There used to be a tiny, unassuming café tucked behind a used bookstore in Portland called The Gilded Gourd that made this soup. It wasn’t … Read more

I was elbow-deep in a pile of tax receipts last February—a task I put off until the absolute last minute, as one does—when my accountant, … Read more

My neighbor Carol wasn’t trying to impress anyone. I’d stopped by to borrow a ladder—mine had mysteriously vanished after a garage sale—and the smell of … Read more

The Thanksgiving potluck at my office was in six hours and I’d completely forgotten. I mean, completely. I’d signed up for “side dish” two weeks … Read more

I was standing in the parking lot of a hardware store last October when the smell hit me — someone nearby was smoking a turkey … Read more

My friend Jenna asked why I couldn’t just skip the peeling and slice the squash into rings instead of cubes. I was in the middle … Read more