Appetizers

My niece asked why I couldn’t just use a store-bought taco seasoning packet for the dip. I started to explain why that wouldn’t work — … Read more

It was 10:47 PM on a rainy Tuesday in October, and I had a sudden, desperate need to make something grotesque. I didn’t have any … Read more

The Halloween party was in six hours and I’d completely forgotten. My neighbor, Carol, had texted me the week before about the annual block party … Read more

I wasn’t expecting a snack mix recipe to change my entire fall hosting game, but there I was, standing in the middle of a craft … Read more

My friend Lars asked me why I couldn’t just pile everything on one big board instead of using separate platters for the Oktoberfest party I … Read more

It was 10:47 PM on a random Wednesday in late September, and I had a very specific vision of a charcuterie board that would not … Read more

The Super Bowl party was in six hours and I’d completely forgotten I was supposed to bring something. Everyone else would be bringing those elaborate, … Read more

My neighbor wasn’t trying to impress anyone. I’d stopped by to borrow a ladder—honestly, a very mundane Tuesday errand—and this smell hit me before I … Read more

I was standing in the frozen food aisle last Sunday, staring at a bag of frozen meatballs like they held the secrets to the universe, … Read more

There used to be this little sports bar off Highway 55 called The Rusty Spoke that made these insane meatball sliders. When they closed—suddenly, with … Read more