Comfort Food Classics

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

I was standing in the grocery store aisle last Tuesday, staring at a bag of russet potatoes, when the woman next to me grabbed a … Read more

My husband claimed he hated focaccia. For years. He’d poke at the dense, oily slabs served at chain restaurants, make a face, and quietly push … Read more

This was supposed to be a classic loaded baked potato soup. I had the potatoes cubed, the cheese shredded, and the chives ready to go. … Read more

I used to think enchiladas were a weeknight compromise. You know the kind—drenched in red sauce from a can, filled with whatever was lingering in … Read more

The woman at the next stall in the Santa Fe farmers’ market watched me sniffing a paper bag full of roasted Hatch chiles like I … Read more

I was standing in the school pickup line last Tuesday when the car door next to me opened, and this wave of warm, cheesy steam … Read more