Appetizer Recipes

I was standing in the frozen foods aisle last October, staring at a box of cocktail franks, when the smell hit me. It wasn’t really … Read more

My nephew Leo asked why I couldn’t just toss the pumpkin seeds straight from the carving bowl into the oven with some sugar and cinnamon. … Read more

Last November, I was standing in my kitchen staring at a pile of apples, pears, and pomegranates that I’d bought on a whim at the … Read more

The neighborhood pumpkin carving party was in six hours and I’d completely forgotten. Everyone else would be bringing those elaborate Pinterest-worthy snacks—caramel apple slices with … Read more

My neighbor, a retired florist named Carol, watched me fumbling with three different bags of candy corn on my front porch last October. She didn’t … Read more

I was standing in the grocery store aisle last October, staring at a bag of baby carrots, when the fluorescent lights flickered overhead — and … Read more

There used to be a tiny café on the corner of Elm and 4th called The Gilded Spoon that made the most beautiful fruit platters … Read more

Jen wasn’t trying to impress anyone. I’d stopped by her place that Thursday afternoon to borrow a cauldron-shaped slow cooker for a party I was … Read more

My niece Clara asked why I couldn’t just use olives for the spider bodies instead of trying to carve them out of black olives like … Read more

I was standing in the parking lot of a hardware store last October when the air shifted. It was that particular smell—cold air meeting damp … Read more