It's Not About Nutrition

  When the sun is heavy and the peaches at the farmers’ market smell like pure summer, I know it’s time for one of my favorite kitchen projects: homemade peach preserves. Honestly, there is something about the ritual of peeling and slicing ripe, fuzzy peaches—sticky juice dripping down my wrists, the kitchen warm from simmering fruit—that just makes the world feel right. Some people crochet or garden for therapy; me, I reach for my saucepan and a basket of peaches. (And if you nab a slice or two “for testing,” I’ll never tell.) My grandmother used to keep a jar …

The taste of a diner classic — baked in a buttery bun and ready for game day, weeknights, or whenever your people are hungry. You ever bite into something and suddenly feel like you’re back in a small-town diner with a paper napkin in your lap, a cold root beer on the table, and zero plans for the rest of the day? That’s exactly what these Maid-Rite Sliders do for me. They’re a nod to those loose meat sandwiches from the Midwest — kind of like a sloppy joe, but without the mess or the tomato-y sauce. Just tender, savory …

You’re hosting. You’ve got folks coming over—could be book club, could be game night, could be your cousin and her three kids who somehow always show up hungry. You don’t want to cook anything complicated. You want something make-ahead. And you want to wow them. This is it. I know “marinated cheese” sounds a little fancy, but this isn’t that. This is straight-up comfort cheese, elevated with a quick vinaigrette that soaks into the layers and turns a handful of store-bought blocks into the kind of thing that disappears in 10 minutes flat. Why You’ll Love This Feeds a crowd …

Some recipes are just… home. These sausage rolls are one of those for me. I can’t smell sage and sausage browning without thinking of my grandma’s kitchen — the windows fogged from the oven, the snow blowing sideways outside, and the whole house smelling so good you could almost taste it before you even sat down. She’d make a double batch for family gatherings, and somehow there were never leftovers. My cousins and I used to hover near the counter, pretending we were “helping” just so we could snatch the first hot roll off the tray. Burned fingertips? Totally worth …

I wasn’t planning to make this fudge last Tuesday. I was halfway through clearing off the counter when I spotted the peanut butter jar and thought… “you know what? Why not.” It had been a week. One of those too-many-emails, cereal-for-dinner kinds of weeks. And sometimes, the only thing that makes sense is stirring up something sweet and simple with your favorite wooden spoon — the one that still has flour in the handle creases. This peanut butter fudge is my go-to when I don’t want to think too hard but still want a treat that feels special. It’s creamy, …

So let me paint the picture: it’s one of those gray, chilly evenings — the kind that makes your bones feel older than they are. I was staring down a half-wilted bunch of spinach in the fridge, wondering if I could stretch it into something warm and comforting without making another boring salad. And then I remembered this creamy, cheesy enchilada dish I had years ago at a friend’s potluck. It was rich, it was green, and it had that perfect little zip of heat that kind of snuck up on you. I’ve been tinkering with my own version ever …

Every year, without fail, I end up making these candied walnuts. It started as a last-minute idea one chilly December afternoon—I’d needed a quick homemade gift and happened to have a big bag of walnuts sitting in the pantry. I threw together a batch on the stove, wrapped them in little cellophane bags tied with twine, and sent them off with holiday cards. Well. The response was something else. By New Year’s, I’d already gotten three texts and a handwritten thank-you note asking for the recipe. And when the next holiday season rolled around? More requests. These sweet, crunchy little …

This cake is not trying to win awards. It’s not on the cover of Bon Appétit. It’s not layered with handmade curd or topped with spun sugar or anything wild like that. What it is, though? Comforting. Cold. Creamy. Sweet in all the right ways. And easy. So easy it should be illegal. My sister calls it “That Fluffy Strawberry Thing,” and I think that’s perfect. It’s the dessert you whip together the night before the church picnic or baby shower. You pull it out of the fridge and it’s already got that soft, cool, dreamy thing going on—like it’s …