Dinner Recipes

The neighborhood chili cook-off was in four hours and I’d completely forgotten. I mean, completely. I’d signed up weeks ago, put it on the calendar, … Read more

I wasn’t expecting culinary advice from a stranger in a raincoat, but there I was, standing in the downpour at a bus stop in Chicago, … Read more

The annual neighborhood holiday potluck was in forty-five minutes and I had absolutely nothing ready. I had spent the entire afternoon trying to fix a … Read more

The rain had been hammering against the kitchen window for three hours straight, turning the afternoon into a gray, heavy blur. I was standing at … Read more

My husband had claimed to hate soup for years. Honestly, he thought it was just watery disappointment unless it came in a can and was … Read more

I spent the better part of two years trying to recreate that specific balance of sweet, savory, and smoky. I bought three different smokers. I … Read more

I used to think that baked beans were just a side dish you served because you forgot to buy a salad. Let me tell you, … Read more

My neighbor, a woman named Clara who’d been cooking for church suppers since before I was born, watched me struggle with a floppy, watery breakfast … Read more

There used to be a tiny deli tucked behind a gas station off Highway 78 in rural Alabama that made a pasta salad I still … Read more

It was 10:45 PM on a rainy Wednesday, and I was staring into the fridge like it owed me money. A single lemon rolled around … Read more