My mother’s mother followed the German tradition of not decorating until Christmas Eve. My other grandmother, my parents, and everyone else in town were finished weeks in advance, but Annie would never budge. The tree would be closed up behind the sliding doors of the “big living room,” which I now remember as being asContinue reading

Our holiday office party is tonight. And that means a big pot-luck dinner, a white elephant exchange full of cheesy delights, and apparently –this year– a bonfire beneath a backyard zip-line. Katie will be reporting live from the scene, so you can virtually join us for all the festivities! As the sign-up sheet circulated, IContinue reading

Don’t want to give Dad a pair of GoldToe socks again this year? We don’t blame you. That’s why no matter who’s on your list, Algonquin has the perfect gift… For Her Going Away Shoes By Jill McCorkle Eleven short stories, full of longing and laughter, from the “guardian angel of short fiction.” The DinnerContinue reading

It’s been a long time since I have had to cook the whole meal at Thanksgiving. The fact that I am not afraid to make gravy generally proves to be contribution enough.  At my mother’s house, we provide the main courses and our guests provide most of the sides and desserts. If I were advisingContinue reading

I like to bake. At five, I’d help Mom spoon cookie dough onto baking sheets, sneaking taste tests when I could and then peering through the hazy glass of the oven door watching my pods flatten and brown. When I turned eight, I received a copy of Kids Cooking: A Very Slightly Messy Manual—and atContinue reading

Bill Smith, the Crook’s Corner chef for more than a decade and the author of Seasoned in the South: Recipes from Crook’s Corner and from Home, has cooked his signature dishes for most everyone who lives, works, farms, and visits the good life we have in Chapel Hill, NC.  Bill is a featured guest authorContinue reading