Appetizers

The Super Bowl party was in four hours and I’d completely forgotten the appetizer. Everyone else would be bringing those elaborate spreads—you know the ones, … Read more

I used to think crispy wings were strictly a restaurant thing. You know that feeling when you order them at a bar and they come … Read more

I used to think Buffalo wings were the only real game day food worth fighting over. Honest. For years, I turned up my nose at … Read more

There used to be a little sports bar tucked away on a side street in my old neighborhood called The Rusty Nail that made a … Read more

I was standing in the frozen food aisle of my local grocery store last September, not even thinking about dinner, when the smell of roasting … Read more

Last Tuesday, my neighbor across the hall knocked on my door holding a cutting board and a paper bag. She didn’t say hello first—just asked … Read more

My friend Jenna swore she couldn’t cook. Not a single thing. For years, she’d show up to every potluck, barbecue, and game night empty-handed, always … Read more

My neighbor, a retired architect named Leo, asked me why I couldn’t just put figs and prosciutto on a flatbread and call it dinner. I … Read more

I wasn’t expecting pickling advice from my accountant, but there I was, knee-deep in tax paperwork, listening to Mrs. Patterson describe exactly how to make … Read more

“You’ve got to try this,” my neighbor, Carlos, said as he watched me fumble with a bag of canned beans, trying to invent a fresh … Read more