Appetizers

You know that moment when you want to throw a Halloween party but also want to feel good about what you’re serving? That’s exactly where … Read more

The PTA Halloween party was in six hours and I’d completely forgotten. My son Leo had been reminding me for two weeks, but somewhere between … Read more

There used to be a tiny, wood-paneled gastropub called The Rusted Gourd tucked away on a side street in Asheville that made the most addictive … Read more

Introduction My brother-in-law, Mark, had sworn off Halloween party food for a solid decade. The guy is a health coach—the kind who brings his own … Read more

It was 10:47 PM on a random Wednesday in late October, and I was staring into my fridge for the third time that hour. The … Read more

I was standing in the middle of a pumpkin patch, of all places, trying to choose between two identical-looking gourds when the woman next to … Read more

I was standing in the frozen food aisle of a grocery store last November when the smell of someone’s cinnamon broom hit me—and suddenly I … Read more

This was supposed to be a full-blown cheese board with three kinds of brie, fig jam I’d simmered for hours, and those fancy little crackers … Read more

My neighbor wasn’t trying to impress anyone. I’d stopped by to borrow a ladder—honestly, one of those random Sunday errands you put off for weeks—and … Read more

My friend Jen asked why I couldn’t just roast the squash with the seeds still in. I stared at her like she’d suggested we bake … Read more