Appetizer Recipes

The Sunday afternoon light was doing that thing it only does in late October—slanting low and golden through the kitchen window, catching every speck of … Read more

“You need to make that dip again. The one with the ranch drizzle.” My brother-in-law said this to me roughly thirty seconds after polishing off … Read more

My brother-in-law, Mark, called nacho charcuterie boards “fancy nachos for people who hate sharing.” He said it the first time I set one out during … Read more

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