Appetizer Recipes

I was standing in the grocery store parking lot last Tuesday, juggling a bag of black beans and my phone, when the smell of cumin … Read more

There used to be a tiny, neon-lit hot dog joint in the basement of a building on State Street in Chicago called “The Weiner’s Circle” … Read more

I was standing in line at the DMV—of all places—when the woman behind me started talking about cheese. Not complaining about the wait, not sighing … Read more

My friend Marisol watched me staring at a regular wooden board in her kitchen last October, completely stumped about how to make it look special … Read more

My neighbor Sarah asked why I couldn’t just put the brie in the oven whole and let people dig in. I was mid-sentence explaining why … Read more

My brother had a hard rule about Halloween food. “No cute stuff,” he’d say, crossing his arms like he was guarding the last candy bar … Read more

For a while, I just accepted that turkey meatballs were going to be dry. You know the ones—pale, crumbly, and desperately in need of a … Read more

I figured a Halloween charcuterie board would be mostly about the props—plastic spiders, fake cobwebs, maybe some orange food coloring. It took about ten minutes … Read more

I did not believe that hot dogs could look cute. That was my honest, stubborn stance every October when the Halloween recipe roundups started flooding … Read more

I had this grand vision, you know. A proper Oktoberfest spread for a few friends—bratwurst, sauerkraut, the works. And right in the center, a gorgeous, … Read more