Comfort Food Classics

My neighbor Carla wasn’t trying to impress anyone that Tuesday evening. I’d stopped by to borrow a ladder—ours had mysteriously vanished after a garage sale—and … Read more

I was at the farmers’ market last November, juggling a bag of apples and trying to decide if I really needed another winter squash, when … Read more

I was in the middle of wrestling a particularly stubborn jar lid when my accountant, Mr. Henderson, started talking about sweet potatoes. Let me tell … Read more

My neighbor, Carol, wasn’t trying to impress anyone. I’d stopped by to borrow a wrench—of all things—and the smell hit me before I even got … Read more

This was supposed to be a simple loaf of sourdough bread. I had the starter fed and bubbly, the flour measured, the water at the … Read more

There used to be this tiny French bistro on the corner of 5th and Elm in Portland—Le Petit Coin—that made mashed potatoes that changed my … Read more

The power went out halfway through my first attempt at a “fancy” Thanksgiving, and I stood there in the dark, holding a bag of frozen … Read more

I was elbow-deep in a pile of vintage linens at a dusty estate sale last October—honestly, I was supposed to be looking for a pie … Read more

My father-in-law had claimed to hate chicken pot pie for forty-seven years. Forty-seven years. He said it with the kind of certainty usually reserved for … Read more

I was standing in the dairy aisle of a grocery store last Tuesday when the smell of raw celery hit me — and suddenly I … Read more