Comfort Food Classics

My neighbor, Mrs. Gable, watched me struggling with a jagged knife and a stubborn acorn squash on my porch steps. She didn’t say anything at … Read more

My husband had sworn off stuffing for a solid decade. Ten Thanksgivings came and went, and he’d politely slide the bowl past his plate without … Read more

I was standing in the frozen food aisle last November, staring at a cardboard box of green bean casserole like it held the answers to … Read more

This was supposed to be a simple roasted chicken dinner. I had the bird seasoned, the potatoes quartered, and a beautiful pile of sweet potatoes … Read more

My friend Jenna asked why I couldn’t just blend roasted squash into the cheese sauce instead of making a separate puree to stir in at … Read more

My husband had sworn off stuffed squash for years. Five years, actually. Ever since a rubbery, under-seasoned version at a holiday potluck turned him into … Read more

There used to be a tiny bakery tucked behind a used bookstore in Portland that made cinnamon sugar pumpkin sourdough that I still dream about. … Read more

My sister had sworn she hated Brussels sprouts for fifteen years. Fifteen years of wrinkled noses at holiday tables, of pushing them to the side … Read more

My neighbor, a retired schoolteacher named Edna, watched me wrestling a piping hot sweet potato out of the oven with a pair of tongs that … Read more

Thanksgiving was in twelve hours and I’d completely forgotten about the stuffing. Not the turkey—I had that brining in the garage like a responsible adult. … Read more