Appetizers

I assumed wrapping mini hot dogs in dough would be a straightforward, stress-free task. It took about twelve minutes for that assumption to collapse into … Read more

Third time in a Halloween and the eighth leg is still crooked. I stared at the little deviled egg sitting on the platter, its black … Read more

My toddler stared at the plate, eyes wide, and then quietly pushed his plate away. It wasn’t that he didn’t like cheese. He loves cheese. … Read more

Half a bag of refrigerated biscuit dough sitting on the counter and the game is about to start in twenty minutes. My husband is already … Read more

My sister-in-law texted at 4:30 on a Saturday. She and her boyfriend were “in the neighborhood” and wanted to stop by. The fridge held leftover … Read more

Third Halloween in a row I’ve made this board, and somehow the ratio of candy corn to cheddar cubes is still not perfect. You’d think … Read more

My nephew took one bite of this pumpkin-shaped deviled ham spread, looked at me with those serious seven-year-old eyes, and said, “Auntie, this is the … Read more

My sister called me last October in a full-blown panic. She was hosting a Halloween party for her kids’ soccer team and had promised a … Read more

The way the puff pastry peels back in papery-thin layers around the end of the hot dog—that’s what I was after. Not the taste first, … Read more

I messed up this recipe for three Halloweens in a row before I finally figured out what I was doing wrong. The first batch? The … Read more