Appetizer Recipes

My neighbor, Mrs. Kowalski, watched me wrestling with a tangled string of fairy lights on my front porch last October. She didn’t say anything at … Read more

I was standing in the checkout line at the grocery store last October, holding a bag of tortilla chips and feeling utterly uninspired, when the … Read more

My neighbor across the hall, a retired caterer named Mrs. Gable, watched me struggle with a batch of hard-boiled eggs one Tuesday afternoon. I was … Read more

The power went out halfway through my first attempt at making pumpkin seeds from scratch. There I was, standing in my dark kitchen, holding a … Read more

The Halloween party was in four hours and I’d completely forgotten. Not just forgotten to prepare something—I’d forgotten the party existed entirely. My neighbor texted … Read more

There used to be a tiny, family-run café in our town called The Gilded Beet that made the most incredible veggie platters. They weren’t just … Read more

The Halloween potluck was in six hours and I’d completely forgotten. Everyone else would be bringing those elaborate themed dishes—you know the ones, with the … Read more

My neighbor Kelly wasn’t trying to throw a party. I’d stopped by to grab a mixing bowl I’d lent her, and the sight of her … Read more

My husband claimed to hate Halloween food for years. The whole concept, honestly. “It’s just regular food with a gimmick,” he’d say, rolling his eyes … Read more

My neighbor’s son, Leo, is what you might call a “selective eater.” That’s the polite way to say he’s a professional food critic who only … Read more