Dinner Recipes

My neighbor, Mrs. Kowalski, watched me wrestling a hot roasting pan out of the oven one Thanksgiving, a look of pure pity on her face. … Read more

The Friendsgiving was in six hours and I’d completely forgotten. Everyone else would be bringing their signature dishes—Megan’s legendary green bean casserole, Dave’s smoked brisket … Read more

My neighbor, a guy named Mark who once admitted he only owned one cookbook (and it was for grilling steak), asked why I couldn’t just … Read more

My mother-in-law swore she hated stuffing. For twenty-seven years. She’d push the bowl away at Thanksgiving, muttering something about “soggy bread mess” and “why ruin … Read more

There used to be a tiny Italian place tucked away on a side street in my old neighborhood, a place called Luigi’s that had the … Read more

I was at the hardware store, of all places, waiting in line with a bag of potting soil and a new trowel, when the woman … Read more

It was 11:47 PM on a random Wednesday, and I had a very specific, almost aggressive craving for lasagna. Not the kind that takes two … Read more

That fall I spent Tuesday evenings helping out at the community garden, I met Clara. She was in her seventies, with dirt permanently embedded under … Read more

My neighbor swore she hated squash. For years. “It’s just… orange mush,” she’d say, wrinkling her nose every time I mentioned roasting one. I’d nod … Read more

There used to be this tiny farm-to-table place tucked off Highway 1 in Northern California called The Rustic Table that made the most incredible roasted … Read more