william 
I was deeply skeptical the first time someone told me to put cottage cheese in pasta sauce. Cottage cheese belonged in two places in my mind: next to canned peaches at a 1980s salad bar, or in lasagna filling. It did not belong in alfredo. But my sister, who has the persistence of a telemarketer, … Read more
Some recipes earn their place in my kitchen through years of tradition. This one earned it through pure laziness, and I mean that as the highest praise. A few years ago, I was craving fajitas on a night when I had zero interest in standing over a skillet, babysitting strips of chicken in batches. So … Read more
The first time I made lentil soup, I was cooking for a friend who had just gone vegan, and I was quietly panicking. I had this idea in my head that vegan food meant compromise, that without butter or broth made from bones, soup would taste like punishment. I stood in my kitchen staring at … Read more
I used to think of salmon as a weekend dinner. Something that required a plan, a hot oven, and at least a little bit of ceremony. Then one Tuesday night, staring into the fridge with zero energy and a pack of salmon fillets I had bought with the best of intentions, I tried the air … Read more
If there is one recipe that made me fall in love with my air fryer, it is this one. The first time I cooked chicken thighs in it, I stood in my kitchen peeking through the little window like a kid waiting for cookies to bake. Twenty-some minutes later I pulled out the most golden, … Read more
I will be honest with you: my first attempt at homemade french fries in the air fryer was a disaster. I cut up some potatoes, threw them in the basket, and twenty minutes later I had pale, limp, steamy potato sticks that tasted like disappointment. My husband ate them politely and said, “These are… fine,” … Read more
There is a particular smell that means fall has arrived in my house, and it is this stew. Onions and garlic softening in a skillet, beef browning in batches, thyme and bay leaf going into the slow cooker at seven in the morning. By five o’clock the whole house smells amazing, and the best part … Read more
Let me tell you about the Thanksgiving that changed my mind about brussels sprouts. For most of my life, I associated them with the sad, gray, boiled orbs of my childhood, the ones we all pushed around our plates. Then my sister-in-law showed up with a sheet pan of roasted sprouts, all caramelized and crispy-edged, … Read more
I have strong opinions about chili, and I am not embarrassed about a single one of them. Beans belong in it. It should be thick enough to stand a spoon in. And it should taste like it simmered for six hours, even when you started it at five thirty with a house full of hungry … Read more
There is a special kind of tired that only weeknights produce. It is 6 p.m., everyone is hungry, the fridge is doing its best, and the thought of washing three pots makes you want to order takeout and call it a life choice. I have been there more times than I can count. And that … Read more