Tasty appetizer recipes which are perfect for parties and entertaining, including Homemade Hummus, Baked Camembert, Cocktail Sausages, Chicken Curry Puffs, and Chicken Liver Pâté.

Soft Bread Rolls

These soft and fluffy bread rolls are perfect for hamburgers, sandwiches, dinner rolls, or anytime you want a soft white roll. Recipe for soft bread rolls with step-by-step photos. Soft Bread Rolls As a child, my parents owned a busy bakery in Australia. Like many Vietnamese businesses, it was open 7 days a week, 365 days a year. When I wasn’t at school, you could find me earning my pocket money at the

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Baked Camembert Bread Rolls

For the perfect appetiser for entertaining, or simply a light meal, these deliciously soft and fluffy bread rolls with baked Camembert are sure to be a hit with your friends and family! Recipe with step-by-step photos. Baked Camembert Bread Rolls Everybody loves freshly baked bread rolls, and what could be better than soft and fluffy bread rolls served alongside warm, oozy baked Camembert for a fun take on Cheese Fondue?

Pigs in Blankets

A quick and super easy recipe for Pigs in Blankets, the perfect snack for birthday parties, game nights or just an easy dinner! Recipe with step-by-step photos. Pigs in Blankets One of my go-to recipes for birthday parties, school bakes, or even a game night at home, is a large batch of Pigs in Blankets. They are super easy to prepare, fun to eat, and irresistibly delicious! They also happen to be great

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Homemade Soft Pretzels

Delicious and easy Homemade Soft Pretzels, which are soft and pillowy, with the perfect chew. These pretzels are great for snacking and entertaining, and perfect served alongside some grilled sausages! Recipe with step-by-step photos. Soft Pretzels If there is one reliable snack that my children will always devour, it would be soft pretzels. In Zurich, Brezel stands can be found all over town with a wide assortment of toppings on offer – sea

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Hot Dog Flower Buns

Fun and tasty Hot Dog Flower Buns! Hot dog sausages wrapped in a soft, fluffy dough, and baked in a cute flower shape. You’ll never want to eat a normal hot dog again! Recipe with step-by-step photos. Hot Dog Flower Buns I had never seen nor heard of Hot Dog Flower Buns until a trip to Hong Kong many years ago for a friend’s wedding. I was travelling on my own at the

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Steamed BBQ Pork Buns (Char Siu Bao)

These homemade Steamed BBQ Pork Buns are soft and fluffy with a succulent savoury filling. Make this classic Dim Sum favourite at home! Complete recipe for the bao buns, plus the Chinese Barbecue Pork filling, with step-by-step photos. Steamed BBQ Pork Buns One of my favourite dishes at Yum Cha are Steamed BBQ Pork Buns, also called Char Siu Bao. As a child, I tried to only eat them towards the end of

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Mexican Layer Dip

An easy and tasty dip with all of your favourite nacho flavours! This Mexican Layer Dip, also called a 7 Layer Dip, is a great recipe for entertaining and can be made ahead of time. Mexican Layer Dip I first tried this Mexican Layer Dip at a birthday party for a friend’s daughter. Yes, at a kid’s party! I was instantly taken by the colours of this dip and after my first try,

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Focaccia with Herbs and Olives

An easy-to-make Focaccia with Herbs and Olives which is soft and chewy on the inside and crisp on the outside. Perfect as a starter or as a side dish! Recipe with step-by-step photos. Focaccia Bread When I lived in Australia, focaccia was a staple which was sold in all bakeries and supermarkets. So when I first moved to Switzerland, I was surprised that, despite being next door to Italy, no focaccia bread could

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Vietnamese Fried Chicken Wings

A delicious recipe for Vietnamese Fried Chicken Wings. The chicken wings are marinated in fish sauce and then fried to crispy perfection, served with a sweet and sticky mouthwatering dipping sauce. Vietnamese Fried Chicken My mother used to cook a lot with chicken wings when I was younger. I’m not sure if it was just because they were cheap, or if she merely enjoyed cooking them. I certainly enjoyed eating them. She would sometimes

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Pork and Sage Sausage Rolls

No party is complete without a batch of sausage rolls, and these classic Pork & Sage Sausage Rolls will be a hit with your friends and family! Sausage Rolls As an Aussie, sausage rolls have been in my food memory for as long as I can remember. My parents ran a busy suburban bakery throughout my childhood, and I can still remember the sight and smell of the gigantic tray of freshly-baked sausage

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Spinach and Feta Pies

mini spinach feta pies

These Spinach and Feta Pies contain just a few ingredients but have maximum flavour. Make them as small or as big as you like, perfect for snacks or light meals. Spinach and Feta Pies When it comes to entertaining, it’s always good to have a few vegetarian options, and these Spinach and Feta Pies (also known as Spanakopita) are one of my stand-by options. As an Australian, I also have a fond affection for

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How to Cook Artichokes

How to cook artichokes – instructions for boiling, Instant Pot, pressure cooker, grilling and frying. Don’t be intimidated by artichokes any longer! Plus recipes for a delicious aioli and vinaigrette to go alongside. I adore artichokes. As a child, my mother would boil a whole artichoke for my dinner on those nights when she was preoccupied with other things or, more likely, fed up with cooking and needed to give me a no-fuss

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Baked Camembert with Honey & Raspberries

baked camembert honey raspberries

Baked Camembert with Honey & Raspberries is a delicious addition to any cheese platter, and perfect as an appetiser for small parties. Easy to prepare with just a few ingredients, with tips on how to cook your camembert to perfectly. Thank you to Baer AG for sponsoring this post. Please note that the content and opinions are my own. Baked Camembert Switzerland is almost synonymous with cheese and, with the vast array of different cheeses produced in

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Roman-Style Fried Artichokes with Herb Mayonnaise

roman style fried artichokes

A traditional dish from Rome are these delicious deep-fried artichokes, cooked Jewish-style. My favourite, and usual, way of cooking and eating artichokes is boiled and served with a spiky vinaigrette or garlic mayonnaise, the recipe which you can find here in one of my earlier posts.

Honey, Soy & Sriracha Cocktail Sausages

honey soy sriracha cocktail sausages

Deliciously sweet, sticky and spicy cocktail sausages. Perfect for entertaining! As an expat living in Switzerland, it is hard to ignore comments about the cost of living here and how everything is extraordinarily expensive. Indeed, when you compare the cost of some products sold in neighbouring countries, the same product can sometimes be triple the cost in Switzerland.

Vietnamese Meat Pies “Pâté Chaud”

vietnamese meat pies pate chaud pate so

These Vietnamese Meat Pies (also called Bánh Patê Sô) are based on the French Pâté Chaud. They have a delicious pork filling seasoned with fresh Asian herbs and spices, and wrapped in golden puff pastry. Perfect for snacks or a light meal. Meat Pies Growing up in Australia, I ate my fair share of meat pies, especially as the daughter of a baker. Pepper steak pies were my favourite, with a layer of mushy peas under

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Roquefort Cheese Ball

roquefort cheese ball

A stunning and delicious Roquefort Cheese Ball to impress your guests! A lovely Aussie friend was recently telling me about her menu plans for Thanksgiving, and my interest was piqued when she mentioned that she would be making a cheese ball for the appetiser. Her cheese ball, if she was still in Australia, would have been comprised of cream cheese with cheddar and good ol’ Coon, sprinkled with curry powder and decorated with fried onions. I was

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Potato Churros with Red Pepper Sauce

Try these delicious savoury Potato Churros with Red Pepper Sauce. With her talent for introducing tasty twists on popular classics, Rachel Khoo has delivered yet another delicious spin, this time on the classic churros. Churros are traditionally served at breakfast alongside a rich hot chocolate but, in countries like Australia and the US, they are more commonly found as hot snacks rolled in cinnamon and sugar, and dipped in a chocolate sauce. These

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Homemade Hummus

My go-to recipe for Hummus which is perfect for dips and entertaining. Hummus would have to be my go-to dip. It’s quick and easy to make and, what’s more, it’s a very versatile dip. It can be served with vegetable crudités and crackers as an appetiser, spread onto flatbreads to eat as a snack or light meal, or even served as part of a main meal with some grilled lamb koftas and a

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Scotch Eggs with Herb Mayonnaise

These soft-centred Scotch Eggs with Herb Mayonnaise are perfect for picnics and light meals. If there is one thing that is getting me through the middle-of-the night feeds with the baby at the moment, it’s TV. It happens to be the only time that I get to watch TV, uninterrupted, and something which is not Peppa Pig.

Cheese Bread

How to make these tasty Cheese Bread rolls from scratch with these step-by-step photos. This recipe uses Parmesan, Gruyère and Cheddar, but you can use any of your favourite cheeses. One of my favourite snacks when I lived in Australia were cheese scrolls from the local bakery. In fact, as a child of parents who ran a busy Vietnamese bakery, I often lived for the moment when the cheese scrolls came fresh out

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Mushroom Tarts

These bite-sized Mushroom Tarts have a flavoursome mushroom filling with a golden puff pastry base. They are perfect for entertaining and would delight both vegetarians and meat-lovers alike. We are hosting a small cocktail party this weekend or, as they call it in Switzerland, an apéro, where the evening will be fueled by lots of small canapés and finger food. Hubby is rather excited by all of the possible wine pairings and I

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Chicken Liver Pâté

A flavoursome Chicken Liver Pâté which is perfect for appetisers, dinner parties and even to use in a Vietnamese Banh Mi. Making Chicken Liver Pâté is easier than you think and it can be ready to serve after just a few hours to firm in the fridge. Chicken Liver Pâté As someone who squirms at the thought of eating livers or offal of any kind, I happen to love chicken liver pâté. Perhaps

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Chicken Curry Puffs

A simple recipe for baked Chicken Curry Puffs. Curry Puffs A visit to most Chinese restaurants will reveal curry puffs on the appetiser menu and I always have a soft spot for anything wrapped in pastry. I could sometimes quite happily forego the main dish and just sit down to a huge serving of curry puffs!

Cheesy Hearts

Cheesy Hearts, the perfect savoury biscuits for Valentine’s Day. I often approach Valentine’s Day with mixed emotions. Once upon a time, when I was a singleton, I would stay sofa-bound at home in front of the telly, à la Bridget Jones. But instead of wailing to Céline Dion on the karaoke machine, I would watch back-to-back murder mysteries, stuffing my face with all of my favourite junk foods, thinking all the while how

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