My friend Clara’s annual Soup Swap was in two days and I’d completely forgotten. Everyone else would be bringing these elaborate, slow-simmered masterpieces—Clara herself was … Read more

I was standing in the grocery store parking lot last Tuesday, the trunk of my minivan open, when the smell of someone else’s fast-food cheeseburger … Read more

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

There used to be a tiny, wood-paneled diner off Route 9 called The Rusty Ladle that made a sweet potato turkey chili so good, it … Read more

This was supposed to be a simple weeknight sausage and peppers skillet. I had the bell peppers lined up on the counter, the onions ready … Read more

It was 10:47 PM on a particularly grumpy Tuesday, and I had a craving for something so specific it almost hurt. A loaded baked potato. … Read more

My neighbor across the hall, a guy named Marcus who I’d only ever seen in basketball shorts and flip-flops, poked his head into my kitchen … Read more

Maria from the community garden watched me fumbling with a butternut squash the size of my forearm, my knife stuck halfway through its dense orange … Read more

My brother swore he hated themed food. For years. “It’s gimmicky,” he’d say, rolling his eyes at any mention of shaped cookies or colored pasta. … Read more