Appetizer Recipes

Third time in two weeks I made this nacho bar, and this time I finally remembered to buy the extra block of cheddar before the … Read more

I figured a dip and bread dough were two separate things that didn’t need to meet. It took about one bite of these Easy Buffalo … Read more

I burned this queso dip three times before I figured out what I was doing wrong. Not ruined-burned, but that sad, clumpy, separated mess that … Read more

My neighbor showed up at my back door holding a colander overflowing with zucchini from his garden. It was August, which meant I had about … Read more

I figured crispy zucchini fritters required a deep fryer and a guilty conscience. It took about three batches of sad, soggy pancakes that fell apart … Read more

Last Saturday, my neighbor Maria watched me wrestle with my usual boring pasta salad, the one that never quite hits the mark at summer potlucks, … Read more

Introduction My roommate swore she hated anything labeled “caviar.” For years, she refused even to try that “fancy” sounding dish. Then one scorching July evening, … Read more

This was supposed to be a simple dinner fix — just some grilled chicken and rice bowls, nothing fancy. I grabbed the red onions off … Read more

Introduction The summer I turned thirty, I found myself sitting on a rusty bench at the town’s weekly flea market, idly watching a quiet man … Read more

My roommate swore she hated cucumbers for years. Seriously—she’d wrinkle her nose at the mere mention of them, calling them “just crunchy water” and refusing … Read more