Appetizers

My neighbor, Gina, wasn’t trying to impress anyone. I’d stopped by to borrow a ladder on a random Tuesday afternoon, and the smell hit me … Read more

This was supposed to be a quick, no-fuss fig chutney for a cheese board I was throwing together last fall. I had the shallots diced, … Read more

My husband claimed he hated zucchini for thirty-seven years. Thirty-seven years of pushing it to the side of his plate, making that face, declaring it … Read more

I was standing in my neighbor Carol’s garage last August, helping her sort through boxes for a yard sale, when a whiff of vinegar and … Read more

There used to be a little deli on the corner of Elm and 4th in my old neighborhood that made a pasta salad so good … Read more

I wasn’t expecting cooking advice from my accountant, but there I was, knee-deep in tax paperwork at his cluttered office, listening to him describe exactly … Read more

“Why can’t we just thread the salami and cheese onto toothpicks instead of making a whole platter?” my friend Jenna asked one Friday evening as … Read more

Introduction It was 11:37 PM on a Tuesday, and the sudden urge for something spooky and crunchy hit me hard. I didn’t have any fancy … Read more

Introduction This was supposed to be a simple chicken wing platter for the big game, nothing fancy. I grabbed the wrong kind of flatbread from … Read more

“Hand me that bowl,” my neighbor Carlos said, tossing a handful of smoky chorizo into a cast-iron skillet as if he were just tossing salad. … Read more