Like good food, good stories are easy to devour and leave you feeling satiated and nourished.

Would I want to retell the story to someone else?

Over the course of the year, I’ve accepted many pitches from talented writers.

Boy with two spiders

Simply Recipes / Fer Oms /@feroms

Hays from Loredo, Texas.

I would have every single one of our writers over for dinner.

Some do, and they are worth retelling again and again.

Illustration of Marie Calendar’s microwave chicken pot pie

Simply Recipes / Eva Feutcher

Sara Bir’s story about how her mom got this creamed tacos recipe is one of them.

I admit that the name of this recipe (Creamed?!

gave me some pause, but the delightful story Sara shares surprisingly softened my reluctance.

The Pfeffer parents and their three children play outside alongside a table of food

Simply Recipes / Valorie Castellanos Clark

I can’t wait to try the recipe.

And just like that, a good story has the power to change people’s minds.

Irene explains what this means in her story, and shares her favorite recipes too.

The Mindful Spiritually of Ăn Chay

Simply Recipes / Eva Feuchter

(There’s a picture of the original recipe written on a note card in the story!)

Creamed tacos in a cast iron pot

Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu

Elise Bauer with her dad and mom

Elise Bauer with her dad and mom.Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

Two woman enjoying Korean BBQ

Simply Recipes / Christine Han

Platters and plates filled with different kinds of banana bread

Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm