Dinner Recipes

My aunt Linda had avoided sweet potatoes for thirty years. She claimed they were just sugary mud that belonged in pies, not on a Thanksgiving … Read more

It was 11:43 PM on a rainy Tuesday, and I had a craving that felt almost illegal. You know that feeling when your brain is … Read more

My brother-in-law, Dave, asked why I couldn’t just use the canned soup and skip making the roux from scratch. I started to explain why that … Read more

Last October, I was at our local farmers’ market, struggling to juggle a bag of apples, a pumpkin, and my reusable totes, when an older … Read more

I was standing in the frozen food aisle last Tuesday when the scent of roasted squash hit me — and suddenly I was seven at … Read more

There used to be a tiny French bistro on a side street in Portland called Le Petit Coin that made a roasted sausage and vegetable … Read more

I was standing in line at the hardware store—of all places—holding a new showerhead and minding my own business when the guy behind me, an … Read more

I was standing in the produce aisle of the local grocery store, staring at a bin of pumpkins, when the smell of cinnamon and burnt … Read more

My neighbor Karen wasn’t trying to impress anyone. I’d stopped by to borrow her husband’s drill—ours had given up the ghost mid-shelf-installation—and the smell hit … Read more

My brother swore he hated potato salad for twenty-three years. Twenty-three years of backyard barbecues, Fourth of July picnics, and Easter dinners where he’d load … Read more