fat squares straight from the pan. It was the fudgy, pecan-topped cake of barbecue suppers, neighborhood get-togethers, family trips, and pretty much all my ...

There were many reasons for the first cousins not being close — she and my husband’s brother lived in southeastern Ohio, some 700 miles away — 11 hours by car, a road trip we all hated. Also, my ...