By Lara Gould and Caroline Graham

Last updated at 12:46 AM on 22nd January 2012

Their union was believed to be one of the strongest in showbusiness – reinforced by regular public declarations of love and an annual ceremony to renew their wedding vows.

But last night it was reported Heidi Klum’s seven-year marriage to British singer Seal is over – with the model preparing to file for divorce within days.

Is it over? Heidi Klum and Seal are to file for divorce after six years of marriage, according to reports

German-born Heidi, 38, is expected to file papers at Los  Angeles’ County Superior Court this week citing irreconcilable differences between the pair who  married at Seal’s beachfront home in Mexico in 2005.

The reasons behind the sudden split remained unclear but a spokesman for the former Victoria’s Secret model yesterday said a statement was being prepared which would be released imminently.

A spokesman for Seal, 48 – real name Seal Henry Samuel – did not return calls but a cryptic message posted on the singer’s Twitter page on Friday read: ‘The End.’

The message was attached to a picture that appeared to show the star’s forearm bearing an imprint of a set of wings – a possible reference to Miss Klum’s role as a Victoria’s Secret winged ‘Angel’ model.

All over? Seal has left cryptic Twitter messages on his homepage

The split paves the way for a multi-million-pound divorce battle between the golden couple.

They have three children together – Henry, six, Johan, five, and Lou, two – as well as Miss Klum’s daughter Leni, seven, from a previous relationship with Italian businessman Flavio Briatore.

Miss Klum, one of the world’s most in-demand models, is reported to have earned more than £12 million in the past year alone.

Seal, who is best known for his Kiss From A Rose single, has sold more than 20 million albums and won three Brit Awards and three Grammys in a career spanning 20 years.

The couple own a home in Mexico and an £8.4 million mansion in Los Angeles. Yesterday there was no sign of them at the LA house, which is set in an exclusive gated community in Mandeville Canyon, in the Hollywood Hills.

Happy: The couple were last seen together on December 27, with Heidi tweeting this picture of them on holiday in Aspen, Colorado

Happy families: The couple have four children, Leni, seven, Henry, six, Johan, five and Lou, two

Their neighbours include Hollywood actor Ben Affleck and actress Catherine Zeta-Jones.

A guard at the house said: ‘They’re not saying anything.’ Asked if the couple were inside the property, he replied: ‘I think so. I’ve seen him.’

On Wednesday, Seal was in London to pre-record a performance of his new single Backstabbers for Jonathan Ross’s ITV chat show, which was broadcast last night.

Miss Klum was alone as she attended the Golden Globes awards in Hollywood last Sunday.

News of the split comes just weeks after the couple posed, apparently happily, for a photo on a skiing holiday in Colorado.

Going solo: Seal was seen arriving at LAX on Saturday, while Heidi was last seen at the Golden Globes yesterday, which she attended alone

So in love: The couple are known for renewing their vows in lavish ceremonies – seen doing so in Malibu in 2009

On December 26 Miss Klum posted a picture on Twitter of the couple on the slopes in Aspen with the caption, ‘Sun and Snow and  @Seal’. Miss Klum divorced her first husband, stylist Ric Pipino after five years together in 2002 and met Seal a year later in 2003.

At the time she had just split from  Formula 1 billionaire Briatore.

After marrying in 2005, Seal and Klum kept their promise to renew their vows every year on their  anniversary with their close friends and family.

THROUGH THE YEARS – HEIDI KLUM AND SEAL’S RELATIONSHIP

2004: The couple meet while Heidi is pregnant with daughter Leni from a relationship with Italian businessman Flavio Briatore

May 2004: Heidi gives birth with Seal at her side

December 2004: Seal proposes in an igloo he had built on a glacier in Whistler, British Columbia

May 2005: The couple marry in a beach ceremony in Mexico

September 2005: Heidi gives birth to the couple’s first son, Henry

November 2006: She gives birth to their second son, Johan

October 2009: Their daughter Lou is born

September 2009: Seal officially adopts Leni

December 27, 2011: the couple are last seen together, as Heidi tweets a picture of her and Seal on holiday in Aspen, Colorado

January 15: Heidi attends the Golden Globes alone

Yesterday: Seal is seen arriving at LAX alone

Robert Ruffato was eighteen years old on December 7, 1941.

He had less than a year in the Navy.

Seventy years later, he remembers that sound underwater, as the bullets hit and then sizzled past his head.

“You could hear the bullets hitting the water and they’d go about 3 feet and then they’d start sinking Now I didn’t know bullets were hot when they came out of a gun – but they’re hot – cause you could hear them sizzle as they went by your head down there,” Ruffato said.

Robert Ruffato remembers diving deep into the water, holding on to coral to avoid being hit as the Japanese strafed from above.

He had been on the Utah and looked out a port hole as a plane pulled off a bombing dive.

“He pulled up right over the Utah and I could see that big old red ball on his wings so that’s when we knew we were in trouble,” Ruffato said of the attacks.

Utah was hit by torpedoes and a five hundred pound bomb.

Mass confusion followed. Sailors in rooms where torpedoes hit tried to get above deck while other sailors rushed down to their bombing quarters below.

Ruffato went topside but the Japanese were strafing with machine guns.

When the strafing relented, he swam to shore.

He shot at Japanese planes with an old rifle, and then drove to the other side of Ford Island for medical supplies.

It almost cost him his life.

Passing the airfield, he saw two planes he thought were coming in to land.

“I thought ‘why are they turning their lights on – but they weren’t turning their lights on – they were machine gunning my truck,” he recalled.

Dodging bullets, Robert made it back with the supplies, but he lost many fellow sailors that day. One whispered his last words to him.

He says surviving Pearl Harbor put life in perspective.

“I get kind of down and I say, ‘buck up bob, you could have been killed in Pearl Harbor.’”

Robert told me he joined the crew of the USS Honolulu that same day.

He went on to serve in nine major engagements – including the battle of Guadalcanal.

Robert and his wife raised six children here in San Diego. He now has ten grandchildren and fourteen great grandchildren. He lives on Mission Bay and stays active in the veteran community.

A GOTA D’AGUA – CHICO BUARQUE

Já lhe dei meu corpo
Minha alegria
Já estanquei meu sangue
Quando fervia
Olha a voz que me resta
Olha a veia que salta
Olha a gota que falta
Pro desfecho da festa
Por favor…

Deixe em paz meu coração
Que ele é um pote até aqui de mágoa
E qualquer desatenção, faça não
Pode ser a gota d’água…(2x)

Já lhe dei meu corpo
Minha alegria
Já estanquei meu sangue
Quando fervia
Olha a voz que me resta
Olha a veia que salta
Olha a gota que falta
Pro desfecho da festa
Por favor…

Deixe em paz meu coração
Que ele é um pote até aqui de mágoa
E qualquer desatenção, faça não
Pode ser a gota d’água
Pode ser a gota d’água
Pode ser a gota d’água….

Sweet potato casserole topped with marshmallows has become a staple of many Thanksgiving tables. But if you’re ready to rethink this iconic holiday dish, a community of home cooks is here to help.

A Vegetarian Thanksgiving

Delicious no-meat recipes for your holiday table.

Meet the chefs of Food52.com, a Web site devoted to the creativity of the home cook. Food52, created by the longtime food writers Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs, relies on a community of experienced home cooks who, week after week, submit original home recipes. The site hosts frequent contests, and recipe entries with the most potential are tested and put to a final vote. The best dishes have been compiled in a new book, “The Food52 Cookbook: 140 Winning Recipes From Exceptional Home Cooks.’’

Ms. Hesser, a former New York Times food editor, and Ms. Stubbs, who has also written for The Times, collaborated on “The Essential New York Times Cookbook” and other projects, but together discovered that their favorite dishes were often those they learned about from home cooks. As a result, they decided to create a place for home cooks to gather online to swap their best recipes and seek advice.

“People feel a sense of calm getting advice and ideas from other home cooks who have been in the trenches with them,” says Ms. Stubbs.

For the Well Vegetarian Thanksgiving series, the home chefs of the Food52 community have reinvented sweet potatoes, offering four new ways to enjoy the fall vegetable. Even the most devoted casserole lovers won’t be thinking about the marshmallows when they try Southwestern Spiced Sweet Potato Fries With Chili-Cilantro Sour Cream. Or consider buttery, layered and caramelized Sweet Potatoes Anna With Prunes. Charge up traditional mashed potatoes by substituting mashed sweet potatoes and parsnips. Or replace the customary squash or pumpkin soup starter with a sweet potato soup infused with Middle Eastern flavors and topped with feta cheese.

Visit Well’s interactive recipe collection to see more Vegetarian Thanksgiving recipes; we will be adding new dishes daily.

The Food 52 Cookbook’sSouthwestern Spiced Sweet Potato Fries With Chili-Cilantro Sour Cream

Sweet potato french fries will surprise everyone at your holiday table — and nobody will miss the marshmallows. The potatoes are baked, not fried, so no need to feel guilty. Chili powder, cumin, cayenne and paprika complement the natural sweetness of the potatoes. It’s probably a good idea to double this recipe, because they go fast

For the Potato Fries:2 large sweet potatoes, cut in matchsticks/batons, approximately 1/4 inch by 2 inches (no need to peel)2 tablespoons olive oil2 teaspoons salt1 teaspoon ground cumin1 teaspoon chili powder1 teaspoon paprika1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

For the Chili-Cilantro Sour Cream:1 cup sour cream1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice2 teaspoons sweet chili sauce1 small garlic clove, minced1/2 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper1 heaping tablespoon chopped cilantro

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Toss the sweet potatoes and olive oil in a large bowl.

2. Combine the salt, cumin, chili powder, paprika, pepper and cayenne in a small bowl. Add to the potatoes and toss to coat.

3. Arrange the potatoes in one layer on a large baking sheet. Bake on the lowest rack of the oven until the undersides are browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Turn the potatoes with a spatula and bake for 10 more minutes.

4. While the potatoes are cooking, make the sour cream sauce. Combine all the ingredients except the cilantro in a medium bowl and whisk together. Stir in the cilantro.

5. Remove the potatoes from the oven and cool for a few minutes. Serve with the sour cream.

Yield: 6 servings.

The Food 52 Cookbook’sSweet Potatoes Anna With Prunes

This layered sweet potato gratin comes out of the oven caramelized on the edges and glistening with butter. The potatoes in the center are soft, their layers embedded with prunes; the ones around the edges are so crisp and sweet from the port, they taste candied. Slice the potatoes thinly — use a mandoline if you have one — and check the potatoes after 35 minutes in the oven. By 40 minutes, ours were perfect.

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter1 cup port10 pitted prunes5 to 6 small sweet potatoes, peeled and very thinly slicedSalt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Clarify the butter: In a small saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter. Skim off any foam, then pour the clear liquid into a bowl, leaving behind the solids.

2. Heat the port to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the prunes, turn off the heat and let them soak until plumped, about 20 minutes. Drain and chop the prunes coarsely.

3. Heat oven to 450 degrees.

4. Brush a layer of clarified butter onto your favorite 8- or 9-inch round baking dish or ovenproof frying pan.

5. Arrange a layer of potatoes, overlapping in circles, in the dish. Brush with the clarified butter and season with salt and pepper. Arrange another layer of potatoes and sprinkle with about half the prune pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Brush with clarified butter. Repeat with one more layer of potatoes and prunes, then end with a layer of potatoes. Remember to brush each layer with clarified butter and salt and pepper. You can do four layers of potatoes or six; it’s up to you. Pack the potatoes tightly by pressing down on them with your palms. If there’s a little butter left at the end, it’s no big deal.

6. Bake until crisp and tender, 35 to 45 minutes.

7. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for a few minutes. Then flip the cake onto a serving plate and cut into wedges. If desired, finish with a dusting of sugar and a couple of minutes of broiling, for a brûlée top. It can also be made using apples and prunes, or just apples.

Yield: 6 to 10 servings.

Food52.com’sSweet Potato Soup With Feta and Za’atar Oil

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil2 tablespoons za’atar (a spice blend that combines dried hyssop, thyme and sesame seeds and can be found at Middle Eastern grocers or other specialty stores)1 tablespoon butter1 onion, peeled and diced1 carrot, peeled and diced1 leek, white part only, rinsed thoroughly and diced5 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes6 cups water2 cups vegetable stock1 bay leaf1 tablespoon salt, or to taste1/4 cup feta cheese

1. In a small pot, combine 1/4 cup olive oil and the za’atar. Cook over medium heat until hot, but take care not to burn the za’atar. Set aside for at least one hour to cool and infuse.

2. In a large pot, heat the butter and remaining olive oil over medium high heat. When the butter has melted, add the onion, carrot and leek and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the sweet potato cubes and sauté for another minute. Add the water, stock and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Once the soup begins to boil, lower to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Check to make sure the sweet potatoes are completely soft. If not, continue cooking until they are.

3. Remove the bay leaf and purée the soup using a regular or immersion blender. Check the seasoning and add the salt (you may need more or less depending on the stock you used). Ladle out the soup into individual bowls. Crumble some feta into each bowl, and drizzle each bowl with some of the za’atar oil.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

Food52.com’sSweet Potato and Parsnip Mash

1 1/4 pounds sweet potatoes1 pound parsnips1/3 cup heavy cream2 tablespoons unsalted butter1/2 teaspoon table salt1 packed tablespoon freshly grated horseradish, dividedAdditional salt and horseradish to tasteSugar, maple syrup or honey, if needed to sweeten

1. Peel the sweet potatoes and parsnips, and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices.

2. Combine the sweet potato and parsnip slices, cream, butter, salt and half of the horseradish in a 3- or 4-quart saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Heat over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened. This will take about 40 to 50 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and mash with a potato masher to desired texture. Stir in half of remaining horseradish, making sure to incorporate well. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, additional horseradish and/or sweetener if needed. Serve hot.

Yield: 4 servings.

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