By RAF CASERT, Associated Press

HALLE, Belgium (AP) — Gilles Gui was looking for the magical purple bluebells that raise their heads each spring under the budding beech leaves of the Hallerbos forest, an annual explosion of color that draws crowds from around the world.

And in these times full of stress and anxiety about wars, economic threats and other tensions, he found something else too: a sense of tranquility.

“I notice that there’s a lot of silence in my head when I’m done,” Gui said. “Yeah, it helps me keep some peace in my mind, really just take my mind away from everything that’s going on.”

Bluebells, also known as wild hyacinth, bloom among the trees in the Hallerbos forest, south of Brussels, Belgium, on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Spending time in nature, experts have long said, can be a balm in troubled times.

“From a stroll through a city park to a day spent hiking in the wilderness, exposure to nature has been linked to a host of benefits, including improved attention, lower stress, better mood, reduced risk of psychiatric disorders, and even upticks in empathy and cooperation,” a 2020 article of the American Psychological Association said.

“These are extraordinary times,” said Ignace Glorieux, a sociology professor at Brussels University, adding that the under-30 generation in particular is under pressure.

A woman walks on a path with Bluebells, also known as wild hyacinth, in the Hallerbos forest, south of Brussels, Belgium, on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

“This is also the generation maybe that suffered most from the COVID crisis,” Glorieux said. “And now they come into a situation where there’s a lot of international uncertainty. So especially this group, maybe more than (the older) generation, is suffering from that and feels very uncertain about their future.”

Gui, 26, knows what Glorieux is talking about. “I do know of people my age who are worried and also with financial situations going on, who try to keep level heads, but it’s very hard for them,” he said.

The bluebell woods offer a ‘big green hug’

During the pandemic, the bluebell woods were closed off for fear that throngs of people would make it a hive of transmission instead of a haven of peace. Restrictions kept some parks under seal and mandated masks in some others.

Bluebells, also known as wild hyacinth, bloom among the trees in the Hallerbos forest, south of Brussels, Belgium, on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

“It was a difficult period for everyone,” said Mark Demesmaeker, a former member of the European Parliament, gardening enthusiast and city councilor in Halle, where he has walked the woods for decades. Now, at least, nature is there to welcome those with anxious minds.

“These bluebells — but in other times of year as well, walking here, the forest valleys, the wildlife, the forest streams — you know, they work into your mind all year round. And it’s really a big green hug that you get here,” Demesmaeker said.

A man walks his dog on a path surrounded by Bluebells, also known as wild hyacinth, in the Hallerbos forest, south of Brussels, Belgium, on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

That hug from nature is just about everywhere right now. Japan is awash in a sea of cherry blossoms, which mesmerize people around the world. Bluebell season also coincides with the prime tulip season in the Netherlands. The renowned Keukenhof garden there has become a playground for influencers and those seeking that ultimate selfie.

Put down the phone?

The Keukenhof and the Dutch tourism board suggest good spots to “make your image come alive.”

In this long exposure lens zoom effect, bluebells, also known as wild hyacinth, bloom among the trees in the Hallerbos forest, south of Brussels, Belgium, on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

To Glorieux, that’s where 21st-century humans push it too far.

“We have to be busy all the time, even in our leisure time,” he said. “We have to perform.”

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Instead, he advised, “Focus! If you go out walking, focus on walking. If you go out jogging, focus only on jogging.”

Such advice was not wasted on Philippe Thiry, 64, a southern Belgian recently retired and ready to embrace the rest of his life. He had no phone as he set off in the sunshine to look for bluebells.

“I don’t want to use it here because I’m here just to relax,” he said. “I mean, just to see the flowers and to see, to listen to the birds.”

“I want to be disconnected.”

By Gretchen McKay, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

With decades of cooking and testing recipes under my apron, I’m no spring chicken. (Sadly.)

But I certainly love to eat a good spring chicken, especially if preparing the meal for my family entails an easy recipe that’s built on inexpensive, everyday pantry ingredients and fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables.

This simple, budget-minded dinner for four is perfect for the first sunny days of spring.

Nothing is more comforting than the aroma of a roasting chicken, but when you’re busy with work or kids or just would rather spend those two or three hours outdoors, you might consider that a stuck-indoors, winter activity.

A spatchcocked chicken marinated in citrus, garlic and fresh herbs before being roasted makes an easy spring meal for four. (Gretchen McKay/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/TNS)

Yet if you follow my lead and spatchcock (butterfly) a whole bird — removing the backbone and then cracking it with the heel of your hands to flatten it — you will not only cut precious cooking time in half, but the breasts and thighs will also cook more evenly.

As for the sides, shine a light on carrots and a salad of tender butterhead lettuce tossed with crunchy radish and cucumber.

To keep costs down, I shopped at several stores rather than filling my shopping cart at the most convenient (and often more expensive) grocery.

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For instance, when a whole roaster chicken found where I do most of my everyday shopping looked like it was going to eat up too much of my $25 budget, I talked myself into using chicken thighs instead. Then, I happened to dash into Aldi to pick up a last-minute bag of lemons ($2.89) after a little shoe shopping and, voila! I found a plump, 4-pound roaster in the meat section for just $8.59 and I was back to my original plan.

While the carrots I sliced and roasted as a side dish were downright cheap at 99 cents per pound, the $3 I paid for a nice-sized head of fresh Boston lettuce was a bit of a surprise. At least the radishes and cucumber were cheap.

Eggs are still kind of pricey, even at today’s “bargain” price of around $5 a dozen. But the crumbly, shortbread-like French butter cookies I made for dessert (followed by late-night snacking) only required two, so no big whoop, right?

Not to sound like a broken record, but this probably bears repeating in these tough economic times: Smart shoppers peruse their refrigerators and pantries before they go grocery shopping, both to get some fresh ideas for dinner (what leftovers aren’t people eating?) and to make sure they don’t buy something they already have or need to use up ASAP.

They also make sure their stomachs are full so there’s no impulse buying or taking shortcuts with already-prepared foods, which tend to be more expensive than scratch dishes.

Ingredients I was able to leave off my shopping list (but wouldn’t have added a lot to the final tally) include the olive oil and mustard used in the vinaigrette and marinade, a cup and a half of rice to serve with the chicken, and some of the spices and herbs used for flavoring and aromatics.

I also am lucky to have an uber-local source for high-quality honey: my niece Amanda’s husband, Phil, a firefighter at Fire Station 34 in Perry North, has five hives in his Brighton Heights yard.

Setting a plate of cookies on the table is always a great way to end a meal. And a new French cookbook that recently landed on my desk made it super easy to choose one that was fancy enough to feel like a true dessert, but didn’t require any hardcore baking skills.

My husband and grandson weren’t the only ones who loved them — my co-workers gobbled them up in a matter of minutes when I brought half the batch into the office. You’ll adore them, too.

Those responsible for putting dinner on the table each night will appreciate the cost of the entire meal even more: just $24.83, or around $6.20 per person for a family of four.

Spring Salad with Citrus-Herb Vinaigrette

Serves 4, PG tested

This zesty vinaigrette gets its bright flavor from citrus and fresh herbs. I added some crumbled feta to give it more bite, but you also could sprinkle it with a little grated Parmesan or add some crunch with homemade croutons (a great way to use up day-old bread).

INGREDIENTS

For salad

6 ounces mixed spring greens and/or butter lettuce

1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced

1 carrot, peeled and shredded

4 radishes, thinly sliced

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

For vinaigrette

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon orange juice

1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh herbs such as basil, parsley or mint

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese, optional

DIRECTIONS

Wash and dry the mixed spring greens and butter lettuce thoroughly.
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, orange juice, maple syrup or honey, Dijon mustard and chopped fresh herbs until well combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Place salad greens in a large bowl. Add cucumbers, carrots and radishes and toss to combine. Drizzle vinaigrette on top and toss again, making sure all the veggies are coated with the dressing.
Sprinkle feta on top, and serve.

— Gretchen McKay, Post-Gazette

Spatchcocked Roasted Lemon Chicken

The marinade for a roasted spatchcocked chicken includes citrus juice and zest, garlic, fresh herbs and honey. (Gretchen McKay/Post-Gazette/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/TNS)

Serves 4, PG tested

Spatchcocking a chicken — or butterflying it by removing the backbone and flattening it — cooks faster and more evenly than a whole bird. This one is marinated for a few hours in a bath of olive oil, citrus juice and zest, fresh herb and garlic.

INGREDIENTS

For chicken

1 4-pound whole chicken

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cooked rice, for serving

For marinade

5 tablespoons olive oil

3 large cloves garlic, finely minced

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped

2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

Zest and juice of 1 lemon, plus 2 sliced lemons

Zest and juice of 1 orange

1 tablespoon honey

DIRECTIONS

Using poultry shears, cut along each side of the chicken backbone and remove it. (Save the backbone for stock.)
Turn the chicken breast side up and press down on the breastbone to flatten the bird. You may also want to cut the cartilage at the top of breastbone with a sharp knife to open it up more easily.
Season inside the chicken generously with salt and pepper.
In a small mixing bowl, combine olive oil, garlic, rosemary, lemon and orange juices and zest, and honey.
Pour into a resealable plastic bag (I was able to fit it into a 1-gallon bag) and add the chicken, squishing the bag to coat the chicken. Let rest in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees; remove the chicken from the fridge 30 minutes prior to cooking.
Place the marinated chicken, cut side down, on a cookie sheet. Spoon any marinade on the top and cover with 2 sliced lemons.
Bake uncovered for 45 minutes, or until instant read thermometer reads 160 degree when inserted into thickest part of chicken breast.
Remove from the oven and rest uncovered for 10 minutes on a cutting board before slicing.

— Gretchen McKay, Post-Gazette

Honey-roasted Carrots

Serves 4, PG tested

Could there be an easier recipe? Just slice, toss and roast! A drizzle of honey butter just before serving adds to the subtle sweetness.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 pounds whole carrots, peeled

2 tablespoon extra-virgins olive oil

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 tablespoon honey

Kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste

Chopped dill or parsley, for garnish, optional

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Place whole carrots in a baking dish, and drizzle with olive oil. Mix with your hands until carrots are completely covered with oil.
Drizzle honey over top, then season generously with salt and pepper. Toss until evenly coated.
Bake in preheated oven until carrots are just tender, about 30 minutes — they should easily pierce with a fork — or a few minutes longer if you prefer softer carrots.
When carrots are just about done cooking, mix melted butter with honey in a small pan over medium heat.
Remove carrots from oven to a serving platter, then drizzle the butter mixture over them and toss to coat. Garnish with dill or parsley, optional.

— Gretchen McKay, Post-Gazette

Vanilla Sables

Makes 40 cookies, PG tested

Sables are a simple French cookie known — and beloved — for their crumbly, shortbread-like texture. These are flavored with vanilla.

The cookies will keep for up to a week in an airtight container.

INGREDIENTS

1 vanilla pod or 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste

7 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature, diced

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon flaked sea salt

2 large egg yolks

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Demerara or turbinado sugar, for decorating

DIRECTIONS

Cut the vanilla pod, if using, in half and scrape out the seeds. Put the seeds or vanilla bean paste in a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer.
Add butter and, using the electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy. (I used a KitchenAid stand mixer.)
Add sugar and salt and beat until light and fluffy for a few minutes more.
Add egg yolks and beat until fully combined. Sift in flour in one go and mix on slow speed until mixture resembles sand or gravel. Do not over-mix; it should not form a uniform dough.
Tip the mixture onto a work surface and use your hands to gently bring together in a uniform dough.
Divide the dough in half and roll into two logs 1 1/2 inches thick. Wrap in plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator to chill for 3 hours or until firm. (If you are in a rush, you can freeze the dough for 30 minutes or until firm.)
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line two baking trays with parchment paper.
Remove the dough from the fridge and roll it in a few tablespoons of the Demerara sugar, coating the entire outside of the log. (I used regular sugar.)
Using a thin, sharp knife, cut the dough into 5/8 -inch slices and put onto the prepared baking trays. Bake for 20-25 minutes until very lightly browned around the outside.
Leave to cool on trays for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

— “French Bakes Made Simple: From Macaron to Millefeuille and More” by Edd Kimber (Octopus Books, $30)

©2025 PG Publishing Co. Visit at post-gazette.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

After prioritizing the interior of the offensive line over the past few months, the Vikings continued that trend on Thursday night, selecting Ohio State offensive lineman Donovan Jackson when they were on the clock at No. 24.

The decision to stick and pick came as a surprise on the surface as the Vikings felt like a candidate to trade down to garner more draft picks.

The biggest issue with trading down is that the Vikings might have had to sacrifice Jackson in the process. They felt there was no point in adding more draft capital if it cost them the player they coveted most at the time.

How did the Vikings grade out in the eyes of experts?  Not many were in love with it. Nobody hated it.

Here’s a round up of grades from the first round:

NFL: B

Analysis: “Minnesota continued to remodel its interior offensive line with the selection of Jackson. He impressed by moving from left guard to left tackle during the Buckeyes’ championship run last season after the injury to Josh Simmons left a vacancy on the blind side. Jackson will move back to the interior in the pros. He’s a solid player who will be a sturdy pass protector and strong run blocker for years to come.” — Chad Reuter

USA Today: B

Analysis: “With Minnesota entering the draft with a league-low four picks, this spot seemed ripe for a trade. Nevertheless, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah sticks with his first choice and continues to bolster his interior front after adding Will Fries and Ryan Kelly in free agency. Jackson might have been a somewhat surprising candidate to complete the effort, but the 6-4, 320-pounder showed off impressive pass protection skills when he kicked out to left tackle due to Josh Simmons’ injury to power the Buckeyes’ national title run.” –Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz

CBS Sports: B

Analysis: Jackson is a good player who can play guard and tackle, but will be a guard for the Vikings. Minnesota needed to upgrade the interior of the offensive line and they will do it with Jackson. Teams loved his demeanor. I like the pick.” — Pete Prisco

Fox Sports: B-

Analysis: This is one of the stunners for me, given how the Vikings invested so much in free agency on interior offensive linemen. That said, I really like Jackson, one of my favorite blockers in this class because of his size, strength, durability and versatility. Protecting J.J. McCarthy is the top priority and the Vikings clearly are focused on that.” — Rob Rang

Sports Illustrated: B

Analysis: “Jackson is a mountain of a man at 6′ 4″ and 315 pounds, and started 40 games for the Buckeyes including nine at left tackle after Justin Simmons tore his patellar tendon last autumn. Going forward, Jackson is expected to kick back inside where he spent the bulk of his college career. He’s a two-time, first-team All-Big Ten selection and last year was named a second-team All-American.” — Matt Verderame

The Ringer: A+

Analysis: “I really like this pick for the Vikings, who bolster their offensive line with a tough and versatile bruiser in Jackson. An excellent hand fighter who plays with balance and football IQ, he completes the team’s makeover at offensive line this offseason. Dropping him in at left guard alongside Christian Darrisaw, Ryan Kelly, Will Fries, and Brian O’Neill gives Minnesota the chance to field one of the best offensive lines in the league. That will be a massive boon for J.J. McCarthy.” — Danny Kelly

Bleacher Report: B

Analysis: “Jackson will immediately slot into the final guard spot as a ready-made starter despite the difficult circumstances he faced last season during the Buckeyes’ title run. Ironically, he’ll now be blocking for a Michigan man in J.J. McCarthy, who needs a strong pocket as a first-year starter since he missed all of his rookie season with a torn meniscus.” — Brent Sobleski

By ALBERT STUMM, Associated Press

Starting with brushing his teeth before 4 a.m., influencer Ashton Hall says he also swims, meditates, journals, rubs his face with banana peel, lifts weights, submerges his face in ice water and accomplishes much more every day before breakfast around 9:30.

A video of his morning routine has racked up millions of views on social media, while sparking reactions that range from disbelief to awe. It also jumpstarted the conversation online about how best to start the day, even if a six-hour regimen is ambitious to say the least.

Don’t worry, said Kamalyn Kaur, a psychotherapist in Cheshire, England. You don’t need to start your day with dozens of activities to improve it. But she said it is a good idea to reevaluate how you get going because setting up a relaxed, structured morning will pay dividends for your energy and mood.

“It just sets the tone for the rest of your day,” said Kaur, an anxiety expert who advises new clients to start by reevaluating how they spend the morning. “If you set yourself up and you start your day properly, you start off feeling good, you feel organized.”

The case for establishing a morning routine

As a professor of workplace psychology at The University of Oklahoma, Shawn McClean has spent years studying how work life is influenced by the rest of your life.

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He said accomplishing tasks in the same order every morning is helpful because people have limited mental bandwidth before they have to recharge. The brain subconsciously reserves resources for tasks that require higher-level thinking, so routines are a type of mental shortcut.

“We’re cognitive misers,” McClean said. “We don’t like to use our mental energy on things that aren’t important.”

His research has found that employees perform better and are more calm throughout the day when they complete their morning regimen uninterrupted. Conversely, employees with disruptive mornings report higher levels of mental depletion late in the day.

“When it comes to routine disruptions, it throws off your whole day,” he said on a day when he was playing catch-up after having forgotten about his daughter’s show-and-tell. “You get to work and you realize you didn’t brush your teeth.”

What is a ‘good’ morning routine?

Most people already have some kind of routine in place, but few consciously decided on it before it became automatic, McLean said.

It’s hard to define what a good routine is, and there is no formula that is best for everyone.

“It’s going to be idiosyncratic to each person,” McLean said. “It’s what helps them function. Now, can we have destructive routines? Yes.”

Rushing around in the morning to shower, eat and get out the door just on time is an example of a destructive morning routine, Kaur said. The stress of a rushed morning produces extra cortisol, which is a necessary hormone that helps regulate the circadian rhythm, she said. It’s what naturally wakes you up and makes you alert in the morning.

Too much cortisol in the bloodstream, however, creates a feeling of restlessness and anxiety that can be similar to drinking coffee on an empty stomach, Kaur said.

Where should you start?

People who often have hectic mornings should consider setting their alarm 30 minutes earlier — and resist the urge to hit the snooze button, Kaur said. For many people, snoozed sleep is disrupted sleep that might leave you more groggy.

Kaur recommends adding at least two or three quick activities to your morning that have been shown to improve mood — starting with making your bed. Research shows that clutter foments anxiety, and completing a task first thing in the morning promotes the secretion of the feel-good hormone dopamine, she said.

Next, have a glass of water. If you’ve gotten a full night’s sleep, you’ll likely be slightly dehydrated after not consuming liquids for eight hours. And try delaying caffeine until after eating to avoid being jittery.

At some point within the first hour of waking up, expose yourself to natural light, preferably by taking a quick walk, Kaur said. Even if it’s cloudy, daylight is another trigger for the circadian rhythm that promotes alertness first thing in the morning.

“These habits are important,” she said. “It gives you the optimum chance and the optimum conditions to function better throughout the rest of your day.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: Albert Stumm writes about wellness, food and travel. Find his work at https://www.albertstumm.com