Appetizers

There used to be a little bar called The Rusty Anchor on the corner of 4th and Main that made soft pretzel bites with beer … Read more

My friend Jen asked why I couldn’t just use a store-bought pumpkin butter instead of spending hours making my own for a charcuterie board. I … Read more

There used to be a tiny Italian deli in the east end of our town, a place called Vinny’s that had sawdust on the floor … Read more

I wasn’t supposed to be there, honestly. My neighbor Dave had mentioned, almost as an afterthought, that he was “throwing some stuff on the grill” … Read more

The Halloween party was in four hours and I’d completely forgotten. I mean, I’d bought the candy—fun-sized Snickers by the fistful—but I’d promised to bring … Read more

I was at the hardware store last October, of all places, buying weather stripping for the drafty windows. The guy at the counter—probably seventy years … Read more

My brother-in-law Mike had sworn off “fancy snack boards” for three years. Three years! He’d stand in my kitchen doorway every game day, arms crossed, … Read more

My buddy Marcus watched me fumbling with three different mixing bowls, a tiny stovetop, and an increasingly frustrated expression last October. He didn’t say anything … Read more

This was supposed to be a batch of soft pretzels for Oktoberfest. I had the whole plan mapped out—perfectly twisted, salted, and baked to a … Read more

I wasn’t expecting cooking advice from the guy who fixes my car, but there I was, sitting in the waiting room of Lou’s Auto Repair, … Read more