Appetizers

My nephew Leo asked why I couldn’t just use crescent roll dough instead of making homemade pastry for my jalapeño poppers. I started to explain … Read more

I swore I hated themed food. For years. The kind of stuff you see at parties—meatloaf shaped like a pumpkin, deviled eggs with little olive … Read more

The neighborhood Halloween block party was in four hours and I’d completely forgotten. Everyone else would be bringing elaborate themed dishes—I saw Lisa from three … Read more

My friend Jen asked why I couldn’t just throw the green tomatoes straight on the grill instead of roasting them in the oven. I started … Read more

The first time I made this buffalo chicken dip, it was a Tuesday night in late October and I was completely unprepared for what happened … Read more

I was standing in line at the DMV—already a terrible Tuesday—when the woman behind me started talking about eyeballs. I turned around, half-convinced I’d misheard … Read more

My neighbor, a guy named Leo who I’d only ever seen in a stained mechanic’s jumpsuit, asked me why I couldn’t just bake the wings … Read more

I was standing in the frozen foods aisle last October, staring at a box of frozen cheese bread twists, when the weirdest thing happened. A … Read more

My husband claimed he hated themed food for years. “It’s gimmicky,” he’d say, rolling his eyes whenever I pulled out a cookie cutter shaped like … Read more

The neighborhood Halloween block party was in four hours and I’d completely forgotten. Everyone else would be bringing elaborate themed desserts—I’d seen the sign-up sheet … Read more