Appetizer Recipes

There used to be this tiny French bistro tucked away on a side street in Portland—Le Petit Coin—that made the most incredible baked brie I’ve … Read more

My neighbor Karen wasn’t trying to impress anyone that Tuesday afternoon. I’d stopped by to borrow a ladder—our gutters were clogged and a storm was … Read more

Introduction It was 11:37 PM on a random Tuesday, and I had a very specific craving for something creamy, salty, and just a little bit … Read more

My neighbor watched me staring at the grocery store flyer on my kitchen counter, trying to figure out how to turn a dozen eggs into … Read more

There used to be a tiny diner tucked off Route 9 in a town that barely counts as a dot on the map. It was … Read more

There used to be a tiny café tucked into a converted garage in Portland called The Spiced Pear that made a cranberry jalapeno dip that … Read more

My neighbor Gina asked why I couldn’t just skip the balsamic glaze and use fig jam instead. I was mid-lecture about how prosciutto fig crostini … Read more

The PTA potluck was in six hours and I’d completely forgotten. Everyone else would be bringing those elaborate, multi-day dishes—the kind that take a whole … Read more

I was wrestling with a leaky garden hose last September when my accountant, Mr. Henderson—a man I’d only ever seen in pressed khakis and a … Read more

A few years back, I was at the holiday farmers market, juggling too many bags and trying to pick out a last-minute gift for my … Read more