April 9, 2026

Title: BANANAS FOSTER

Constructor: Brian Callahan

Editor: Amie Walker

Theme synopsis:

• BEEF STROGANOFF (19A: Traditional Russian dish cooked with smetana)
• FEATS OF STRENGTH (37A: Festivus tradition that involves wrestling the head of the household)
• GOES FOR THE GOLD (52A: Tries to finish in first place)

BANANAS FOSTER: Each theme answer contains an anagram of the word FOSTER: BEEF STROGANOFF, FEATS OF STRENGTH, and GOES FOR THE GOLD.

And now a word from our constructor:

Brian: As a fan of TV’s “Seinfeld” (and the holiday Festivus!), I was over the moon to find that FEATS OF STRENGTH was a possible theme answer for this puzzle. Unfortunately for me, AIRING OF GRIEVANCES is 18 characters long, so it’s unlikely that I’ll be able to put it cleanly into a standard 15x15 crossword. Maybe one of these days I’ll get it in a Sunday-sized grid? Thanks so much for solving, and thanks, Sally, for the write-up!

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• LORNA (12A: Poet ___ Dee Cervantes) LORNA Dee Cervantes seventh volume of poetry is scheduled to be released this year. It's titled FIRE: Poems Against Pandemic. LORNA Dee Cervantes is a major voice in Chicana Poetry. Chicana (or Chicano) is a chosen identity for people of Mexican descent born in the United States.
• FEATS OF STRENGTH (37A: Festivus tradition that involves wrestling the head of the household) Festivus is a secular holiday created by writer Daniel O'Keefe (1928-2012). It was created as a secular alternative to Christmas. The holiday gained popularity after it was featured on an episode of Seinfeld in 1997. Daniel O'Keefe's son Dan O'Keefe is a TV writer and producer who writes some episodes for Seinfeld. The Seinfeld episode, titled "The Strike," introduced some Festivus practices including "airing of grievances" and "FEATS OF STRENGTH." As the clue mentions, FEATS OF STRENGTH involves the head of the household selecting a guest and challenging them to a wrestling match.
• WOLFE (9D: Jack who starred in "Hadestown" and "Next to Normal") Jack WOLFE is an English actor who is known for his theater work. Next to Normal is a musical about a woman who struggles with bipolar disorder. In the West End production of Next to Normal, Jack WOLFE played the role of Gabe, the woman's son who died as a baby and comes to her in visions as a teenager. Jack WOLFE made his Broadway debut in September of last year, playing the role of Orpheus in Hadestown.
• ASTROS (31D: White Sox foes in the 2005 World Series) As a non-sports-centric person, there are very few World Series for which I would be able to tell you who the teams were. However, with the help of a few letters from crossing answers, I was able to figure out that the teams in the 2005 World Series were the Chicago White Sox and the Houston ASTROS. The White Sox swept the series in four games, winning their first World Series since 1917.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• IRAN (17A: Neighbor of Azerbaijan) IRAN is located in Western Asia. In addition to Azerbaijan, IRAN's neighbors are Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Türkiye, Armenia, and Turkmenistan. IRAN also has coastline along the Caspian Sea, the Gulf of Oman, and the Persian Gulf. The capital of IRAN is Tehran. IRAN has been in the news lately, of course. Taking this opportunity to send some peaceful vibes to the people of IRAN who are living amidst so much uncertainty.
• BEEF STROGANOFF (19A: Traditional Russian dish cooked with smetana) BEEF STROGANOFF is a Russian dish of sautéed BEEF in a mustard and smetana (heavy sour cream) sauce.
• APR (24A: National Library Week mo.) National Library Week has been celebrated in the United States since 1957. In the U.S., National Library Week is typically celebrated the second full week of April. The abbreviation of the word month in the clue alerts solvers that the answer will be an abbreviation.
• STOUT (47A: Milk ___ (dark beer with lactose)) STOUT is a type of dark beer. As the clue tells us, milk STOUT is a STOUT that contains lactose, a sugar derived from milk. Lactose cannot be fermented by beer yeast, and as a result it adds sweetness and a perceived body to the beer.
• FWIW (58A: Texter's "Here's a thought...") FWIW = for what it's worth
• LENO (61A: Apt letters missing from "_at_ _ight h_st") In this variation of fill-in-the-blank clue, each blank corresponds to one letter. The phrase here is LatE Night hOst, of which Jay LENO is one. This is a fun example of this type of fill-in-the-blank clue, though it took my brain a bit of time to figure it out.
• BLAB (1D: Let the cat out of the bag) My cat, Willow, would just like to make it known that she is not a fan of any cat in a bag ... unless, of course, the cat voluntarily puts itself in the bag.

• PINATA (7D: Take a swing at it!) An exclamation point at the end of a clue alerts solvers to take the clue literally. A PINATA is literally a decoration that you take a swing at in an attempt to break it open.
• EGO NWODIM (34D: "Thanks Dad With ___" (former "SNL" cast member's podcast)) EGO NWODIM was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2018 to 2025. In September 2024, she launched a podcast titled Thanks Dad With EGO NWODIM. During the podcast's first season, the guests were all dads. Now the criteria for guests is "anyone with a dad" (which is everyone). At the beginning of each episode, EGO NWODIM asks her guest who they want to say thank you to.
• THAT (36D: "Running Up ___ Hill" (Kate Bush hit)) "Running Up THAT Hill" is a 1985 song by Kate Bush. I am a fan of using song titles to add interest to clues for common words. 
• LENT (55D: Post-Mardi Gras period) Mardi Gras, also known as Shrove Tuesday, is the Tuesday prior to Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday is the beginning of LENT in the Christian tradition. LENT is the period of 40 days (not counting Sundays) that lead up to Easter.

BANANAS FOSTER is a flambéed dessert of BANANAS in a rum sauce that is often served over ice cream. (Yum!) Today, however, BANANAS FOSTER is this puzzle's theme, with the word BANANAS serving as an anagram indicator. Thank you, Brian, for this delightful puzzle.

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