The smell clung.Tomato, wine, something herbal and too warm. The kind of scent that sticks in fabric, even after the dish towel’s been washed twice. …

Recipes Inspired by Martha Stewart, Cooked in Real Life

The smell clung.Tomato, wine, something herbal and too warm. The kind of scent that sticks in fabric, even after the dish towel’s been washed twice. …

It was too hot to think.Not real heat—just the kind that creeps in when the windows don’t open right and the fan clicks like a …

It was quiet in that hard kind of way. Like the kitchen didn’t want me in it.Fridge was humming louder than usual. I hadn’t done …

The butter wouldn’t soften.The banana chips were stale.And I was already annoyed because Mae had said something sharp over text that morning—nothing big, just a …

The kitchen was still cold. I hadn’t turned on the heat yet because I was pretending spring meant something up here. But my hands were …

It was gray in that way March gets cruel with. not dramatic. just dull.Mae was out. The house had this hum to it—dishwasher running, fridge …

I didn’t mean to make anything.There was still toast on the counter from the morning, still coffee in the pot I hadn’t touched since eight, …

The lobster was on sale.That’s the only reason I even looked. I wasn’t feeling coastal. I wasn’t feeling Her Highness. I was barefoot in a …

It was too hot to be this angry.The kind of day where your skin hums from old sunburn and the kitchen feels like it’s judging …

I didn’t mean to make a ham.The fridge was too full, the radiator was clanging, and Mae texted “any meat???” like I was a butcher …