Comfort Food Classics

Maya wasn’t trying to impress anyone. I’d stopped by her place on a random Tuesday to pick up a book I’d lent her months ago, … Read more

This was supposed to be a bright, tangy tomatillo salsa verde. I had the tomatillos all lined up, the serrano peppers ready to go, and … Read more

My neighbor asked why I couldn’t just blend the roasted squash right into the cheese sauce instead of mashing it separately. I started to explain … Read more

There used to be a tiny café tucked behind a used bookstore in Portland, Oregon, called The Gilded Spoon, that made a cranberry orange sauce … Read more

My neighbor, Carol, wasn’t trying to impress anyone. I’d stopped by to return her Tupperware container—the one she’d shoved leftover chili into three days prior—and … Read more

There used to be this tiny, wood-paneled café called The Rusty Spoon tucked away on a side street in downtown Portland—the kind of place with … Read more

It was 11:47 PM on a rainy Tuesday in late October, and I had a very specific craving for mac and cheese. Not just any … Read more

Let’s be honest—stuffed squash can be a total letdown. Soggy, bland, or just plain sad. But this version? It’s different. I’ve tested this recipe more … Read more

This was supposed to be a standard chili. I had the ground beef browning, the onions sweating, the kidney beans soaking in a bowl—the whole … Read more

The last pork chop sat on the platter, untouched, for a full thirty seconds. Then my brother-in-law, who had already eaten two, reached across the … Read more