Episode 1: One Fine Day

It all begins in the dead of winter at a Capitol Hill deli in DC…

Samantha needs goat’s cheese for her famous Tomato-Onion Pie—blue ribbon, two years running, Junior Homemakers’ Division, Poweshiek County Fair—which she’s planning to make for supper for her boyfriend, Tim. Truth be told, Sam is getting a little weary of Tim and his healthier-than-thou attitude towards her cooking. Tim’s latest topic is cream. He’s against it. Sam, born and bred in Iowa farm country, adores cream—sour cream, whipped cream, heavy cream, crème fraîche, half-and-half. Drizzled onto a cold summer soup, poured over the occasional jam tart, stirred into the pan drippings from a perfectly browned pork loin slow-roasted with sour apples and brown sugar, a little cream goes a long way towards making life worth living—unless, of course, you happen to be feeding Tim. Sam is beginning to wish she weren’t.

Up next … Episode 2: Fate and Chèvre