Appetizers

It was 11:47 PM on a random Wednesday, and I had this overwhelming urge to do something special. Not for a birthday, not for an … Read more

The holiday party was in four hours and I’d completely forgotten I was supposed to bring an appetizer. Not just any appetizer—something that looked like … Read more

There used to be a little cheese shop in the Old Market district of Omaha—it was called The French Goat—that made the most incredible holiday … Read more

My neighbor Jen wasn’t trying to impress anyone. I’d stopped by to borrow a ladder—ours had mysteriously vanished after a garage sale—and the smell hit … Read more

I wasn’t expecting cooking advice from the man fixing my washing machine, but there I was, standing in my muddy backyard on a chilly October … Read more

My neighbor Rosa watched me struggling with a wobbly bag of groceries and a fussy toddler one October afternoon. She didn’t say anything at first. … Read more

My niece Clara asked why I couldn’t just use black beans for the bolts. I was mid-sentence, explaining why traditional guacamole garnish rules existed, when … Read more

I was standing in my kitchen, bleary-eyed, staring into the fridge like it held the secrets to the universe. Honestly, I wasn’t even supposed to … Read more

These were supposed to be something completely different. I had this whole plan for a fancy mini-burger bar for a New Year’s Eve party—wagyu sliders, … Read more

My neighbor, a retired botanist named Harold, asked why I couldn’t just toss the pumpkin seeds straight from the pumpkin into the oven. I started … Read more