Appetizers

I was standing in line at the DMV—a place where culinary inspiration goes to die, honestly—when the woman ahead of me, clutching a folder of … Read more

My neighbor, Mrs. Gable, watched me struggling with a bag of grapes that kept rolling off the cutting board and didn’t say anything at first. … Read more

My nephew Leo asked why I couldn’t just dump the candy corn directly into the bag with the pretzels and shake it. I started to … Read more

There used to be a tiny bakery on the corner of Elm and 3rd in my old neighborhood—a place called “The Warm Crust.” They made … Read more

The neighborhood Halloween mixer was in forty-five minutes and I had completely forgotten to make a savory appetizer. The house was quiet, the decorations were … Read more

When they closed their doors for good last October, leaving behind a stale smell of burnt sugar and empty display cases, I was devastated. It … Read more

I was standing in the beer aisle last Thursday—just trying to grab a six-pack for the weekend—when this smell hit me. It was faint, almost … Read more

My brother-in-law, Mark, asked why I couldn’t just boil the dough in baking soda water instead of the lye solution I was meticulously preparing. I … Read more

I was at my local feed store last spring, picking up chicken feed and trying to remember if I needed more oyster shells, when the … Read more

The office holiday party was in three hours and I had absolutely nothing. I mean, nothing that wasn’t going to be eaten within five minutes … Read more