I was standing in my neighbor Carol’s driveway last September, holding a cardboard box of zucchini she’d practically forced into my arms. “I grew too … Read more

This was supposed to be a savory zucchini bread. I had the perfect loaf in my head—earthy, with a hint of rosemary, maybe some sharp … Read more

I wasn’t supposed to be in her kitchen. I’d stopped by to borrow a ladder—mine had mysteriously vanished after a neighbor’s fence project—and the smell … Read more

My neighbor asked why I couldn’t just brown the butter first, before mixing it into the batter. I started to explain why that wouldn’t work … Read more

The summer I turned thirty-two, I spent a lot of time at the hardware store. Not for anything exciting—just paint samples and a new showerhead. … Read more