Dinner Recipes

This was supposed to be a butternut squash soup. I had the stock simmering, the onions softening, and my knife poised for the long, somewhat … Read more

The woman at the farmers market stand watched me staring at her handwritten sign—”Taco Soup in a Hurry”—for a good thirty seconds before she said … Read more

I was standing in the middle of the grocery store parking lot last November when the smell hit me—someone was roasting butternut squash somewhere nearby, … Read more

There used to be a tiny bakery tucked between a laundromat and a used bookstore in my old neighborhood that made sourdough bread that changed … Read more

There used to be a German-style beer hall tucked into an old brick building on the corner of 5th and Main that made the best … Read more

The plumber fixed our leaky kitchen faucet in about twenty minutes. Then he looked at the pile of groceries on the counter and said, “You … Read more

My neighbor Kate wasn’t trying to impress anyone. I’d stopped by to borrow a cup of sugar—how cliché, I know—and the smell hit me before … Read more

The neighborhood potluck was in four hours and I’d completely forgotten. Everyone else would be bringing their signature dishes—that famous seven-layer dip, a from-scratch lasagna, … Read more

There used to be a tiny, unassuming bistro tucked away on a side street in Portland called “The Gilded Skillet” that made a garlic butter … Read more

I was standing in my kitchen last Tuesday, staring into the open fridge like it held the secrets to the universe, when the answer hit … Read more