Comfort Food Classics

It was 11:47 PM on a particularly dreary Tuesday in late October, and I had a very specific, almost aggressive craving for something roasted, salty, … Read more

This was supposed to be roasted potatoes. Plain, simple, predictable roasted potatoes that I had made a hundred times before. But last Tuesday, with the … Read more

My neighbor, a retired baker named Frank, watched me wrestling a crying toddler into a car seat one particularly chaotic Tuesday morning. He didn’t say … Read more

My neighbor Jenna wasn’t trying to impress me. I’d stopped by to drop off a book I’d borrowed, and the smell hit me before I … Read more

There used to be a little diner off Highway 78 in Oxford, Alabama, called Miss Lula’s Kitchen that made the best chicken and dumplings I’ve … Read more

My brother-in-law Mark asked why I couldn’t just skip the whole fussy roux and dump everything in one pan. I started to explain why that … Read more

The neighborhood potluck was in three hours and I’d completely forgotten. I mean, completely. I’d promised to bring a main dish—something hearty, something that would … Read more

The church potluck was in two hours and I had absolutely nothing. I mean, nothing. My fridge held a sad bunch of celery, some eggs, … Read more

My nephew Leo asked why I couldn’t just bake the dip right inside the bread. I started to explain why that wouldn’t work — something … Read more

There used to be a tiny bakery tucked behind a bookstore in Portland called “The Gilded Crumb” that made a stuffing loaf every November that … Read more