Appetizers

The Halloween party was in five hours and I’d completely forgotten. Everyone else would be bringing those elaborate themed dishes—you know, the ones that look … Read more

My neighbor, a guy named Frank who I’d only ever seen in cargo shorts and a deadpan expression, had sworn for years that he “didn’t … Read more

The power went out halfway through my pre-party prep last October. I was standing in a suddenly dark kitchen, holding a bag of baby carrots … Read more

I was digging through a box of old cookbooks at a dusty estate sale last fall when the owner—a retired plumber named Earl with flour … Read more

Jessie wasn’t trying to be the star of the Halloween party. I’d stopped by her house to drop off a bag of ice and a … Read more

My neighbor, Mrs. Gable, watched me wrestling a bag of candy corn into my shopping cart at the grocery store last October. She didn’t say … Read more

My friend Leo had a very firm rule about Halloween parties. No themed food. “I’m not eating fake eyeballs made of mozzarella,” he’d announce every … Read more

My niece asked why I couldn’t just shape the cheese ball like a spider instead of making it look fancy. I started to explain that … Read more

It was 11:14 PM on a Tuesday in late October, and I was staring into my fridge like it owed me answers. The craving hit … Read more

There used to be a tiny bakery on the corner of 7th and Elm in my old neighborhood that made these impossibly charming Halloween pretzels … Read more