appetizer/starter/hors d'oeuvre

Ingredients: 100 gms flour 100 gms unsalted butter, softened 100 gms sharp Cheddar, or Parmesan, grated really fine Pinch of cayenne Method: Put all the ingredients into a bowl and mix well together until you have a soft dough. Roll into a sausage shape, about 2" in circumference. Wrap in...

Ingredients: 165 - 170 gms (1 1/2 cups) Ritz crackers, or saltines 50 gms ( 5 Tbsps) melted butter 450 gms (1 lb) cream cheese, at room temperature 2 eggs 6-8 cloves roasted garlic A pinch of salt 1 tsp green peppercorns, crushed 1/2 tsp sugar 1 tsp mixed herbs ( I used herbes de Provence...

This is a regular feature at my house and DH really loves them! We have always adored bagels in my house, and for years I would put cream cheese, smoked salmon, capers, and shallot (or red onion) on a toasted bagel, only to have the capers roll off or the diced shallots spill out on the plate...

Savory Swiss Cheesecake Makes 1 9-inch cheesecake (about two dozen servings) Ingredients 1-1/2 cups crushed Ritz crackers (about 36 crackers) 3 TB butter, melted 3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream 1 TB oil from sun-dried tomatoes 3 large eggs, room...

Ingredients 250 gms cucumber 50 mls rice wine vinegar 50 gms sugar 2 tsps powdered gelatin Method Warm the vinegar and dissolve the powdered gelatin in it. Chop the cucumber roughly and then place all the ingredients in a blender/food processor. Pulse until liquidised. Sieve the resulting...

I used the lamb sausage I made Sunday night into a nifty, super-easy appetizer. It's a spin on Greek gyros, using pita bread, feta cheese, homemade tzatziki (with dill, garlic, cucumber, sea salt, lemon juice, olive oil, parsley, and Greek yogurt), roasted roma tomato slivers, and of course the...

Mrs. Next Door Neighbor has been hosting BYOB Cocktail Hour Parties on her rather large front patio. I’ve been trying to take over Finger Foods. Here’s an idea: Basic Mini Cheese Balls Ingredients: 8 oz. Cream Cheese, room temperature 2 Tbsp. Butter, room temperature 2 tsp. Lemon Juice dash...

Lox Nori Rolls

These tasty baked cheddar cheese and olive balls are delicious and the recipe is quick and easy! This recipe is courtesy of my mother-in-law, with a little tweak from me with the addition of grated parmesan cheese. I have no idea where she got it and she doesn't remember, but she has been...

Ingredients: black quinoa (about 100 g) onion ( 1 medium or half a large, if you like, you could use a whole large onion) garlic (2 cloves) bay leave (1) sultanas (handful, 70 g) salt (to taste) brown sugar (1 teaspoon) ground coriander (1 teaspoon) butter (70 g) lemon (to squeeze some juice...

Nachos and Cheese

Serves 4, Preparation 10 mins, Cooking 15 mins Apples, 2 Bacon rashers/strips, to taste Sesame seeds, to taste Fresh Rosemary, 1 sprig Black Pepper, a pinch EVOO – Extra Virgin Oilve Oil, a drizzle Method Toast the sesame seeds for a few minutes in a saucepan without adding oil or other...

Hi After a few goes, it always goes smelly!!!! Basic concept I use is flour and water, overnighting in warm airing or heater cupboard. I add a bit of flour + water every morning and then it stops bubbling. I have managed up to about 2 days of bubbling so far before death do us part. Any help...

Lime Sombreros

Spicy Fruit Paste Verrine: NOTE: A Verrine is a three layer Appetizer which incorporates a specific gustatory experience sequence of layers, an acidic layer preparing salivation, a main flavor layer and finally a finishing layer to give a pleasant coating at the beginning of the Verrine...

Turmeric and Tarragon Seasoned Deviled Eggs My husband likes his boiled eggs soft-to-medium boiled. He eats a couple a day as an afternoon snack, so I make them in batches of 6 eggs at a time every few days. About 1 out of 7 times I overcook them, LOL. Today was one of those days. I ate...

Mrs B wanted wanted to make sourdough bread. This is the method she selected from YouTube. In early 2019 she made the mother, when we left she bequeathed to her friend and Blobby is still alive. This guy is an excellent teacher. NB for the Brits don't use British commercial bread flour when...

Puff Pastries stuffed with kidney and onion. Kidneys are very healthy organs, if obtained from pastured animals. They are high in Vitamin A (benefits for vision), as well as in iron, and also in most of the B vitamins. It is possible to overdose on Vitamin A, but for most people eating...

A couple important things – not to overcook the scallops OR to undercook the puff pastry. Striking the balance meant watching the oven often. There was more of a concern making the mini-pie than the mini-muffins – because in the latter case you do want to make sure that the scallops and...