Appetizer Recipes

I was elbow-deep in potting soil last spring, wrestling a stubborn rosemary bush into a terracotta pot, when my accountant—a man I’d only ever seen … Read more

My neighbor Carol had claimed to hate peaches for thirty-seven years. That’s not an exaggeration—she told me the exact number at a block party last … Read more

I was standing in the parking lot of a hardware store last Tuesday, fumbling for my keys, when the smell of something sweet and smoky … Read more

My neighbor Mark wasn’t trying to impress anyone. I’d stopped by to borrow his snow shovel last January, and the smell hit me before I … Read more

The power went out halfway through prepping for the Super Bowl party. I mean, not the whole house—just the outlet on the kitchen island where … Read more

My neighbor asked me why I couldn’t just toss the pumpkin seeds straight from the carving session into the oven with a little oil and … Read more

I’d claimed for years that I wasn’t a baked brie person. You know the type—the whole warm, gooey cheese thing seemed fine for other people, … Read more

The Halloween party was in four hours and I’d completely forgotten. My friend Maria throws this huge bash every year—the kind where people actually compete. … Read more

The woman at the party store watched me stare at a roll of white gauze for way too long. I was standing there, three bags … Read more

I was supposed to be making a fancy Halloween charcuterie board. You know, the kind with the creepy cheese fingers and the eyeball olives that … Read more