Appetizer recipe collection

Broiled potato skins loaded with pepper jack cheese and crispy bacon, cut into bite-size pieces for game-day appetizers. A quick broil melts the cheese in two minutes.

Broiled vegetable medley with zucchini, eggplant, red peppers, and onion brushed in garlic-rosemary olive oil. A simple Mediterranean-style appetizer or side ready under the broiler in 10 minutes.

Caribbean guacamole: a tropical twist on classic guac with diced avocado, sweet papaya, lime, red chiles, and toasted coconut, served with crisp bread points. Island sunshine on a cracker.

Beef carpaccio: paper-thin raw filet mignon slices with a lemon-caper-mustard sauce, marinated mushrooms, and shaved Parmesan. The iconic Venetian appetizer.

Cheese straws are a Southern cocktail-party classic: sharp aged cheddar and cayenne rolled into a buttery dough, fork-ridged, and baked crisp. Savory, spicy, and impossibly snackable.

Tender artichoke hearts baked in creamy mozzarella and parmesan with garlic, golden-topped hot dip ready in 35 minutes for any cracker

Homemade hummus made from dried chickpeas cooked from scratch, blended with tahini, fresh lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil. Cooking your own chickpeas gives a creamier, smoother dip than canned.

Szechuan chicken in sesame paste with toasted peppercorns, green tea, ginger, and red pepper flakes, served cold in lettuce wraps. A spicy, make-ahead Chinese appetizer.

Oven-roasted chili peanuts with cumin, dried red chilies, and chili powder. Raw peanuts baked twice until golden and coated in smoky, spicy seasoning.

Indian-style chile tomato salad with fresh green chili, parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, and cayenne. A spicy, bright no-cook side dish or appetizer.

Chilled orange-carrot soup with ginger and leeks, pureed smooth and thinned with fresh orange juice. A refreshing cold soup garnished with orange slices and mint.

Chocolate pecan cookie slices shaped into logs, baked, then cut on the diagonal and drizzled with white chocolate. A slice-and-bake method that yields 40 elegant cookies.

Chocolate raisin snacking cake with cocoa, cinnamon, and chopped nuts, made in one saucepan. Raisins get simmered first to plump them up, and the warm cooking liquid goes right into the batter.

Scandinavian cinnamon fruit soup with dried apricots, prunes, peaches, and pears thickened with tapioca. Served chilled as either a Nordic dessert or a sweet starter.

Italian roast onions (cipolle arrositite) baked whole in their skins with olive oil until soft and golden. Three ingredients, hands-off, and versatile as a side or antipasto.

Thin-sliced cold flank steak marinated overnight in barbecue sauce and red wine, broiled, chilled, and served as a cocktail appetizer on garlic bread baguette slices.